Bird’s Eye View – Protecting our Birds

It is already September, and we’re in for peak migration of birds traveling to their wintering grounds.

Let’s work together to improve their chances of survival on their hazardous journey.  We need bird-safe glass to prevent deaths from window collisions. We need dark skies to keep migrants safe.

The National Park has decided to keep the St Louis Gateway Arch dark overnight for the month of September. This is happening to protect the hundreds of thousands of birds traveling through St. Louis on their migration along the Mississippi River Flyway. Keeping the Arch dark is temporary. Overnight lights will again illuminate the Arch in October.

Our songbirds, warblers, vireos, and shorebirds migrate at night because the winds die down, temperatures cool, stars show the way, and evening flying is easier. But bright night lights in our cities pointed into the sky can confuse birds and mess with their navigation skills. Sometimes birds get tricked by the lights and keep circling until exhaustion overcomes them, and they crash to the ground.

Let’s follow St. Louis’ lead and ask all our municipalities along the Mississippi River Flyway to turn off unnecessary recreational and promotional lighting – just for September. Let’s give our birds the break they need.

And let’s not forget that we still need – more than ever – bird safe glass in our homes but especially in new commercial construction and on school and college campuses across the state.  

Consider how our songbirds rest after a night of flight and wake to forage for food. They are in unfamiliar places and are tricked by reflections on glass windows and doors. They see trees and open spaces, then crash headfirst into the glass. 

You may think they are just stunned. But you are the ones being tricked. Hitting your head at high speed into glass causes broken beaks, broken sternums, broken wings, and brain bleeds. If you can, collect the injured and bring them to the Wildlife Rehab Center to see if the bird can be saved.

 If the bird is dead, photograph the bird at the scene, note its species, sex, adult or immature, GPS coordinates, location of the incident, street address, name of building, date, and time. If this incident occurs on a campus with a Stop the Thud Program, provide that information. If the incident occurs elsewhere, send the data to us at contact Saintpaulbirdalliance.org

Meanwhile, keep reminding public officials, developers, building owners, property managers that we need bird safe glass in all new construction and we need existing problem windows retrofitted with paracords or spotted decals on the exterior glass.  

With birds in steep decline, we must do all we can to ensure our precious birds can take wing again on their journey. 

Thanks for helping!