The McCormick Place Lakeside Center in Chicago has initiated a $1.2 million project to combat bird strikes after hundreds of songbirds crashed into the building overnight last fall. The center started installing specially designed film with small dots on its windows in June, intended to help birds differentiate between windows and nature. The installation is anticipated to be finished by early September, just in time for the autumn migrations.
Around 1,000 songbirds on their southward journey perished in a single night last October due to collisions with the center’s 200 yards of windows. The incident was attributed to various factors, including favorable migration conditions, rain, and the exhibition hall’s low height, bright lights, and walls lined with windows, as explained by bird experts.
Studies indicate that a significant number of birds die annually in the United States from window strikes. Birds are unable to perceive clear or reflective glass and often mistake it for open space, resulting in fatal collisions as they attempt to reach plants or bushes visible through or reflected in windows.
Birds that migrate at night, such as sparrows and warblers, rely on celestial navigation using stars. Building lights can attract and disorient them, leading to collisions or the birds circling the lights until exhaustion sets in, a phenomenon called fatal light attraction.
To prevent birds from becoming trapped in light beams, New York City intermittently shuts off the twin beams symbolizing the World Trade Center during its annual Sept. 11 memorial ceremony. The National Audubon Society introduced the Lights Out program in 1999 to urge urban centers to minimize or switch off lights during migration seasons. Approximately 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada, including Chicago, Toronto, New York, Boston, San Diego, Dallas, and Miami, have joined this initiative.
