Georgia Audubon recently welcomed Sergio Sabat-Bonilla as the new Coastal Sea Grant Fellow. The position is the culmination of a partnership between Georgia Audubon, the Jekyll Island Authority, and the Georgia Sea Grant.

Headquartered on Jekyll Island, the Sea Grant Fellow will develop programs that engage and activate local communities, specifically the BIPOC communities of Glynn and McIntosh Counties, and develop a replicable, inclusive community strategy that brings conservation, birdwatching, and community science to the public. He will also participate in bird monitoring activities, including habitat monitoring, bird banding, and other field work.

“Georgia Audubon is eager to expand our capacity on the coast and the addition of a Sea Grant Fellow position is a tremendous start,” says Jared Teutsch, Georgia Audubon executive director. “In this position, Sergio will be working with other coastal conservation organizations to bolster shorebird conservation efforts and to reach out and engage with diverse communities to introduce them to the wonder and joy of birds.”

A native of Puerto Rico, Sabat-Bonilla has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Central Oklahoma. He is currently a master’s student at Georgia Southern University, where he is studying how aquatic macroinvertebrate communities respond to hydrological variations in wetlands as expected from climate change models.

About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement.

About Georgia Sea Grant: Georgia Sea Grant provides research, education, training and science-based outreach to assist Georgia in solving problems and realizing opportunities for its coastal and marine environments. By advancing research, education and training, and outreach, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant promotes the economic, cultural and environmental health of Georgia’s coast and prepare citizens to become good stewards of coastal ecosystems and watershed resources.

About the Jekyll Island Authority:  As stewards of Jekyll Island’s past, present and future, the Jekyll Island Authority is dedicated to maintaining the delicate balance between nature and humankind.

by Dottie Head, Director of Communications

Georgia Audubon and the Town Center Community Alliance, non-profit partner of the Town Center Community Improvement District (CID), recently partnered on a project to install a 12-foot-tall Chimney Swift tower along the Noonday Creek Trail in Kennesaw. Designed to mimic an actual chimney, the tower will serve as roosting and nesting habitat for these Chimney Swifts. The beautiful artwork on the tower was painted by the Atlanta-based muralist, Christina Ward. In addition to the tower, the site will include educational signage that highlights the value of the swifts and constructed towers.
 
Still a fairly common sight in the metro area, Chimney Swifts are being forced to respond to additional threats across their range—from chimney capping, to tree removal, to a decreasing supply of insects due to pesticides, pollution, and climate change. Other issues, such as building collisions and challenges on swifts’ wintering grounds are exacerbating population declines. This is the fifth tower Georgia Audubon has constructed in the last couple of years with three more in the works for the coming months.
 
“The Chimney Swift is one of Georgia Audubon’s current focal species, and we have been working with various organizations across the metro area to create habitat for this aerial insectivore,” says Adam Betuel, director of conservation for Georgia Audubon. “We were delighted to partner with Town Center to build this 12-foot tower, which we hope will not only provide nesting and roosting habitat for swifts, but also educate the many people who walk along the Noonday Creek trail about the importance of supporting these birds. The Noonday Creek Trail has long been a location for free Georgia Audubon field trips.”
 
Chimney Swifts have specially adapted feet that allow them to cling to the inside of hollow structures, like these towers. The swifts build saucer-shaped nests made out of twigs glued together with the birds' saliva. Chimney Swifts rarely allow other birds (including other swifts) to use "their" tower while they are nesting, but in late summer, hundreds or even thousands of individual birds may roost in one large chimney creating a spectacular site overhead as they flock into the chimney near dusk. In exchange for the roosting site, Chimney Swifts will provide natural pest control as each swift may consume up to 1,000 flying insects, including mosquitos, each day!
 
“Enhancing our greenspace is one of the pillars of our mission and this tower will do just that,” adds Director of the Alliance Jennifer Hogan. “We are looking forward to observe this remarkable site as the birds begin to call this installment ‘home.’ The Alliance and the Town Center CID both have a foundation of partnerships achieving impactful projects such as this, so we are grateful to be able to collaborate with Georgia Audubon to complete this tower.”
 
Since the 1950s, Chimney Swifts and other aerial insectivores have experienced drastic population declines due to several factors, such as the increased use of pesticides that harms their main prey, flying insects, and the loss of swifts’ nesting and roosting habitat (formerly hollow trees and more recently, man- made chimneys). Chimney Swifts, now listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, have responded to these challenges by increasingly flocking to urban areas that offer abandoned factory smokestacks or historical home chimneys that have been left uncapped and which mimic their natural breeding and roosting sites.
 
