Of course, this is a humane issue for our pets as well; there are numerous dangers to unsupervised outdoor cats, often resulting in disease, injury, and a shortened average lifespan. At Bird Alliance of Oregon we work closely with the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon and other animal welfare groups to find humane solutions to protect both birds and cats. To learn more about our Cats Safe at Home Campaign and how you can help keep both cats and wildlife safe, please visit the Cats Safe at Home website: catssafeathome.org.
Windows are another nemesis for our avian neighbors; up to a billion birds die each year in the United States after colliding with windows. Here at the Wildlife Care Center, we see waves of these injuries, particularly during the spring and fall migrations. Residential houses or low-rise buildings are responsible for 99% of window strikes, which means many of us in the Portland area live or work in a building that poses danger to local birds in this way. The good news is that this means many of us can take action to protect our wild birds!
A few techniques for reducing the risk of window collisions include making glass more visible to birds (options come at a variety of price points and range from decorative to nearly invisible), ensuring your yard is designed to reduce bird activity near windows, and turning off unnecessary lights at night (when most songbirds migrate). To learn more about how to prevent window collisions in your home and neighborhood, check out Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Bird-Safe Building and Lights Out! initiatives on our website. Last year Bird Alliance of Oregon successfully advocated for new bird-safe building design requirements in Portland’s central city. This year we are working with Commissioner Nick Fish’s office to develop a light-pollution ordinance for Portland. Please consider becoming an Bird Alliance of Oregon activist (see page 4) and helping us advocate to reduce these threats throughout our city.
Although these are only two out of dozens of possible causes of injury for a wild animal, together they make up more than 50% of the injury cases we see here at the Care Center. They are also two of the most preventable! Even the smallest action by a single person can save an animal’s life. So make those windows visible, reduce light pollution around your yard, keep your cat (and the birds) safe at home, and share this information!
