Nearly 400 migratory birds die from striking Texas skyscraper

[douglas9]

Nearly 400 migratory birds of brilliant plumage were killed when they smashed into an office tower in Texas while flying in a storm, officials said on Friday.

Office workers arrived at the tallest skyscraper in downtown Galveston on Thursday morning and found the birds with feathers of blue, green, yellow and other hues dead on the ground, said Josh Henderson, animal services supervisor for Galveston police.

The birds were coming from Central and South America and arrived in the coastal city of Galveston, likely fatigued from their flight over the Gulf of Mexico. The birds migrate to several areas across North America during the warmer months of the year.

"These are showy, beautiful birds that bird watchers really get excited to see," said Richard Gibbons, conservation director at the Houston Audubon.

More than 20 species were represented among the 395 birds that died, Henderson said. The biggest group was Nashville Warblers, followed by Blackburnian Warblers.


http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-birds-idUSKBN18203M?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

[CrispyQ]

1. So sad.

I would have had to go home for the day if I'd seen that.

[shenmue]

2. Yes

[Blues Heron]

3. Fashionista architects with their bird killing glass towers

We need some basic rules about windows.

[douglas9]

4. Bird experts call for community action after 398 birds crash into Galveston building

Conservation experts are asking Houston area residents to do more to protect migratory birds, after a flock of 398 birds crashed into a Galveston high rise building on Wednesday night.

Most of the birds were warblers, said Sarah Flournoy, Bird-Friendly Communities Program Manager for Houston Audubon.
Galveston Animal Control Officer Josh Henderson said 395 of the birds died in the window strike, which occurred at the American National Building at 1902 Ave. D. Henderson got the call about the dead birds at 7:20 a.m. Thursday.

Flournoy said it's migratory season for the warblers, which travel from Central and South America to nesting grounds up north. The

Houston area is a good place for migratory flocks to stop and rest.

The birds fly at night, and Flournoy believes lights left on in the building may have disoriented the warblers on Wednesday. The evening's stormy weather meant the birds were also flying lower than normal.

Henderson said typical window strikes in the city involve just a handful of birds, maybe five or a dozen.
"To see numbers fall in the hundreds is abnormal," he said.



http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/bayarea/news/article/Bird-experts-call-for-community-action-after-398-11123882.php