About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement.
 
About the Town Center Community Alliance: Established by the Town Center CID in 2015, the Town Center Community Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to shaping the future of Town Center by supporting and funding beautification, greenspace and other quality of life initiatives that help foster a sense of place within the district. The Alliance seeks to preserve and enhance the area’s natural beauty while creating opportunities for outdoor recreation by developing parks, trails, landscapes, artwork displays and other quality of life initiatives.
 
About Town Center Community Improvement District: Founded in 1997, the Town CID is dedicated to the betterment of the Town Center area through transportation infrastructure, safety improvements, beautification and other projects that enhance property value by increasing interest and investment in the community. The Town Center CID utilizes funds from voluntary commercial real estate taxes to implement its projects. For more information, please visit www.towncentercid.com.
 
About the Artist, Christina Ward: Christina Ward is an Atlanta mural artist and international conservationist, whose bright and engaging works capture the uniqueness and preciousness of the world's creatures.  Using her art as a form of activism, Christina hopes to inspire people to look deeper into the subject and commit to participating in conservation initiatives. For more on her work, or commission inquiries, please visit www.Xtinapaints.com and www.Savethegiants.org.

By Zaria Dyer, conservation intern

An interview with Kit Robey, children's author and gardener, about the certification of her yard as a Georgia Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. 
 
Can you give us a brief description of your children's book Hare and the Big Green Lawn?
In Hare and the Big Green Lawn, Hare moves in and lets his big green lawn die under the high hot sun. Hare’s neighbors, Bobcat, Raven, and Skunk, disapprove, to say the least! While they toil and clip, Hare crosses his paws for luck and swings in a hammock. One day, the neighbors march solemnly up to Hare to give him an ultimatum. But instead of a big mess they discover that Hare’s lawn has changed into a beautiful meadow filled with buzzing bees and wildflowers that brings them all together.

How did you get interested in conservation, and how did that lead you to get your property certified?
I was introduced to the idea of conservation when I was a little girl and my father placed 20 acres or so of my childhood home, Silver Creek Farm, into the Soil Bank. He was reimbursed, in part, by Wisconsin, for leaving his field fallow instead of tilling the soil for timothy. In the meadow that summer I found the oven-like nest of a meadowlark.

What is the one plant you cannot live without?
Oakleaf Hydrangea is native and looks fantastic year-round. My plants are in full luscious white blooms now, in late spring. During summer the blooms will turn green and by fall, bronze. Then I can bring them inside for a dried bouquet. In the winter, the leaves turn colors and then drop, leaving marvelous sculpture-like branches until spring, when the buds spring forth again.

Which plant gives you the most bang for your buck?
Well, again Oakleaf hydrangea, but there are various holly species in my yard, all of which provide green throughout the year and red berries during fall and winter. I’ve seen Brown Thrashers, Cardinals, and, of course, Cedar Waxwings feasting on those berries. These holly bushes also provide wonderful shelter for the birds.

Do you have a favorite trick to maintain your property and plants?
I am a bit sheepish to admit this, but if I have a trick, it is to leave maintenance up to nature alone. To a large extent, I leave pruning to the wind, and wildflowers to the rain. I’m always looking for ways to improve upon this idea. We have a large downed tree in our back woods, and I wouldn’t have it removed for anything. Come winter, there will be Winter Wrens in the shelter of its tangled branches. Eventually the tree will disintegrate and enrich the soil, where I plan to plant trilliums.

Reviewed by Anne McCallum

A real-life detective story. The author, a journalist who survived the Iraqi War with a bad case of PTSD, finds solace in fly fishing. One day he learns that one of the most promising up-and-coming fly-tiers of the younger generation (and a virtuoso classical flautist to boot) stole a massive number of irreplaceable exotic feathers and skins from a major natural history museum in England. This sounds to him like a story ready made to get his mind off a messy war and its tragic aftermath, and he jumps into it.
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The book opens with the crime, but then backs WAY up to the real beginning of the story—the amazing life and collecting expeditions of Alfred Russel Wallace, Darwin’s contemporary, who overcame huge personal disasters to become one of the greatest names in biogeography. The next chapter examines the museums that gathered and preserved these kinds of amazing collections for posterity—particularly the Tring Museum of uber-rich Walter Rothchild. Then came the millenary feather craze that almost wiped out the exotic birds themselves before women themselves began the pushback that lead to the legal protections that have become the bulwark against extinction. While wealthy women were sporting exotic feathers on their heads, wealthy men were using them for fly fishing on their estates—an avocation that has today morphed into the cultish fine art of fly-tying.

