Project Safe Flight- A Call for Volunteers

Dear Website Readers: I've been involved with Project Safeflight since its inception. For those of you who live in NYC, volunteer if you can. I'll keep the rest of you posted about this worthy project as it proceeds.

Project Safe Flight scientific research program : May 7 through May 14


Volunteers needed


New York City Audubon's Project Safe Flight (PSF) is looking for volunteers to help with a scientific research program in early May. The goal is to better understand when and why migratory birds collide with windows in New York City.


Experts estimate that nationwide, a billion birds are killed each year by colliding with windows. Nearly 4,000 collision victims have been found in NYC alone since PSF began monitoring buildings in 1997. Forty-two percent of the species identified, including half of PSF's top ten most frequently found birds, are experiencing population declines. As the popularity of glass as a building material continues to grow, so does the collision problem - and the urgency of finding solutions.


The research program will gather data to determine what weather conditions, building structures and lighting are most adversely affecting our migratory birds. The research protocol involves monitoring specific downtown bird-killer buildings over a 24-hour period for eight days during peak migration. Volunteers will spend one or more hours between May 7 and 14 walking a specific route in the Battery Park area. Volunteers will attend an orientation session on Monday, May 2, where they will learn about the study methodologies and obtain necessary materials.


Study results will be written up for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. New York City Audubon is partnering on this research with the City University of New York, the Linnaean Society and leading ornithologists, including Dr. John Faaborg (University of Missouri), Dr. Sidney Gauthreaux (Clemson University) and Dr. Daniel Klem (Muhlenberg College).


For more information or to volunteer, contact Charles Hofer at chofer@nycaudubon.org, or call New York City Audubon office at 212-691-7483.


Project Safe Flight has been a leading force in educating the public about bird collisions at windows since it was founded in 1997 by NYC Audubon member Rebekah Creshkoff.