Demolition Pending for Florence Home Chimney

Demolition is pending for a roost chimney in the Florence area of Northeast Omaha. The Florence Home at 7900 North 30th Street is slated for demolition.

The destruction would remove a chimney that has been known to be used as a roost by chimney swifts at least back to 1991, according to a neighborhood bird watcher. He indicated that more than hundred have been seen using the large 6x6 bricks chimney.

These pictures were taken to document the structure, and that another important chimneys for swifts is being lost.

This rooftop vantage point would provide a perfect spot on a fine evening to watch the arrival and descent of the swifts into their night's roost.

It is not known at this time when the building will be razed.

A Thousand Birds Strikes at Metro Omaha

As of 10 May 2011, there have been more than 1000 bird strikes at buildings associated with the Metro Omaha area.

There were seven known strikes documented this morning, which take the overall count to 1002.

The instances today when a few species struck hazardous glass were:

Qwest Center Omaha

two Lincoln's Sparrows and two Clay-colored Sparrows on the west side of the structure; translucent decals placed higher up on the extensive glass surface are being ineffective; the birds are striking the glass at a lower level where there are no decals

Union Pacific Center

Common Yellowthroat on the east end of the north side

This yellowthroat record gets the dubious honor of officially being strike instance No. 1000!

Gottschalk Center of the Omaha World-Herald company

Mourning Warbler at the north end of the west side

1200 Landmark Center

Lincolns Sparrow on the north side of the central atrium; the still warm bird had struck the glass on the west side and southward end, near the doorway

Each bird strike casualty is considering a taking under the auspices of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and thus each instance is a violation of this federal law.

Eastern Omaha Swifts Chimney Future Uncertain

An apartment house with a chimney well known to Chimney Swifts currently sits abandoned in eastern Omaha.

The Nottingham Apartments, at 33rd and Burt Streets, is a prominent chimney in the neighborhood, and is known to be regularly used by hundreds of swifts during the autumn migration. There were about 350 counted one evening in mid-September 2008.

The building is now uninhabited - with windows and entries boarded over - and has been for sale for several months.

Apartment house chimney on April 20, 2011.

The two adjacent houses to the west are also boarded up.

What the future portends for this apartment houses is uncertain, but the loss of this particular chimney would be a significant loss of a roosting site used by numerous Chimney Swifts. It would also continue the trend in the loss of chimneys in the local area.

Buildings With Known Bird-Strikes at Omaha

Based on surveys done on 219 different days in 2008 and 2009 when bird-strikes were documented, this is a list of the 71 buildings where different wildbirds have been injured or killed in Omaha because of a hazardous situation at a building:

Building - Number of Known Bird-strikes • Qwest Center Omaha: 227 known, with more that have undoubtedly occurred, but where the carcasses are getting thrown into the trash, and could not be documented • 1200 Landmark Center: 65 • Union Pacific Center: 64 • Kiewit-Clarkson Skywalk: 63 • Holland Center for Performing Arts: 53 • Central Park Plaza: 50 • Zorinsky Federal Building: 29 • Omaha Public Power District Energy Plaza: 27 • First National Tower: 26 • Gottschalk Freedom Center: 25 • Harper Center, Creighton University: 21 • Woodmen Tower Skywalk: 19 • Omaha-Douglas Civic Center: 14 • Omaha World-Herald Building: 11 • Kiewit-Clarkson South Skywalk: 9 • Law Building: 8 • Nebraska State Office Building: 8 • American National Bank: 7 • Redfield and Company Building: 7 • J.P. Cooke Company: 5 • Slowdown Lounge: 5 • Woodmen Park: 5 • Biology-Business Buildings Link, Creighton University: 4 • Eppley CBA Building, Creighton University: 3 • First National Bank Building: 3 • Harriman Dispatching Center: 3 • Kutak Rock - Omaha Building: 3 • All Makes Office Equipment Company: 2 • Brandeis Building: 2 • Exchange Building: 2 • First National Data Center: 2 • Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library, Creighton University: 2 • Swanson-Durham Skywalk: 2 • Urban Outfitters: 2