Enter young Edwin Rist, who, at 22 was so consumed with fly-tying that he was willing to risk his stellar musical career to stage a heist of some of the most gorgeous and irreplaceable Tring specimens to supply his own needs and to sell on secretive online sites.

Guilty or not guilty, your honor? The remainder of the book explores Rist’s motivations, his methods, the discovery and solving of the crime, the plea, his co-conspirators, and the frustrating search for what remains of the stolen goods. Along the way the author meets one angry scientist, Dr. Richard Plum, who happens “to be looking for a journalist willing to shine a light on a hobby that he wanted to stigmatize into oblivion.” (188).
Those of us in the Early Birds Book Club all agreed we loved the book!  We learned new and fascinating things in every chapter. The last chapters are less enjoyable but no less important as we learn of the limits of current legal efforts to thwart such crimes (unless the crime involves rhino horn or ivory!)  

Reviewed by Anne McCallum

Can a history of American Birding really be brief? Weidensaul covers so much in this book—early explorer/naturalists, later explorer/soldier/naturalist/scientists, classic bird books, bird naming, the great slaughter, women to the rescue!, the history of field guides, the history of counting/listing mania, modern conservation movements. Quite a few of those of us in the Early Birds book club didn’t get very far in this book or felt overwhelmed by all the names and facts that kept tumbling out of it.

Still there were interesting tidbits to be garnered: For example, the supposed meeting between book peddling Alexander Wilson and failing shopkeeper John James Audubon. The sad ending of Meriweather Lewis (suicide or murder in a frontier inn?) The difference between names of eastern birds—which evolved over time—and western birds—often named shortly after being discovered to honor an explorer or scientist. The link between young George Bird Grinnell and his teacher, none other than Audubon’s long-suffering teacher-wife Lucy! The fact that David Allen Sibley grew up “in the kind of household where he might find a California Condor in the garage.” (His father was an ornithologist.) One of my personal favorites was the account of naturalist Althea Sherman who is buried next to the highway I take to visit my hometown in northeast Iowa. The historical marker by that country cemetery describes her research on Chimney Swifts (c. 1900) using her “Swift Tower” which is reconstructed nearby, but the marker does not mention her vendetta against House Wrens! 

The Early Birds also felt some frustration with encountering some of the same cast of characters in multiple chapters. When a reader thought that she had finished with Bartram as explorer, he shows up again in the section on bird names. And Audubon, probably unavoidably, is in multiple chapters.

So—we decided that the book was a superb reference to all things birdy in American history but that it wasn’t our favorite casual “read.”  

By Anne McCallum, Georgia Audubon Early Birds Book Club, June 28, 2020

Definitely a “green” book—even printed in green ink! As someone in the book club pointed out, this is mostly essays generated by Heinrich’s copious notes documenting a lifetime of observations on plants’ and animals’ reaction to summertime sunshine and temperatures. And, while there are some observations on bird behavior (especially sapsuckers), most of it is entomological—which is the field of most of his scientific publications. He watches every little thing around his home in Vermont and his cabin in Maine SOO carefully. Then he researches or conducts experiments to try to figure out why plants and animals do things the way they do.

I was especially struck by his observation that tasty caterpillars are careful to cover their eating tracks by snipping off half-eaten leaves whereas prickly or poisonous caterpillars apparently do not care if they leave a path of destruction for birds to see. This really hit home when I found a bunch of snipped-off, half-eaten sycamore leaves (“not sassafras” I was instructed by fellow book clubbers!) lying on the ground at Lake Blalock the very next morning.

Why do tree twigs quit growing outward early in the summer? So the trees can add more structural strength (“scaffolding”) to support their canopy. Why do broad leaves drop long before they usually need to? To avoid the devastation of freak early snow-loading. Why are insects carrying stuff here and there? All kinds of different reasons.
I didn’t enjoy the couple chapters so much on deserts (extreme summers) or anthropology. Maybe because he was getting away from the Vermont/Maine woods setting—which was a big part of what appealed to me about the book. Oh—But I did enjoy his lovely illustrations. I hope the book club decides to read his Winter World for January or February.

by Dottie Head, Director of Membership and Communications

The Red Knot is a rufous-breasted, robin-sized bird that makes one of the world’s most epic migratory journeys, travelling nearly 9,000 miles from the southern to northern hemispheres each spring then turning around and doing it all over again each fall. Occurring on all continents except Antarctica, Red Knots travel from High Arctic nesting areas to wintering locations in South America, Africa, and Australia.

