Last year, Natalie Shappka, Vice-President External of MacEwan’s Wildlife Society club and another student, Billie Bilodeau, did a four-month long survey on campus researching the frequency of window strikes on campus, in collaboration with Nature Alberta. Shappka wrote a report on why these window strikes happen on campus and what causes them.
“While we don’t have a concrete number on how often window strikes are occurring on campus, we do have a general idea that they are occurring enough to cause concern,” Shappka wrote in an email to the Griff.
Students walking across campus may have noticed dead or injured birds around windowed areas. We found the remains of two birds during a short walk across the campus, one on the SAMU-Building 9 pedway, and the other on the west-side of Building 9.
“In the four months that myself and my research partner surveyed, we found around 20 window struck birds.”
– Natalie Shappka, Vice-President External of MacEwan’s Wildlife Society club
What can MacEwan University do about this? “A very effective and relatively easy solution to avoid window strikes in these areas would be to use high contrast stickers placed on the exterior of these windows,” Shappka suggests. “Some studies have shown that these stickers can reduce window collisions up to 90 per cent.”
MacEwan wrote in an email to the Griff. “If we get reports, we will add decals to the windows so the birds can see that it isn’t open.”
“If we get reports, we will add decals to the windows so the birds can see that it isn’t open.”
– MacEwan University
The number of bird strikes is affected by uncontrollable factors such as the season during migratory periods (fall and spring), and many more strikes occur due to the birds’ movement patterns.
From her research, Shappka found that some places on campus have more window strikes than others. The three main factors that lead to window strikes are the birds’ inability to distinguish glass from the outdoors, large, reflective windows, and plants near windows.
What should you do if you spot a dead or injured bird on campus? Shappka says to report it to the university. MacEwan’s maintenance team will know who to contact if dead birds are found on campus, and will report them through the proper channels to add to Shappka’s data.
If you find an injured bird on campus, Shappka suggests that calling WILDNorth is the best course of action. WILDNorth is a non-profit rehabilitation center that provides critical care to injured animals, and is the best place to call for any injured wildlife.
