Nature Regina unites enthusiasts to document and rescue birds that hit windows

Nature Regina members made their rounds last week to find feathered friends who fell victim to window collisions, a significant risk to bird populations in urban areas.

The patrol was timed to line up with peak migratory patterns of many species.

The program has collected 308 birds since its conception in 2020, many of which have been donated to the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. In that time, SaltHaven West has been able to rescue 60 birds thanks to the program.

Last week's patrol reported finding 27 birds from 11 species, with three rescues.

Jeffrey Gamble, VP of Nature Regina, said the goal of the program is to increase awareness of the danger windows pose to birds.

"It's kind of heartbreaking to find birds downtown, but at the same time, it's rewarding when you can rescue some," he said. "Most birds that collide with windows don't survive."

Blue Sky50:18Spring migration Birdline

Bird expert Trevor Herriot joined us to talk about the birds people are seeing during spring migration.We learned about the Bird Safe Initiative to prevent birds hitting windows and we learned about an LGBTQ+ birding group in Saskatoon that is working to make birding an even more safe an inclusive pastime.

According to Wetlands for Tomorrow, Saskatchewan has lost 50 per cent of its wetlands. The birds that rely on them are also in decline, with some species having lost more than 90 per cent of their Canadian populations.

A total of 50 different species have been documented in Regina through the window program.

"We hope to let the general public know this issue can be addressed quite easily," said Gamble. "The most simple solution we have found is Feather Friendly window markers."

These window markers leave small, innocuous squares across glass to ensure birds can see the solid surface.

Gamble said that during the migration season in North America, a billion birds die each year after colliding with windows. He estimates that in Regina, one per cent of window collisions occur at high-rise buildings, 10 per cent at low-rise buildings and 90 per cent in residential areas.