There are three sub-species of Red Knots found in North America and all three are in decline. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the rufa subspecies migrates along the eastern U.S. coast. Their migration is perfectly timed to coincide with the egg laying of the horseshoe crab. Arriving between April and May, the Red Knots pause their journey to gorge on horseshoe crab eggs and replenish energy stores.  A single Red Knot needs to eat roughly 400,000 eggs during stopover to complete migration. More than 30 percent of the population of rufa Red Knots visits the Georgia Coast each year. Based on a band re-sighting study, the stopover population of rufa red Knot on southward migration has been estimated at 23,400 birds, while up to 13,775 birds have been documented using the area on northward migration, according to the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.

Like many birds, Red Knots were decimated by market hunting in the 1800s. Passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918 ended the slaughter, but in recent decades populations of Red Knots from the eastern North America have declined sharply due to unsustainable harvest of horseshoe crabs, coastal development, and sea level rise induced by a changing climate. Between 1980 and 2000, rufa Red Knot numbers have declined by nearly 75 percent making these birds a flagship species for shorebird conservation.

“Red Knots demonstrate the true magic of avian migration, traveling from end-to-end across the Earth,” says Adam Betuel, director of conservation.  “They rely on a healthy coastline, plentiful horseshoe crab eggs, predictable climate, and few beach disturbances—all of which are in short supply along the Atlantic Coastline.  Georgia is blessed with an amazing habitat and a network of organizations working to preserve and improve habitat for this threatened species, but there is much work to be done.”
According to the American Bird Conservancy, humans harvest horseshoe crabs for fertilizer, livestock feed, and for its rare, blue blood, which is sensitive to endotoxins and used to test human drugs and medical devices for contamination. Beginning in the 1980s, people began to harvest horseshoe crabs in unsustainable numbers for conch and eel bait, which fueled steep declines of both horseshoe crabs and Red Knots. Other migrating shorebirds that feed on horseshoe crab eggs, including the Ruddy Turnstone, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Dunlin.

“The horseshoe crab, more than 450 million years old, is one of Earth’s oldest animals. It survived the cataclysms of the planet’s mass extinctions, including one where 96 percent of sea life perished. And now, we are drawing down its time, and the time of many shorebirds, dependent on horseshoe crab eggs, whose numbers are also plummeting. Ending the killing of hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs for bait every year, and substantially reducing the hundreds of thousands bled annually for medical testing, are critical steps to enabling birds of “untrammeled wildness and freedom” to fly freely once again,” writes Deborah Cramer in a recent article in Orion Magazine. Deborah is the author of the award-winning book The Narrow Edge: A Tiny Bird, an Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey, and was the keynote speaker at the Atlanta Bird Fest closing celebration in 2016.

In Georgia, Red Knots have two distinct wintering strategies. One population travels from breeding grounds in the high Arctic to winter in southern Argentina and Chile, stopping over in Georgia to feed before continuing its migratory journey. A second group breeds in the high Arctic but will spend the winter months along the southeastern coast, from Virginia down to South America. Along its range, including Georgia, biologists are working to gain a better understanding of this species by studying arrival times, stopover duration, and estimating populations.

You will often see Red Knots on Georgia beaches and mudflats from September to May with their medium-sized beaks to the ground searching for horseshoe crab eggs, bivalves, and small crabs. They are easy to recognize in the rufous-red breeding plumage with a plumb, football-like shape. Immature birds and non-breeding birds are a non-descript gray and white and can easily blend in with other shorebirds.
In the coming year, Georgia Audubon plans to hire a coastal biologist to work closely with existing staff from the Department of Natural Resources and Manomet to expand research capabilities and advocate for policies that protect horseshoe crabs and Red Knots.

“Georgia’s 100 mile coastline is unique in its shape, tides, and relative intactness compared to other places along the Atlantic Coast and is a critical habitat for many bird species, including the Red Knot,” says Betuel. “The reliance of the rufa Red Knot on our beaches and marshes highlights the work that we must do to make our coast welcoming to these birds. Georgia Audubon is excited to do our part along the Georgia Coast and add capacity to the amazing work that is already taking place.”     

