Eyes on the skies: P.E.I. student studying dangers of windows on birds

Minhye Lee is a student at the Atlantic Veterinary College. (Source: University of Prince Edward Island)

This summer, Minhye Lee will be keeping a close eye on the biggest windows at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) campus. She will be watching for any signs of bird collisions with the glass structures.

“I’ll walk around the buildings and see if there’s any imprint on the windows,” Lee said. “They leave bird-shaped marks. I’ll also look for injured birds.”

Lee, a third-year student at the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI, has launched a summer research project to study potential “hotspots” for bird crashes on the campus and identify possible solutions to make the space safer for winged travellers.

Lee, who worked at wildlife centres prior to coming to the university, said she witnessed several bird-window collisions firsthand.

“It stuck in my mind,” she said. “When I saw large glass buildings, I wondered if that was a threat to birds.”

Window collisions pose a particular threat to migratory birds, according to the Government of Canada. Across the country, window collisions kill between 16 and 42 million birds a year.

“Most birds die on impact, but even birds who survive the initial impact will often be left with life threatening injuries,” the government’s website reads. “Collisions may result in concussions, shock, internal bleeding, broken bones or brain damage. Injured birds can have a harder time feeding, and also make for easier prey.

“Glass is not a natural material, so birds do not understand that reflections of trees or sky are not real. Similarly, if they see the sky or indoor plants through glass, they try to access it and can not see that there is a transparent barrier in the way. Even dark glass, or a window into a dark room can look like a tunnel or hole through which the bird thinks it can fly.”

The government says most bird collisions happen between ground level and up to the height of the tallest nearby tree. Only one per cent of collisions happen at high-rise buildings.

Lee said there are about 40 buildings on campus and she’s selected 10 to study as potential risks to birds.

“At this point we just want to know if it’s an actual problem on our campus,” she said. “There hasn’t been any research before this. If it’s shown to be a problem, we’d like to advocate for changes to the windows so they’re safer for birds.”

Lee is reaching out to the community to contribute to the project, asking people to report any bird-window collisions to her Instagram account @birdsafe.upei.

“I can’t watch all the buildings,” she said. “We need help from the community members. I’d love people to send messages if they see any imprints on the windows.

“We are focusing on larger glasses, but it happens everywhere. It’d be great if people know about this problem overall.”

For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.