• 1405 Harney Street: 1 • 16th Street - North Skywalk: 1 • 17th and Harney Street: 1 • 22 Building: 1 • Aksarben Village - 6464 Center Street: 1 • American Apparel: 1 • Brandeis Parking Garage: 1 • Curtis Park Service Building: 1 • D.J. Sokol Arena, Creighton University: 1 • Duchesne Academy Skywalk: 1 • Durham Research Center: 1 • Durham Research Centers Commons: 1 • Ehrhart Griffin Building: 1 • Farnam Plaza: 1 • Federal Office Building: 1 • Flatiron Cafe: 1 • Indian Creek Nursery: 1 • Joslyn Lofts: 1 • Keeline Building: 1 • Kimball Lofts: 1 • Laurie and Charles Photographs: 1 • Metropolitan Utilities District building: 1 • Missouri River Project Office: 1 • Mother India Restaurant: 1 • Mr. Toad's Pub: 1 • O'Keefe Elevator Company: 1 • Quick City Building: 1 • Ruth Sokolof Theatre: 1 • Sorrell Center: 1 • The Regis: 1 • Tritsch Garden, Criss Library: 1 • Union Plaza Apartments: 1 • What-Cheer: 1 • Wittson Hall - Bennett Hall Skywalk: 1 • Wittson Hall - Sorrell Center Skywalk: 1 • Woodmen Tower: 1 • World Building: 1

Bird-strikes have certainly occurred elsewhere in Omaha, but for one person it is completely impossible to be at the right place at the right time in order to ducument what is happening. There has been no assistance offered to help in documenting bird strikes, including any help from local birders or conservation groups, who actually seem to be completely indifferent to the ongoing deaths and injuries of the wildbirds.

Species Diversity

These are the 83 distinct species which have been documented as suffering from the hazards of the built environment in east Omaha during the past two years, based on the best identification information available:

Bird Species - Number of Recorded Bird-strikes • Lincoln's Sparrow: 76 • Common Yellowthroat: 70 • Purple Martin: 67 • Common Grackle: 62 • Nashville Warbler: 55 • Wilson's Warbler: 31 • Clay-colored Sparrow: 23 • Mourning Dove: 23 • Indigo Bunting: 22 • Mourning Warbler: 21 • White-throated Sparrow: 20 • Dark-eyed Junco: 18 • Ovenbird: 17 • Tennessee Warbler: 16 • Orange-crowned Warbler: 15 • Sora: 14 • Northern Waterthrush: 14 • Gray Catbird: 10 • Swamp Sparrow: 10 • House Wren: 10 • Yellow-billed Cuckoo: 10 • Marsh Wren: 10 • Yellow Warbler: 9 • Swainson's Thrush: 8 • Chimney Swift: 8 • Baltimore Oriole: 8 • American Robin: 8 • Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 7 • Eastern Wood-Pewee: 6 • Grasshopper Sparrow: 6 • Brown Thrasher: 5 • Chipping Sparrow: 5 • House Finch: 4 • American Redstart: 4 • European Starling: 4 • Virginia Rail: 4 • Harris's Sparrow: 4 • Brown Creeper: 4 • Willow Flycatcher: 4 • American Tree Sparrow: 4 • Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 4 • Yellow-rumped Warbler: 4 • Song Sparrow: 4

