Michael Mesure spoke at the GANA Fall Conference about bird deaths caused by glass collisions and methods to prevent them.
Michael Mesure, the founder and executive director of the Canada-based Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), spoke to attendees of the Glass Association of North America’s (GANA) Fall Conference in Toronto. He detailed the work his organization performs and suggested some glazing and design options that may help prevent bird deaths caused by glass collisions.
According to the FLAP web site, FLAP is the first organization in the world to address the issue of birds in collisions with buildings. Since its foundation in 1993, their volunteers have picked up thousands of injured or dead birds from 167 species in the Toronto region. Approximately 60 percent of the birds recovered are dead, while 80 percent of the injured birds rescued by volunteers are rehabilitated and released back into the wild.
Mesure said FLAP began by focusing on light, as birds are attracted to bright lights. Many species of birds migrate at night. Guided in part by constellations, they are attracted to bright lights left on overnight in urban areas, causing them to collide with buildings.
Another issue is the reflective nature of a glass surface. Their concerns with buildings include bright lights, transparent windows, mirrored walls and glass railings. While large-sized buildings are often cited as causing a concern, Mesure said it doesn’t have to be a huge structure to pose a threat. Any glazed surface can be a threat. Even placing greenery on the inside of the glass can be an issue, as birds will see it and try to fly into it.
The FLAP web site offers some statistics on bird fatalities involving glass: “An estimated 1 to 10 birds die per building, per year. The City of Toronto has over 950,000 registered buildings that could potentially kill over 9 million birds each year. Across North America, the estimated number of migrating birds killed annually in collisions with buildings ranges from 100 million to 1 billion birds.”
In order to reduce bird collisions, Mesure suggested that markers can be applied to the glass. Printed glass, design features on glass, or designing the glass to be at an angle can alert birds to its presence, and keeping lights turned off when not needed can also help.
Mesure reported that Toronto was the first city to create bird-safe building guidelines, and that cities all over the world are addressing the issue. “It is now an offense under Ontario law to emit reflected light that kills or injures birds.” He also offered a reminder: “When you apply a marker to glazed surface the contrast has to be great enough for the bird to see it. If you have a hard time seeing it the bird definitely has a hard time seeing it.”