By Kathie Entz, Albany Audubon Society 

Donnie Lanier, age 90, is Albany Audubon Society’s Bluebird Guru. American Birds magazine placed the Eastern Bluebird second on the Blue List in 1978. Created by National Audubon in 1971, the Blue List was an early warning system for species that were experiencing a reduction in population or range. In response, The Albany Audubon Society founded a bluebird housing project with the ambition of restoring bluebird populations in South Georgia under the initial leadership of Lloyd Kinney. Kinney enlisted the help of Donnie Lanier, and together they installed their first bluebird nesting box in Camp Osborn, a local Boy Scout Camp. The following year they expanded the program, adding additional boxes in Smithville. In the 1980s, Kinney began experiencing some health issues so Donnie took the lead, and he has been spearheading the Eastern Bluebird nesting box project in Albany ever since.
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The Albany Audubon Society chapter was founded in 1972. Donnie Lanier and his wife, Sylvia, joined the local chapter six years later. Donnie retired from the City of Albany after 32 years as an engineer and Director of Public Works. All three of his children still reside in the Albany area. Renowned Georgia wildlife artist David Lanier is his son. Donnie’s passion for Eastern Bluebird conservation is ongoing. The simple beginnings of adding the first birdhouse has grown from Albany, located in Dougherty County, to surrounding counties. Currently there are more than 500 Albany Audubon Society bluebird nesting boxes along 14 different routes, with 30 to 70 nest boxes along each route!

Each year, Donnie uses wood scraps from homes under construction and other donated items, such as paint and nails, to build the boxes for the next season. He estimates boxes need to be replaced every five years and builds 50 to 100 boxes each year to replace old boxes and add new ones. A series of natural disasters in the past 18 months, including two tornadoes and Hurricane Michael, destroyed quite a few boxes, damaged homes, and significantly altered the landscape, making this work even more important. Donnie says that some are even stolen each year.

Eastern Bluebirds nest in wide-open areas. Donnie installs the nest boxes at least 500 feet apart and four to seven feet off the ground for optimal results. Eastern Bluebirds are not as picky about the box openings, so Lanier builds some boxes with circular holes and others with a horizontal entrance. According to Lanier, bluebirds will typically build a nest two to three times a year, building each nest on top of the last nest, and lay four to five eggs with each brood. Each year the Albany Audubon Society cleans and maintains the nesting boxes. In the winter months, Society members record data on each box. Information is collected for each box, including the number of nests, unhatched eggs, current occupants, and the physical condition of the nesting box. This data is used for research projects by students from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

Eastern Bluebirds compete for nesting boxes with sparrows, flying squirrels, snakes, wasps, ladybugs, and other insects. The nests are easy to identify because bluebirds create “neat nests” using pine straw, whereas a sparrow nest in a bluebird box will appear “junky and unorganized.” Bluebird boxes that are located near south Georgia’s expansive pecan groves are also susceptible to herbicide spray, adding an additional challenge for successful nests.

Donnie’s enthusiasm for the bluebird project is contagious and is a family affair. His brother-in-law, Will Smith, has donated wood for the boxes, and Donnie also taught him how to build them. Will has begun a route in Georgetown, Georgia. Donnie has already begun construction on boxes for this year, with more than 200 cut out and ready to assemble. At age 90, and with four decades of dedication to the Eastern Bluebird nesting boxes, he is undoubtedly Albany’s official Bluebird Guru.

Georgia Audubon today announced the hiring of Corina Newsome, one of the organizers of the #BlackBirdersWeek movement, as the new Community Engagement Manager. In this role, Newsome will work in collaboration with Georgia Audubon’s senior leadership to cultivate strategies and deliver programs that engage diverse communities from across Georgia in the enjoyment and conservation of birds.

“We are delighted to welcome Corina to Georgia Audubon and are eager to begin working to break down barriers that make it difficult for BIPOC, LGBQT+, and other underserved communities to access birding and the outdoors,” says Jared Teutsch, Executive Director. “Georgia Audubon is committed to making birding more equitable and inclusive for all people. Bringing Corina on board as our new Community Engagement Manager is the first step in our efforts to seek out, listen to and learn from, incorporate, and engage voices of more diverse birders in our membership and programs.”

Newsome was one of the organizers of #BlackBirdersWeek, a five-day virtual event that was fledged earlier this year in response to the Christian Cooper incident in New York’s Central Park. #BlackBirdersWeek was created to counter the narrative that the outdoors are not the place Black people should be, to educate the birding and outdoor-loving community about the challenges that Black birders face, and to encourage increased diversity in birds and conservation.

