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Hundreds of birds crash into New York City skyscrapers, most die

Hundreds of migratory birds crossing New York City this week have died after crashing into the city’s glass towers, a mass-casualty event highlighted by tweets from a New York volunteer to ‘Audubon showing the World Trade Center littered with bird carcasses.

This week’s bird death toll was particularly high, but birds crashing into Manhattan skyscrapers are a persistent problem that NYC Audubon has documented for years, said Kaitlyn Parkins, associate director of conservation and group science.

Stormy weather from Monday night to Tuesday contributed to the deaths, she said.

“We had a big storm and kind of weird weather and a lot of birds, and that’s kind of the perfect combination that can lead to bird and window collisions,” Parkins said.

“It looks like the storm may have brought the birds lower than they otherwise would have been, or just disoriented them,” Parkins added. “The effects of nighttime light on birds are also quite strong, especially when it’s a cloudy night. ”

NYC Audubon volunteers document bird deaths in high-risk locations during spring and fall migrations.

Melissa Breyer, the volunteer who tweeted about the discovery of nearly 300 birds on the sidewalks surrounding the new World Trade Center towers, said the experience was “overwhelming.”

“As soon as I got into the buildings the birds were all over the sidewalk,” Breyer said. “Looking north, overcast, south, overcast, west, overcast, the sidewalks were literally covered with birds,” she said.

NYC Audubon wants owners of the World Trade Center towers and other buildings to help reduce the number of bird strikes by dimming the lights at night and treating the glass to make it more visible to birds. recognize it’s a solid barrier that they can’t cross, ”Parkins said.

Jordan Barowitz, spokesperson for the Durst Organization, co-developer of One World Trade Center, said in an email: “The first 200 feet of One WTC are enclosed in non-reflective glass fins. This design was chosen because it significantly reduces birds. strikes that occur primarily below 200 feet and are frequently caused by reflective glass. “

Dara McQuillan, spokesperson for Silverstein Properties, developer of three other shopping center skyscrapers, said: “We care deeply about wild birds and protect their habitat in the five boroughs. Understanding that artificial night lighting, in general, can attract and disorient migrant birds, we actively encourage our office tenants to turn off their lights at night and lower their shades whenever possible, especially during the migratory season.

It wasn’t the last flight for all the crashed birds. Some survived.

A total of 77 birds were taken to the Wild Bird Fund’s rehabilitation center on the Upper West Side on Tuesday, the majority of them from the mall area, manager Ritamary McMahon said.

“We knew it would be a major migration ahead. They could tell on radar, ”said McMahon, who has scheduled additional staff to deal with an expected influx of injured birds.

Wild Bird Fund staff members gave the birds food, fluids and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling.

Thirty birds have recovered and were released Wednesday at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, McMahon said.

“One of our employees took an Uber to Prospect Park to free them so that they were no longer confronted with taller buildings on their trips,” she said.

Hundreds of migratory birds crossing New York City this week have died after crashing into the city’s glass towers, a mass-casualty event highlighted by tweets from a New York volunteer to ‘Audubon showing the World Trade Center littered with bird carcasses.

This week’s bird death toll was particularly high, but birds crashing into Manhattan skyscrapers are a persistent problem that NYC Audubon has documented for years, said Kaitlyn Parkins, associate director of conservation and group science.

Stormy weather from Monday night to Tuesday contributed to the deaths, she said.

“We had a big storm and kind of weird weather and a lot of birds, and that’s kind of the perfect combination that can lead to bird and window collisions,” Parkins said.

“It looks like the storm may have brought the birds lower than they otherwise would have been, or just disoriented them,” Parkins added. “The effects of nighttime light on birds are also quite strong, especially when it’s a cloudy night. ”

NYC Audubon volunteers document bird deaths in high-risk locations during spring and fall migrations.

Melissa Breyer, the volunteer who tweeted about the discovery of nearly 300 birds on the sidewalks surrounding the new World Trade Center towers, said the experience was “overwhelming.”

“As soon as I got into the buildings the birds were all over the sidewalk,” Breyer said. “Looking north, overcast, south, overcast, west, overcast, the sidewalks were literally covered with birds,” she said.

NYC Audubon wants owners of the World Trade Center towers and other buildings to help reduce the number of bird strikes by dimming the lights at night and treating the glass to make it more visible to birds. recognize it’s a solid barrier that they can’t cross, ”Parkins said.

Jordan Barowitz, spokesperson for the Durst Organization, co-developer of One World Trade Center, said in an email: “The first 200 feet of One WTC are enclosed in non-reflective glass fins. This design was chosen because it significantly reduces birds. strikes that occur primarily below 200 feet and are frequently caused by reflective glass. “

Dara McQuillan, spokesperson for Silverstein Properties, developer of three other shopping center skyscrapers, said: “We care deeply about wild birds and protect their habitat in the five boroughs. Understanding that artificial night lighting, in general, can attract and disorient migrant birds, we actively encourage our office tenants to turn off their lights at night and lower their shades whenever possible, especially during the migratory season.

It wasn’t the last flight for all the crashed birds. Some survived.

A total of 77 birds were taken to the Wild Bird Fund’s rehabilitation center on the Upper West Side on Tuesday, the majority of them from the mall area, manager Ritamary McMahon said.

“We knew it would be a major migration ahead. They could tell on radar, ”said McMahon, who has scheduled additional staff to deal with an expected influx of injured birds.

Wild Bird Fund staff members gave the birds food, fluids and anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce swelling.

Thirty birds have recovered and were released Wednesday at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, McMahon said.

“One of our employees took an Uber to Prospect Park to free them so that they were no longer confronted with taller buildings on their trips,” she said.

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