Bird Friendly Window Installations Help Reduce Bird Strikes at McMaster University

McMaster University
31 May, 2024

McMaster University’s main campus is located in one of the most biodiverse regions in Canada and borders the nationally important Cootes Paradise Marsh. Additionally, McMaster is located within the Dundas Valley and Dundas Marsh Nationally Important Bird Area (IBA), the candidate Dundas Valley to Cootes Paradise Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), and within the Atlantic Flyway migration corridor. All of these factors considered bird preservation and protection on McMaster’s campus is a key priority.

In July and October 2023, McMaster University installed bird friendly decals on two of its buildings, supported by the Cootes to Escarpment EcoPark System Ecological Corridor Pilot Program and McMaster Facility Services. These included the North side of the Les Prince undergraduate student residence and both sides of the bridge connecting the Life Science Building to the Health Science Centre. In total 6,328 square feet of bird friendly decals were installed in 2023. McMaster previously installed decals on the two bridges connecting the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery to the Health Science Centre in 2021. These locations were identified as priority areas by Dr. James Quinn of McMaster’s Department of Biology through his lab’s bird mortality surveys across McMaster’s campus.

McMaster is currently in the process of updating our Sustainable Building Design Policy, as part of this update bird friendly design is being prioritized. Once approved by McMaster’s Senate and Board of Governors, all future building retrofits and new building construction projects will involve the inclusion of bird friendly design in the construction process and bird friendly glass will be used for exterior windows in areas of high risk for collision. Included in this policy update is identifying current high risk buildings that McMaster owns and manages, to prioritize locations for additional decal installation.

Bird friendly window decals on McMaster University building. Photo by Noah Stegman.

 Where and why do bird strikes occur?

Bird strikes can occur anywhere where infrastructure has been constructed, from houses and skyscrapers to wind turbines and roads. Window collisions in Canada account for 16-42 million bird deaths per year alone. These collisions are more frequent during the spring and fall migration periods, but can occur year-round. During the day glass used in building construction poses a collision risk as birds either see through the glass or the reflection on the glass and do not see a physical barrier. When the birds collide with glass features they often suffer broken wings, concussions, and broken necks. At night glass poses similar risks, with city lights confusing birds and leading them to strike windows that they cannot see. All reflective and transparent surfaces pose collision risks. In Canada, Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) and Bird Safe Canada work together to provide resources to municipalities, homeowners, and builders to lead to safer and more bird friendly cities.

What exactly are bird friendly decals?

Bird friendly decals can come in many different designs, including acid etched or ceramic frit designs on exterior glass or applied marker details on exterior glass. These can be in any size or shape, but to be effective they must have a maximum spacing of 5 centimetres and a minimum diameter of 6 millimetres. The design of markers must be placed on the exterior of the glass to combat transparency and reflection. One of the most common forms of bird friendly decals are white vinyl dots applied in a grid pattern from Feather Friendly.

Bird friendly window decals on McMaster University building. Photo by Noah Stegman.

What can you do at home to prevent bird strike?

Protecting your home from bird strikes is a great way for you to protect birds in your community. Decals can be installed similarly to those installed on larger commercial buildings. For those looking for a cheaper DIY solution, you can create your own decals, hang vertical strips of string no more than 10 centimetres apart, draw patterns on your windows, or consider installing external window shutters. If you are concerned that your home may be a risk to birds considering taking Bird Safe Canada’s Homeowner Self-Assessment. You can also be on the lookout for injured or dead birds within the city that you live while you are out and about and bring any bird strikes to the attention of the building owner. We can all do our part to protect birds and help reduce the millions that unfortunately die each year through window collisions.