Having experienced the hurdles faced by people of color interested in wildlife careers, Newsome has founded several programs to encourage young people from underrepresented demographics to consider careers in wildlife sciences. According to Newsome, her ultimate goal is to eliminate the systemic barriers that have prevented marginalized people groups from participating in wildlife conservation and exploration of the great outdoors.  
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Newsome comes to Georgia Audubon from Georgia Southern University where she is completing her Master of Science degree with a focus on avian conservation. Her Master’s research focuses on conservation measures for the MacGillivray’s Seaside Sparrow. She began her wildlife career as a zookeeper, and earned a B.A. in Zoo and Wildlife Biology from Malone University in Canton, Ohio.
 
Additional articles on Corina Newsome for reference:

https://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/news/birdwatching/good-birders-meet-corina-newsome/

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2020/its-time-build-truly-inclusive-outdoors

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/29/corina-newsome-and-the-black-birders-movement
 
About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement. 

by Dottie Head, Director of Membership & Communications

Visitors to Southface Institute on Pine Street may notice some new, tiny dots adorning the glass on the building. These dots are special window treatments designed to prevent birds from flying into the windows, an all too common problem. The project was made possible thanks to a partnership between Southface and Georgia Audubon, with a grant from the Disney Conservation Fund.

The dots are a special CollidEscape film that reduces the transparency of the glass and breaks up reflection, preventing birds from flying into them. CollideEscape film has been applied to approximately 1,200 square feet of Southface’s exterior windows. Spaced two inches apart, the dots break up the reflection and alert birds that the space is not a clear flyway, causing them to stall and fly in a different, safer direction.

“In recent years, Georgia Audubon has been working with buildings and nature centers across the metro area to treat problematic buildings and protect migrating birds,” said Adam Betuel, director of conservation for Georgia Audubon. “Our goal is not only to educate people about the threat windows and reflective glass pose to birds, but also to show that there are many attractive solutions to make windows safer for birds.”

“Biodiversity in an urban ecosystem is vital and needs to be done responsibly. We are so appreciative of the work of Georgia Audubon and the opportunity to help showcase CollideEscape film. As a demonstration facility for emerging sustainability technology, the Southface campus is a perfect place to help educate the public on this important solution to protect birds in the built environment,” said Andrea Pinabell, President of Southface Institute.

Southface was chosen as a demonstration building because they were experiencing bird collisions and also because their high visitation rate presents a unique opportunity to educate the public on steps they can take to reduce bird-window collisions at home.
Southface is the sixth building to be treated by Georgia Audubon using grants received from the Disney Conservation Fund and from the Georgia Ornithological Society. Other buildings include the Melvin L. Newman Wetlands Center, Chattahoochee Nature Center, the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, the Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center, and the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor’s Center. Later this year, Georgia Audubon will install CollidEscape film at one additional Atlanta location.

Each spring and fall, millions of birds migrate between wintering grounds in Central and South America, the southern U.S., or the Caribbean to breeding grounds throughout North America. Sadly, many never arrive at their destination due to a man-made problem—building collisions. Attracted and/or disoriented by night-time lights or confused by day-time reflections of trees and grass in shiny windows, many birds become disoriented and fly into the buildings, ending their journeys and their lives prematurely. A 2019 study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology ranked Atlanta number four during fall migration and number nine during spring migration for the potential for bird-building collisions due to high numbers of birds being exposed to nocturnal lighting.

Georgia Audubon has been studying bird-building collisions in the metro area through its Project Safe Flight Atlanta Program since 2015. Since the program began, volunteers have collected more than 1,700 birds of over 112 different species that have perished due to building collisions. Since we only patrol a few limited routes during times of peak migration, we know that this is just a small sample of the number of birds that are actually perishing as they fly through the metro area, says Betuel.
In 2018, Georgia Audubon was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) as part of the Fund’s focus on reversing the decline of threatened wildlife around the world. The conservation grant recognizes Georgia Audubon’s efforts to reduce bird-building collisions throughout the metro area.

About Georgia Audubon: Georgia Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and community engagement.

About Southface: Southface has promoted sustainable development and green building through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance since 1978 under the governance of a board of directors. Over the years, our nonpartisan, data-driven organization has been a leader throughout the Southeast in sustainability. Each day, our staff and board continue to strive for a more sustainable future by educating the population and the market on resilient, resource-conscious lifestyles, researching cutting-edge technologies, advocating for clean forms of energy and working directly on projects to improve building efficiency and reduce the overall carbon footprint of the built environment.