Birds strike many campus buildings. See a map documenting bird deaths on campus and a spreadsheet that naturalist Michelle Serreyn put together for 2017-19. For many reasons, these numbers are an under-estimate.
These buildings typically have see-through corridors (such as the STEM corridors connecting Science Hall, Science and Engineering Library, and Life Science building; one connecting the Law Library and the Law School; and the corridor between McGregor Conference Center and Community Arts Building) or glass corners (such as in the Chemistry building and the Damon Keith Center) or facades that reflect the surrounding trees and sky.
We are working to treat glass surfaces on ‘high-strike’ buildings and to ensure that new buildings have bird-safe glass.
Glass treatment includes window film such as CollidEscape, see-through from the inside, opaque from the outside. Solyx Bird Safety Film has narrow horizontal or vertical stripes. Feather Friendly offers a tear-away backing that leaves dots in a 2×2 or 2×4 inch-square grid pattern. Browse birdsmartglass.org.
An additional strategy might be to apply tempera paint with brush or sponge on the outside. It lasts long, even in rain, and is non-toxic, but comes off with a damp rag or sponge.
Finally, drawing shades over windows and turning lights off at night deters birds from flying into windows. Do your part! Draw shades over windows in your WSU building and turn lights off at night before you leave.
Learn more about bird-safe buildings at the American Bird Conservancy. Read a brief article here about the issue and solutions.
To get involved on campus, write birds@wayne.edu