Birds can’t detect glass as a barrier.  Instead, they may just see a reflection of greenery and sky and think they can fly through it. Artificial light at nighttime makes the problem worse by disorienting birds. Many die on impact with windows. Survivors require prompt medical attention to have a chance at recovery. 

Here in Jersey City, the threat to birds has increased as rapid construction development and multi-story buildings dominate the skyline in the bird flyways.

But there are ways we can reduce the risk to birds.  

One important way is to incorporate bird-friendly glass and other protective measures into buildings. This fall, new bird-friendly building design codes will go before Jersey City’s planning board, and then to City Council for approval. We have been working with interested groups and researching this measure for over 18 months, and we thank Councilman James Solomon for pushing the legislation forward. These proposed modifications—based on design codes in Newark and NYC—can dramatically reduce bird injuries and deaths in new construction.

For existing construction, there are solutions, including the use of window films and decals that help birds detect and avoid windows. (A reminder: it’s not just skyscrapers. Most collisions occur within the first few floors of a building. If you notice bird strikes at your home, school, or workplace, please install window film and decals. Contact us for more info.)

This fall, For the Birds, an advocacy group that unites members of Jersey City Birds and Feminist Bird Club Jersey City along with other community volunteers, will resume the collision monitoring that we began in the spring, monitoring buildings on the waterfront and in Journal Square and rescuing injured birds. Volunteers will monitor two known collision hot spots (one around Journal Square, the second around the waterfront) to identify which buildings would benefit from using window films and other deterrents.

For the Birds is consulting with the American Bird Conservancy, NYC Bird Alliance, and New Jersey Audubon to determine best practices for monitoring, data collection and advocacy in general.

How YOU can help:

We need volunteers to help us monitor collision sites over a two-week period in October. Volunteers walk around the designated sites in the early morning and document any injured or dead birds they find. We provide all instruction and equipment, including maps, survey sheets, gloves, and bags to transport injured birds. We will collect injured birds and bring them to wildlife rehab centers. 

We also need help transporting injured birds to either Wild Bird Fund in Manhattan (accessible by public transport) or Raptor Trust in Millington. If you might be available to help with this, even for one day, please email Jerseycitybirds@gmail.com.

You may volunteer to monitor as many or as few days as you wish. You can also volunteer as a ‘floater’ who is available to fill in if other volunteers become unavailable.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old. Some familiarity with common birds is preferable but you do not need to be an expert—we will ID species from photographs.

This data will be used in our advocacy work to pinpoint collision hotspots and work with buildings to reduce bird strikes. Fill in our form here and we will contact you.