Date

4-2025

Date Created

5-02-2025

Project Type

URC Presentation

Department

Department of Natural Resources and the Environment & the Department of Biological Sciences

College or School

COLSA

Class Year

Senior

Major

Wildlife and Conservation Biology & Zoology

Faculty Research Advisor

Janet Anderson

Abstract

Bird-window collisions are a significant cause of avian mortality, particularly during migration periods. A common strategy to mitigate collisions is applying visual cues to windows, allowing birds to recognize window barriers and avoid collisions. A previous study identified 2 collision hotspots on the University of New Hampshire (UNH) campus during the spring 2024 migration period. This study further investigates bird-window collisions on campus with the objective of comparing hotspot locations between spring and fall migration periods and assessing the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. Systematic surveys were conducted during the spring 2024, fall 2024, and spring 2025 migration periods with daily surveys of campus buildings to document collisions. Hotspot locations were determined using spatial and statistical analysis of collisions. Results indicate that while there was some overlap in hotspot locations between seasons, variations in collision frequency and location were observed, likely influenced by seasonal differences in migration routes and behavior. To evaluate mitigation effectiveness, data from both migration periods was combined and analyzed to pick 2-3 buildings to implement mitigation strategies in the form of a grid of dot in a 2x2 inch pattern. Preliminary findings suggest that treated windows result in a reduction in collisions compared to untreated windows. This study highlights the importance of targeted mitigation at collision hotspots and suggests campus-wide efforts could further reduce bird-window collisions. Future research will explore the long-term trends in bird-window collisions as well as the effectiveness of additional mitigation techniques to enhance avian conservation on UNH’s campus.

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