This is not unique to North America, but in some respects, given this continent's cities, and the many skyscrapers that dot the urban landscape, you may wonder how on earth this affects our feathered friends.
How?
Well, I'm sure some of you have either seen, or experienced firsthand, a bird colliding with a window: bay window at home, office window, high rise window, automobile window etc., and of course, depending upon their velocity, sometimes it is to their doom.
Yes, we are losing many bird species, and here in Ontario, some of our songbirds are succumbing to architectural beauty over practical design.
In the downtown core of Toronto, where some of the tallest buildings in the world are, birds unfortunately wind up hitting the windows, many hundreds of feet above street level, stunning them, sending them crashing down to street level. Some may hit the pavement and die as a result of the fall, or get run over by traffic, picked up by seagulls, feral/domesticated cats, raccoons, squirrels and some dogs.
I have personally witnessed such collisions, and I was very fortunate to save one beautiful brown thrasher from his doom. He hit a reflective window on Ryerson University campus. I saw him hit the window, then fall into the tree, crashing through the leaves, then hitting the grass below. At first I couldn't figure out what kind of bird is was, until I noticed a inquisitive crow waiting to give him a go (eat). I snatched up the bird, thinking he was dead. He was so beautiful, golden coppery brown, with a cream coloured breast speckled with brown streaks. He was limp in my hands. Then all of a sudden, he let out one loud squawk, and jumped out of my hands and on to my bicycle chain. I picked him up gently, and placed him in my backpack.
He remained in there, quietly all the way over to the Toronto Humane Society.
Occasionally I'd peak in on him, and he'd look up. He was sitting upright and I rode very slowly to the Humane Society building. When I arrived, I told them what I thought I had, and the person there, told me what I had, he had only seen 2 times in his entire life. Seems like the poor little fellow made a long journey from Georgia (Southeastern United States) to southern Ontario. No short haul, and he didn't take a Greyhound bus to get here either.
Fortunately, they took him in, and he was a HE, and he was believed to be a yearling. He was checked over, x-rayed etc., and found to be in good health, and was released later that day.
Rayzorblade was very happy about this.
Anyways, as we are soon to approach autumn/fall, the North American bird migration southward will soon begin. So, if you are remotely interested, and love birds, then give the link below a click. You'll be glad you did.
Thanks!
Rayzorblade (and his two girls, Baby & Nim)