Hundreds of birds struck against buildings this fall

By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada’s Global Bird Collision Mapper users recorded over 775 birds struck by buildings in Markham since August.

This is hundreds more than Richmond Hill, Vaughan, and Scarborough combined.

Users recorded these bird collisions during the current fall migratory season, which generally lasts from August to November, depending on the species.

The vast majority of reported bird collisions in Markham are clustered around several buildings in the Buttonville, Thornhill, and Milliken Mills West neighbourhoods.

Michael Mesure, executive director of FLAP Canada, said that FLAP picks up two to three times more struck birds during a fall migratory season than a spring migratory season. He said that bird populations tend to increase during the fall due to the influx of young birds, and that birds tend to rest more during their fall migrations, increasing their risk of crashing into buildings.

He added that although FLAP tends to find similar annual numbers of struck birds, that is only because its volunteer base has grown. In fact, the number of struck birds found per volunteer has shrunk.

“It’s not because the problem is being resolved,” he said. “It’s simply due to the fact that there’s just fewer and fewer birds.”

Window strikes are the second leading cause of bird deaths, behind cats.

A 2024 report by Environment and Climate Change Canada said that window strikes kill more than 25 million birds every year in Canada.

The report said that long-distance migrants and forest birds tend to be disproportionately impacted by window strikes. It added that long-distance migrant populations have declined by 29 per cent since 1970, and that forest bird populations have declined since the 1990s.

Mesure said that smaller and less noticeable birds tend to be at greater risk and are more likely to strike windows within 16 m from the ground that reflect trees, ravines, and other natural features.

Additionally, FLAP reported that from 1993 to 2023, it has documented over 99,000 birds across 178 species in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa region, with 24 species being at-risk in Ontario.

Mesure said that FLAP has worked with the City of Markham since 2010 to improve Markham’s bird friendliness.

The city introduced its Bird Friendly Guidelines in 2014 to reduce bird-window strikes and better achieve its goals from its Greenprint and 2011 Sustainability Plan. This includes adding bird-friendly treatments to site plans, retrofit windows on all municipal buildings, and creating an education program to promote bird-friendly treatments on existing private buildings and homes.

Additionally, Graham Seaman, city director of sustainability and asset management, said that the city has adapted 11 municipal buildings to not only increase bird friendliness, but to also be a role model for the community. Examples include the Markham Civic Centre and Varley Art Gallery.

However, Seaman said that despite its efforts, the city lacks the authority to mandate bird safety changes for private buildings, with such a task typically being a provincial or federal government responsibility.

“Getting building owners’ and residential residents’ attention is something that we continue to strive for, and we’ve been working with the Markham Advisory Committee to raise awareness,” he said.

Both Seaman and Mesure said that educating people about bird friendliness is important for inducing change, such as retrofitting windows with bird-safe film.

However, Mesure said that two common issues people have against retrofitting their windows are aesthetics and upfront costs.

He said that bird-safe technologies have improved to the point that current films may look unnoticeable to the human eye. He also said that companies can often afford to retrofit their windows but seldom do because of a lack of direct benefits.

However, he said that people who live or work in bird collision hotspots are often distraught by seeing dead and injured birds around them, which could result in mental health costs. In addition, he said that birds are crucial for agriculture and other industries, with the bird-watching industry alone being valued at $66.2 billion USD worldwide in 2024.

“We all have a role to play because… this issue is not exclusive to commercial properties,” Mesure said. “This is happening anywhere you have glass.”

As advice, he said that homeowners can treat their windows with bird-safe film, tenants can pressure their property managers to retrofit their windows, and anyone can contact their local council about adopting bird-safe standards.

Seaman said that birds can also crash into glass railings on stairs and decks.

FLAP Canada is a national registered charity that aims to protect birds from building collisions.

Both Mesure and Seaman warned that installing bird silhouettes onto windows provides minimal benefit towards birds. Head to https://flap.org/stop-birds-from-hitting-windows for a list of effective solutions.

 

Photo: Markham has retrofitted its municipal buildings to align with its Bird Friendly Guidelines, such as the Markham Civic Centre featured in this image. (supplied photo)