Supporting a bird-friendly campus

Window collisions are a common cause of fatalities and injuries in birds. The University of Waterloo Society for Ecological Restoration (UW SER) group has a monitoring program to track bird-window collisions around campus. From the data collected, they identified the SLC/MC bridge as a high-risk area for birds.

Through funding from the Sustainability Action Fund, the University of Waterloo is piloting Feather Friendly® window decals on the SLC/MC bridge to protect birds. The pattern of quarter inch black dots spaced two inches apart can decrease collision risk by 95%. Because the bridge is considered a “fly-through” bridge, the decals can be installed on the inside glass. Bridges that have reflective glass require decals to be on the outside of the bridge so that it is more visible to birds.

When asked about what they area excited about regarding this initiative, UW SER said “We are excited about the growing interest from students and in the KW community to take action on this and to help protect our bird populations on campus”. The bridge will be monitored for bird collisions over the next few migratory seasons to track the impact of the initiative. SER UW is recruiting volunteers to help monitor bird-window collisions across campus through the spring and fall migratory periods. SER UW is also always looking for new members. Questions can be directed to seruwaterloo@gmail.com.