Window pain: new partnership works to stop deaths from bird strikes

American kestrel John Kelly photo

By Anna Webb

Wild birds face challenges, including loss of habitat, a changing climate, domestic cats on the prowl, discarded plastics and pesticides. But one of the most deadly issues for birds is collisions with windows. The American Bird Conservancy estimates that window strikes kill up to one billion birds each year in the U.S. That includes on the Boise State campus.

"In the past, we've had reports of up to 20 bird deaths at one building on a single day," said Heidi Ware Carlisle, education and outreach director at the Intermountain Bird Observatory.

Birds don't recognize glass as a solid barrier. Sometimes, they see their reflection in a window and fly towards it, mistaking the reflection for another bird. Lights inside buildings at night also confuse and attract migrating birds.

Uniting for the cause

Student Jason Le gets "carried away" with bird advocacy: Eryn Pierce and her students created images of themselves superimposed with bird images to promote their work on social media. Photo provided by Eryn Pierce.

This semester, birds are getting more advocates thanks to a partnership between Ware Carlisle, Mariah Hoel, a senior conducting a research project surveying window strikes on campus, and Eryn Pierce, an assistant professor of graphic design. Students in Pierce's Service-Learning class, ART 420, Applied Projects in Graphic Design, are marrying science and art to make people aware of window strikes and the ecological damage they cause.

"We are bringing this other lens to the problem," Pierce said. "Service-Learning [a program that connects classroom learning with critical community issues], hasn't often partnered with the arts. It's exciting to build this bridge. It has always been what I wanted to do."

Pierce's students began their semester with research - reading literature and looking at the natural world with a "bird's eye view," observing birds on campus and their relation to the built environment. Pierce welcomed guest speakers to class, including a mural artist and architect who draw inspiration from nature. A visit from raptor expert and rehabilitator Monte Tish and his golden eagle, Slim, emphasized the beauty and ecological significance of creatures who benefit from thoughtful design.

Monte Tish, a local raptor expert and rehabilitator, visited Pierce's class with his avian ambassador, Slim the golden eagle. Tish was among the visitors to Pierce's class who spoke about human connection to the natural world. Photo provided by Eryn Pierce.

The class took on the Venture College's Scrap to Sculpture Challenge. Franklin Building Supply provided boxes of building materials - many of the same materials with which birds collide, Pierce noted. Students transformed the raw materials into advocacy pieces. Carissa Branesky made a peregrine falcon nest. "I believe humans have a responsibility to care for birds, particularly as we encroach on their natural habitats. This sculpture represents that commitment. While it may be more functional than aesthetically refined, it demonstrates that even with limited materials, we can make a positive impact on the world in our own way," Branesky wrote in her artist statement.

Eryn Pierce submitted her own design for the Scrap to Sculpture Challenge. Her piece, "Birds of a Feather Fall Together," is a delicate lattice of feathers. In her artist statement she wrote, " This work serves as both a tribute to these birds and a call to action, encouraging us to rethink how we design and interact with our surroundings to create safer spaces for the natural world." Photo provided by Eryn Pierce.

One building at a time

The end of the semester will mark an even bigger project. Studies have shown that vinyl decals on windows, when designed in a specific way, help stem bird strikes. Pierce and her class are submitting a design request through Campus Operations to create bird deterrent window clings for the entryways of the Center for the Visual Arts. On Oct. 23, Pierce and her students will spend the afternoon applying tape to the windows as a design prototype.

"This is the first stage of something we hope will expand across campus," Pierce said. "It feels like we're actually moving things forward. There is something good about that, not waiting around, but acting on an urgent issue."

Pierce envisions the future and work, including the development of apps to track bird strikes on campus, that could continue the progress students have made.

Report a bird window strike on campus

The Intermountain Bird Observatory is conducting an online survey to identify the most dangerous windows for birds on campus. Report the strike at this link.

For-credit opportunities are available for students interested in this research. For more information, contact Heidi Ware Carlisle: [email protected]

Service-Learning for Boise State and the community

The bird strike project is the third Service-Learning course Pierce has taught at Boise State. Previous projects were with the Discovery Center of Idaho, creating an exhibition that accompanied an exhibition on Expressionism and with the Caldwell Farmer's Market, creating a user-friendly, bilingual stand to attract seniors.

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