What we’ve learned from the Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project so far

Birds deserve better.

In addition to managing the Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project, I also participate in it as a volunteer. After months of searching sidewalks and not finding anything, I thought I’d be excited when I found a dead bird.

Not so.

It was an Orange-crowned Warbler. It struck a window and fell among some spent azalea blossoms. Even dead, it was beautiful.

Finding its little body first made me sad. Perhaps this bird, weighing only a few ounces, had just arrived from Mexico. Then I felt angry that this amazing creature died because of architectural ignorance, carelessness, or vanity.

Our organization is committed to understanding and preventing bird-window collisions. The issue is understudied in Seattle, but thanks to the efforts of volunteer community scientists, we are making strides.

In the last year and a half, more than 40 volunteers have spent more than 300 hours searching for dead and injured birds. I’m grateful for their hard work, I’m excited to share what we’ve found so far, and I’m looking forward to learning more so that we may better advocate for cities where people and birds thrive.