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Milwaukee Bird Collision Monitoring
This page is: http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/birdcollisionrescue.html
April 30, 2005: Handouts from Training for volunteers --
Monitoring Protocol --
Rescue Guidelines
From: Paul Hunter, web page editor
5/1/05: This page was a handout at the training session for volunteers held
on April 30, 2005 at the Wisconsin Humane Society by William Mueller
and Scott Diehl. I have posted it for the convenience of the trained volunteers.
To participate in this project you MUST be formally trained.
DO NOT collect or rescue birds until you have received training.
6/12/05: The official copy of this Monitoring Protocol is
now on the Wisconsin Humane Society Web Page:
http://www.wihumane.org/wildlife/documents/WiNGSprotocol-handlingdeadbirds.pdf
Wisconsin Night Guardians for Songbirds
Birdstrike Mortality Study in Downtown Milwaukee
Thank you for agreeing to help monitor avian bird mortality.
The purpose of this study is to collect anecdotal evidence regarding the
location and scope of bird deaths caused by striking buildings during migration
periods. We hope to use this information to implement a Lights Outs program in which downtown buildings would be
encouraged to turn off or dim their lights during peak migration times.
Background - It has long been established that certain buildings along Lake Michigan can contribute significantly to the death of
migrating birds. Birds migrating across Lake Michigan at night are attracted to lit buildings and
large numbers are killed or injured in collisions.
The City of Chicago implemented a Lights Out program in the late 1990s in
which buildings along the lakefront voluntarily dimmed or turned off
their lights at night during peak migration months.
It has been estimated that this action has reduced bird
mortality by almost 80% and saves 10,000 birds annually.
(see
http://www.lightsout.audubon.org
and http://www.birdmonitors.net)
The City of Milwaukee also sees its share of bird injuries and
deaths due to collisions with buildings. Collecting
these dead and injured birds and recording their occurrence will
provide information to implement a Lights Out program in Milwaukee.
Instructions -
You are to travel a set route and record and collect dead and injured birds you find.
Place dead birds into a ziplock bag and record the required information
on the data slips you have been provided with.
You may place all the birds from a particular site into one bag, but use a
different bag for each location.
Place the data slip in the bag with the bird(s).
Instructions for collecting injured birds are at
http://home.roadrunner.com/~phunter1/birdcollisionrescue.html.
Upon completion of your route, transport the birds to
Wisconsin Humane Society
(injured birds and dead birds)
4500 West Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53208-3156
414-ANIMALS (414-264-6257)
http://www.wihumane.org/ or
Urban Ecology Center (only dead birds)
1500 E. Park Pl.
Milwaukee, WI 53211
414-964-8505
http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/
Note
Be safe!
Be aware of traffic and carry a cell phone with you if possible.
Wear rubber gloves or invert the ziplock bag over your hand when picking up dead birds.
You will need to begin your route early in the morning - other scavengers are competing with you to get the carcasses.
We have notified DNR wardens and the US Fish and Wildlife Service about these activities.
You should transfer your collected birds to one of the two sites listed above upon completion of your route.
Should something occur that prevents this transfer, refrigerate or freeze the dead birds and make arrangements to get them transferred within 24 hours.
Contact Ricky Lien, DNR Urban Wildlife Specialist with any questions 920-892-6556 ext 3045.