• Northern Flicker: 3 • Ruby-throated Hummingbird: 3 • House Sparrow: 2 • Sedge Wren: 2 • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 2 • Black-and-white Warbler: 2 • Common Nighthawk: 2 • Wilson's Snipe: 2 • Warbling Vireo: 2 • Red-headed Woodpecker: 2 • Palm Warbler: 2 • Least Flycatcher: 2 • Blue Grosbeak: 2 • Dickcissel: 2 • American Goldfinch: 1 • Belted Kingfisher: 1 • Chestnut-sided Warbler: 1 • Cedar Waxwing: 1 • Canada Warbler: 1 • Black-capped Chickadee: 1 • Olive-sided Flycatcher: 1 • Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1 • Worm-eating Warbler: 1 • Wood Duck: 1 • White-crowned Sparrow: 1 • White-breasted Nuthatch: 1 • Spotted Towhee: 1 • Rock Pigeon: 1 • Louisiana Waterthrush: 1 • Orchard Oriole: 1 • Eastern Kingbird: 1 • Mallard: 1 • American Coot: 1 • Hooded Warbler: 1 • Hermit Thrush: 1 • Hairy Woodpecker: 1 • Great Crested Flycatcher: 1 • Fox Sparrow: 1 • Field Sparrow: 1 • Red-eyed Vireo: 1 It should be noted that deaths of the European Starling and Rock Pigeon cannot be considered under the taking clause of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. These instances were recorded for informational purposes only.

Nearly every occurrence of these bird strikes has been documented with a picture of the forlorn carcass or suffering bird at the place of occurrence. This makes for a whole bunch of images from different scenes and situations, which could be considered as a Gallery of Misery for too many birds.

Although the number of bird-strike instances are relatively small in Omaha, in comparison to the many thousands documented from other cities, each death or injury, wherever it occurs, is a tragedy of singular importance.

Bird-Strikes Widespread in Nebraska

Based on an overall evaluation of known bird strikes in eastern Nebraska, this is a summary of the general locations and the number of known instances. It should be realized that the numbers are completely skewed, since they are based - most recently - upon the efforts of one individual, so based on his focus, the numbers will be greater for that place, so there would be many more at the UNL City Campus and each of the locales listed.

General Locale - Total Number of Records • UNL City Campus: 818 • Downtown Omaha: 682 • Nebraska Medical Center Campus: 72 • Creighton University Campus: 31 • North Downtown: 12 • University of Nebraska Medical Center Campus: 7 • UNL East Campus: 7

• Midtown Omaha: 3 • Old Market: 3 • Aksarben Village: 1 • Duchesne Academy: 1 • Omaha Moorings: 1 • Omaha Riverfront: 1 • UNOmaha Campus: 1

Most of these records are based upon personal observations, and are derived from a dataset of records, which makes this type of comparison possible.

Building Owners Responsible

The owners of the buildings where bird strikes occur are responsible for what they cause, and this statement basically conveys the entire situation when considering bird strikes. It may take some time and education to get them to realize this, but is usually realized only after the facts are presented and realized. For some, ignorance seems to be the preferred option.

If there is one benefit from the recent article in the Omaha World-Herald about bird-strikes downtown, there is a new realization among building owners about their being responsible for the what happens. A comment in the article has apparently made a difference, since it came from a government official, and no one would listen to a citizen when it comes to a legal matter, which is the way which several building representatives look at this issue.

Based on discussions with a few building representatives, their perspective on how or whether to deal with the bird-strike situation did change after reading the article.

A wide variety of comments have been heard in discussions on this topic, with some taking responsiblity while others make "excuses" and others make like the proverbial ostrich, and try to ignore the situation. The bottom line is whether the people responsible will, or will not, do something. There is no gray area on this, as it is a simple Yes or No question.

How this whole personal effort to document and information makes a difference in the extent of bird-strikes in Omaha remains to be seen, since only by making conditions less hazardous will fewer birds get injured or killed. This step depends on the building owners ...

Record Single-day Casualties Due to Bird-Strikes at Omaha

The deadliest day ever known at Omaha for migratory wild birds killed or disabled by bird-strikes occurred October 24, 2009. There were 31 recorded instances. This is the largest number of strikes ever documented for a particular day at buildings in Nebraska, based on a review of hundreds of records from Omaha and Lincoln.

This is the tally for this particular Saturday, presenting details for each strike in the order which they were found. Four hours were spent bicycling about to document these occurrences, with about a quarter of time during a steady drizzle. Additional time was spent processing the dismal results. The list presents the basics details, with a documentary photograph, and without editorial comments.

