Omaha's Spring Bird-strike Tally

During late April and May, efforts were made on many of the month's mornings to get downtown by sunrise to check for bird strikes. Some days were missed due to rain, and a couple because of a vague malaise. Overall a qualitative representation of how birds impact dangerous spots at a multitude of buildings was gathered, mostly usually self-propelled.

On April 18th, a Mourning Dove carcass was noted at the Qwest Center Omaha, the first fatality of the season. The next instance was a Myrtle form of the Yellow-rumped Warbler at the Union Pacific Center on April 25th.

These two occurrences set the stage for the mornings of the days in the following month.

There were sixty strikes documented during May and the following summary information is presented for this month. Each of the birds was a species protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, with the one exception of an European Starling on May 30th.

The following table allows a comparison of the strikes denoted for each day of May, for 2011 and the three previous years, as personally recorded.

Julian Date	May 2008	May 2009	May 2010	May 2011
121	-	-	2	-
122	5	1	-	-
123	-	1	2	-
124	-	4	2	1
125	-	5	2	1
126	-	2	-	3
127	3	2	-	2
128	-	1	-	-
129	2	1	4	7
130	-	3	1	7
131	10	-	-	-
132	2	3	1	5
133	3	2	-	-
134	6	-	2	-
135	1	2	8	-
136	1	-	2	4
137	1	-	1	-
138	3	7	-	-
139	7	2	2	5
140	2	4	-	-
141	5	2	-	-
142	4	3	3	-
143	1	1	1	2
144	4	2	1	5
145	2	7	-	-
146	5	3	1	1
147	10	1	1	-
148	2	1	-	6
149	1	-	-	3
150	11	2	-	7
151	3	4	-	1
152	8	-	-	-

During this four year period, 264 instances were recorded, of which 258 instances could be suitably identified to species recognized by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Numbers during each of the years is variable and dependent upon an array of factors. The known number of strikes are:

2008: 99 records for identifiable, protected species

2009: 64

2010: 36

2011: 59

Details for May 2011, based upon particular buildings, is readily available since particulars are recorded for each strike observation.

1. Qwest Center Omaha: 16 instances

   Examples of bird strike victims at Qwest Center Omaha — 30 May 2011
   A "hurting" Dickcissel.	Disabled Indigo Bunting.	Dead Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

2. Holland Performing Arts Center: 5
3. Union Pacific Center: 5
4. Gottschalk Freedom Center: 5
5. Redfield and Company Building: 4
6. First National Tower: 4

   Dead Common Nighthawk at First National Tower — 28 May 2011

7. Central Park Plaza: 3
8. 1200 Landmark Center: 3
9. Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building at the University of Nebraska at Omaha: 3 noted on one day
10. Omaha Public Power District Energy Plaza: 2
11. DJ's Dugout Sports Bar: 2
12. Omaha-Douglas Civic Center: 2
13. Law Building: 2
14. Woodmen Tower Skywalk: 1
15. OBI Creative Building: 1
16. DLR Group Building: 1
17. Brandeis Building: 1

Continuing its dubious position as the most deadly building for migrant birds in River City is the Qwest Center Omaha. The huge expanse of glass on its west side has been recognized as being dangerous to birds of passage for several years. Building management put some decals on the upper extent of the glass in 2010.

This effort has not been effective, based upon the continuous and ongoing bird strikes documented. It should also be noted there is an effort - personally noted - to remove any dead birds from the building site, by facility security, especially in the early morning hours.

Other places were new additions to the list of places dangerous to migrant birds in the Omaha vicinity of the Missouri River Valley.

Particular examples include:

Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building: this spring the situation on the south side of this building became very apparent on one day; placing a vast expanse of reflective glass across the south side of a building which faces a city park presents an obvious threat, which is now known. Officials of the University of Nebraska at Omaha were informed of the situation. No response has been received to sending pictures to management of the facilities department, and from a followup phone call.

There was an indication last autumn that the big glass facing north at DJ's Dugout would pose a danger were realized this spring with more than one bird strike instance. Other new sites on the list include the OBI Creative Building and the DLR Group Building at Aksarben Village.

The latter building was constructed in a manner to meet LEED certification. This company was contacted via email when building construction was announced to inquire if the building was bird safe. No subsequent response was ever received. The species which met their demise is not certain as there was a spot of feathers and bones from an earlier day, though its occurrence was readily indicative.

A bunch of species are represented in the May tally, listed in taxonomic sequence:

1. American Coot: 1
2. Mourning Dove: 2
3. Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 1
4. Common Nighthawk: 2
5. Willow Flycatcher: 1
6. Red-eyed Vireo: 1
7. Sedge Wren: 1
8. Marsh Wren: 1
9. Swainson's Thrush: 2
10. American Robin: 2
11. Gray Catbird: 2
12. European Starling: 1
13. Tennessee Warbler: 4
14. Orange-crowned Warbler: 1
15. Yellow Warbler: 1
16. Ovenbird: 3
17. Mourning Warbler: 1
18. Common Yellowthroat: 9
19. Clay-colored Sparrow: 4
20. Grasshopper Sparrow: 1
21. Lincoln's Sparrow: 7
22. White-throated Sparrow: 1
23. Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 2
24. Blue Grosbeak: 1
25. Indigo Bunting: 4
26. Dickcissel: 1
27. Common Grackle: 1

New additions to the list of May bird-strike instances or this area are the Dickcissel, Marsh Wren and Sedge Wren.

To convey - once again - a consistent and constant fact, the death of any bird is considered a taking according to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and is therefore a violation of a federal law. Ongoing, deadly strikes are still a violation of the MBTA, even if efforts have been taken.

An ineffective effort does not provide a "shelter" from legal responsibilities. Each of the owners/managers of the buildings listed are ignoring their legal responsibilities.

Bottom line legally: violations of a long-standing federal law continue unabated in the Omaha.

A more appropriate bottom line: birds continue to suffer and die because of dangerous places at Omaha buildings which could be adapted to reduce the risk. In some places this is obviously being ignored, and otherwise, inefficient attempts are not enough to make a substanative difference.