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Migratory birds are on the move again. Twice a year, millions of long-haul fliers pass through TO, either headed south for the winter (from mid-August to the beginning of November) or returning in spring (mid-March to the start of June). Many of them travel thousands of kilometres each season between northern habitat in the summer and warmer winter habitat. Our location on the shores of a large Great Lake, on two major flyways, makes our city a critical pitstop on the way.
The good news is that Toronto has a Lights Out Toronto public awareness campaign (similar to programs in other cities such as the program in Philadelphia that our U.S. Bluedot colleagues wrote about). Plus, Toronto was the first city in North America to officially adopt migratory bird protection policies, bringing in requirements for new development to include bird-friendly design for lighting features and glass in the Toronto Green Standard.
The bad news is that an estimated 1 million birds are killed each year while flying through our city, according to the CBC. Glass windows and lights continue to be a major threat, with collisions being one of the top five causes of death for birds in Canada. (Cats still top the list, so keep your kitty inside, especially at this time of year! Yes, we mean your kitty too. Cats injure many more birds than they capture — many of them die days later from infection. Even a tiny scratch can be fatal.) If you find an injured bird, here is info from the Toronto Wildlife Rescue on how to assess them. You can also drill down to see where the window-strikes are happening by checking out Toronto-based Global Bird Collision Mapper, which shows reported bird collisions on a bird-by-bird and building-by-building scale, showing buildings that have prevention in place — and those that don’t.
Read on for ways we can help them make it safely on their way, especially during these critical days for our feathered friends.
What You Can Do
Here are some bird-friendly tips from Bluedot contributor Kellie B. Gormly:
• Put patterned stickers on your windows to break up the reflection and give the birds a visual cue that there’s a surface there. Companies like CollidEscape sell window sheets with dot patterns and tinting.
• You can also draw patterns on your windows using a bar of soap or window paint (repeat after a rainfall). Or hang ribbons or strings on the outside of your windows about four inches apart.
• Position feeders and birdbaths 1 ½ feet or less from windows. Birds won’t be able to create enough momentum to hurt themselves at the distance. What’s more, you can better see the birds at your feeders!
• Keep cats indoors.
• Turn out lights at night, including exterior decorative lights. It’s especially important to keep exterior lights off during migration seasons.
• Report bird collisions to the Global Building Collision Mapper, a citizen science database.
• If a bird hits your window, gently place it inside an unwaxed paper bag or cardboard box firmly secured, recommends FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program). Ensure the bird remains upright (“you can create a donut out of tissue for it to sit in,” reads FLAPS’ literature. Then place it in a quiet location away from people/pets. Contact a nearby wildlife rehabilitation centre for further instructions. FLAP offers more helpful tips on its site.
Read our My Green Job interview with a Toronto Wildlife Rescue Technician.
