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Glass City Bird Crew
Glass City Bird Crew is a bird collision monitoring program in Toledo, Ohio. This program is a partnership between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (stationed at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge), Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, and the Toledo Zoo. Volunteers monitor predetermined route(s) in the downtown Toledo area to record data on dead and injured birds as a result of window strikes in this metropolitan area. This program helps to pinpoint where additional measures need to be taken to prevent bird and bat deaths and injuries. Follow this link to find out what you can do to prevent window collisions in your home or business! For more information about Glass City Bird Crew please contact Jessica Duez or join our group! |
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Research and Results
In October of 2022, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, the Toledo Zoo, and Nature’s Nursery participated in the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), Canada’s annual Global Bird Rescue event; a week-long citizen science event where teams and individuals around the world get outside to search for and rescue birds that have collided with buildings. In seven days, our team (Glass City Bird Crew) searched downtown Toledo and found 69 birds, 53 of which were deceased. This event was a great model for what a collision monitoring program could look like in the Glass City. We quickly began planning a spring season that would extend from April 1 to May 31, 2023, followed by a fall season from September 5 to October 31, 2023. These dates were chosen to coincide with the peak spring and fall migration movements of birds. Volunteers and coordinators from the refuge and the Toledo Zoo met every morning at 7 a.m. in downtown Toledo. Groups of 2-3 people were assigned a route, given a bag of supplies, and proceeded to search for window collision victims around buildings for two hours. Live birds were carefully captured (if they didn’t fly away!) and were placed into a non-waxed lined paper bag to be transported to Nature’s Nursery for rehabilitation. Deceased birds were collected for future scientific study or displays. Since we were already out for the fall season of collision monitoring, we participated in the 2023 Global Bird Rescue event from October 2-8, reporting our findings to the Global Bird Collision Mapper database. This year we found considerably less birds than we did during the event in 2022: 69 birds vs 23 birds. Though more birds crossed Lucas County during that week in 2023, they were flying at a greater average altitude based on data from The Cornell Lab’s BirdCast Migration Tool. Factors such as favorable weather conditions and greater average flight altitudes could partly explain why less birds were found during this year’s Global Bird Rescue. As of the end of 2023, we have found over 550 birds and 65 different species. The family with the most species found is Parulidae (warblers), followed by Passerellidae (sparrows). Many of the birds we found were deceased (67%). Of the live birds found, 17% were rescued, rehabilitated, and released for a second chance at life: that’s almost 100 birds saved! 2024 data will be shared soon! Volunteers truly drive this program, and we wouldn’t be able to accomplish our goals without their dedication to saving birds. Over both spring and fall, 28 volunteers gave 707.5 hours of their time to collect and transport birds that collided with glass. A big thank you to all the volunteers for their support with this program, and for being amazing people to do this work alongside. ~ Jessica Duez, Friends Career Pathways Community Engagement Coordinator |
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Making a Difference, One Bird at a Time...
"Experiencing nature in a place many might consider unlikely. Many mornings, this is where volunteering in the downtown Toledo Bird Collision Monitoring Project has taken us, with the guidance of capable and knowledgeable coordinators. Finding both the wonder and yet often sadness of discovering the literal impact from buildings on the fate of migratory birds of all kinds. Hoping this leads to both better awareness of and solutions to this problem."
~ Chuck and Luann Perzynski, Toledo, Ohio
"In October of 2022, I saw a Facebook post looking for volunteers for bird collision monitoring in downtown Toledo. I came down to help once, and my wife and I have been volunteering now for over a year. As birders, it’s been a really life-changing experience. We’ve learned so much about the timing and nature of bird migration and the hazards that human environments can cause to birds and other animals. Being able to help birds in trouble is a great feeling, but even when we can’t help, knowing that the data we collect can bring attention to the problems migrating birds face is motivating and encouraging. We’d like to thank the FWS for sponsoring this program and allowing us to help and learn more about our home city in the process." ~ Dave and Michelle Rodriguez, Toledo, Ohio
"I had the privilege to work with the Glass City Bird Crew during the Spring '23 and Fall '23 monitoring sessions. As tough as it is to find a dead bird on the ground, there is hope as well! We often find stunned birds that are quickly collected, then treated by our local wildlife rehab facility, Nature's Nursery. I'm pleased to see the release stats and that well over 50% of the birds we drop off are released back to the wild to continue their migration journey! We only need to read about the nearly 1,000 birds that were found in downtown Chicago, on October 5th, 2023, to acknowledge the need exists in cities around the country. The data collection and work being done to study birds that collide with buildings is so important to bird species as a collective group. With all the other pressures birds deal with on a daily basis, if we can help decrease the number of birds that lose their lives to building strikes we must do so! Data collection is an important first step to define a need for change. Jessica Duez helps manage the operation and it's her organization, dedication, and knowledge that has helped this cause to succeed. While it's heart-breaking to collect deceased birds, it's inspiring to know I'm part of a team that can work for change, real change that matters in the lives of our beloved birds!" ~ Ken Roshak, Toledo, Ohio
"Experiencing nature in a place many might consider unlikely. Many mornings, this is where volunteering in the downtown Toledo Bird Collision Monitoring Project has taken us, with the guidance of capable and knowledgeable coordinators. Finding both the wonder and yet often sadness of discovering the literal impact from buildings on the fate of migratory birds of all kinds. Hoping this leads to both better awareness of and solutions to this problem."
~ Chuck and Luann Perzynski, Toledo, Ohio
"In October of 2022, I saw a Facebook post looking for volunteers for bird collision monitoring in downtown Toledo. I came down to help once, and my wife and I have been volunteering now for over a year. As birders, it’s been a really life-changing experience. We’ve learned so much about the timing and nature of bird migration and the hazards that human environments can cause to birds and other animals. Being able to help birds in trouble is a great feeling, but even when we can’t help, knowing that the data we collect can bring attention to the problems migrating birds face is motivating and encouraging. We’d like to thank the FWS for sponsoring this program and allowing us to help and learn more about our home city in the process." ~ Dave and Michelle Rodriguez, Toledo, Ohio
"I had the privilege to work with the Glass City Bird Crew during the Spring '23 and Fall '23 monitoring sessions. As tough as it is to find a dead bird on the ground, there is hope as well! We often find stunned birds that are quickly collected, then treated by our local wildlife rehab facility, Nature's Nursery. I'm pleased to see the release stats and that well over 50% of the birds we drop off are released back to the wild to continue their migration journey! We only need to read about the nearly 1,000 birds that were found in downtown Chicago, on October 5th, 2023, to acknowledge the need exists in cities around the country. The data collection and work being done to study birds that collide with buildings is so important to bird species as a collective group. With all the other pressures birds deal with on a daily basis, if we can help decrease the number of birds that lose their lives to building strikes we must do so! Data collection is an important first step to define a need for change. Jessica Duez helps manage the operation and it's her organization, dedication, and knowledge that has helped this cause to succeed. While it's heart-breaking to collect deceased birds, it's inspiring to know I'm part of a team that can work for change, real change that matters in the lives of our beloved birds!" ~ Ken Roshak, Toledo, Ohio
