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
= new reply since forum marked as read