1. White-throated Sparrow: carcass at the southwest entry of the Harper Center at Creighton University, along the north wall
2. Marsh Wren: disabled bird on the south side of the 22 building at 1304 Webster Street; this is the first known instance of a bird strike at this North Downtown building
3. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass near the main, box-office entry of the Qwest Center Omaha between 6-7 a.m., any earlier strikes had already been removed by security personnel which start their patrol earlier than the arrival on this day, and others
4. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass at the west side of the west portion of the south wall of the central courtyard at the Holland Center for Performing Arts
5. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass at the east side of the west portion of the south wall of the central courtyard at the Holland Center for Performing Arts
6. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass at the west end of the south exterior wall at the Holland Center for Performing Arts
7. Lincoln's Sparrow: disabled bird on the north side of the atrium on the north side of the First National Bank tower
8. Harris's Sparrow: carcass on the south side of the entry atrium at 1200 Landmark Center, just to the west of the entryway
9. Chipping Sparrow: carcass on the east side, right outside the south entry into the Omaha Public Power District Energy Plaza building
10. White-throated Sparrow: carcass outside the main entry of the Keeline Building; this is the first known instance of a bird strike at this structure
11. White-throated Sparrow: carcass on the north side of the atrium for the Omaha-Douglas Civic Center, near the very west end
12. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass on the east side, at the north end of the Law Building
13. White-throated Sparrow: carcass on the north side of the Law Building, at the west end
14. Yellow-rumped Warbler: carcass on the west side of the Law Building, at the north end
15. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: carcass on the east side of the Redfield and Company Building, at the south side of the third section of glass from the north end
16. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass on the east side of the Durham Research Centers Commons, at the south end; this is the first known instance of a bird strike at this building

... pause ...

17. Harris's Sparrow: carcass on the west side of the third floor of the Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library, Creighton University; just south of the second pillar from the north
18. Dark-eyed Junco: carcass on the north side of the Eppley CBA Building, Creighton University; at the third section of glass from the east side of the structure
19. Ruby-crowned Kinglet: carcass at the entry to the former Quick City delivery service building on Webster Street, on the south side of the structure; this is the first known instance of a bird strike at this building
20. Lincoln's Sparrow: carcass on the west side of the Slowdown Lounge, at the north end of the southern-most section of glass
21. Swamp Sparrow: rigid carcass on the north side of the Curtis National Park Service building on the riverfront; right next to the building just west of the second pillar from the east; strikes have been documented here by NPS personnel, but this is the first external instance of documenting a strike
22. Swainson's Thrush: rigid carcass on the north side of the Harriman Dispatching Center, at the west end
23. Dark-eyed Junco: carcass south of the southeast corner of the 1200 Landmark Center tower
24. Dark-eyed Junco: carcass at the middle of the north wall of the tower at 1200 Landmark Center
25. Field Sparrow: carcass at the middle of the north wall of the tower at 1200 Landmark Center
26. Dark-eyed Junco: carcass at the middle of the north wall of the tower at 1200 Landmark Center
27. Orange-crowned Warbler: carcass on the east side of the Union Pacific Center, at the very south end
28. Harris's Sparrow: carcass of a sub-adult on the east side of the Zorinsky Federal Building, at the very south end
29. Swainson's Thrush: carcass at the south side of the south tower at Central Park Plaza, on the sidewalk at the eastern corner
30. Dark-eyed Junco: carcass on the south side of the atrium, east of the entry doors
31. Dark-eyed Junco: carcass on the west side of the Omaha Public Power District Energy Plaza building, at the very south corner of the tower

There were undoubtedly additional strikes around the city, considering that carcasses had already been thrown away, and the survey route did not get to locations where dangerous buildings would occur.

The previous greatest tally of strikes had been 23 casualties on 25 September 2008, followed by the 20 instances on 20 October 2009, as previously documented.