20 October 2014

Bird Strike Deaths Continue Unabated in Downtown Omaha

As the autumn migration season continues, bird strikes continue unabated among downtown Omaha buildings. During this time of the year, most of the fatalities are sparrows and juncos, as evidenced by October 18-19th.

This is a tally of known instances of bird window strikes:

A dead Lincoln's Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow on the south side of the building on the northwest corner of 15th and Mike Fahey Street, which does not have a posted street address.

A disabled Lincoln's Sparrow (18th) and dead Dark-eyed Junco (19th) on the west side of the CenturyLink Center Omaha.

A dead and partly squished Orange-crowned Warbler on the sidewalk by the glass-walled portion of the east side of the Holland Performing Arts Center.

A dead bird was found each of two days at the northern portion of the east wall of the Gavilon building. There was a Harris's Sparrow on the 18th, and a Lincoln's Sparrow on the 19th.



A disabled Clay-colored Sparrow on the west side of the Zorinsky Federal Building, about 30 feet from the south corner (19th).

A dead White-throated Sparrow on the east side and a dead Dark-eyed Junco on the north side of the Law Building, 500 South 18th Street, both on the 18th.



An unusual occurrence of a bird death was the finding of a dead Western Meadowlark on the 18th, beneath the power lines just west of 42nd and Nicholas Street in the Izard Industrial Zone. The carcass was fresh, and had not yet been smashed by vehicle parking. The species identification was determined by an analysis of plumage and feather features. It is quite unusual to have this species occur in the midst of urban Omaha, but meadowlarks have been seen on two occasions at a mown-grass lot to the west, by 49th and Hamilton streets.