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August 22, 2024

In July 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Eastern Ecological Science Center (EESC) at Patuxent Research Refuge wrapped up a project to replace the perforated vinyl film on the windows of the Gabrielson building and replace it with a more aesthetically pleasing, yet protective, bird collision deterrent “dots.” 

Left: Before image of EESC Gabrielson windows covered with perforated vinyl. Right: After image of dots installed at EESC Gabrielson windows in a 2x2 inch pattern.

The new vinyl “dots” were placed on all the windows on the EESC Gabrielson building in a 2x2 inch grid pattern to be the most protective for birds, including small hummingbirds. The “dots” allow the bird to see that the glass is a solid surface and that the reflected habitat is and not useable space for them. The design is now also more welcoming to staff, guests, and visitors at EESC. 

From the inside, the “dots” are more muted in color and do not impede the sightline of the viewer. Your eyes simply learn to look past the “dots” like looking through a window with a screen. 

The view of the white, vinyl, collision dots looking out from the inside of an office window at EESC Gabrielson building.
A look from the inside out of the updated windows with dots installed in a 2x2 inch pattern.

The USGS EESC hopes to be an example or what can be done across the nation at other USGS and federal facilities to prevent the unnecessary mortality of birds from collisions. Bird collisions with glass is the third leading threat to birds after habitat loss and cats and more than a billion birds are killed each year in the United States alone. Many birds can die during mass collision events in urban areas, one of which recently occurred in Chicago when 1,000 birds struck one building, over one night. However, single collision events can occur any time of the year at our homes, schools, or offices as well and have a cumulative impact across the landscape. Birds often fail to see glass as an obstacle and collide with windows when they fly towards natural reflections of habitat, like sky or plants. Birds are also attracted to lights shining through windows. EESC Gabrielson remains vigilant in protecting birds from colliding with glass now and for many years to come. 

The USGS is currently exploring how we may add to the science of understanding bird collisions through the data collected from the USGS’s Bird Banding Laboratory database. While some collided birds are banded, many are not. Any banded bird that collides with glass provides a small glimpse at the serious problem of window collisions but can also provide vital information for that bird such as seasonal and temporal patterns, migratory pathways, and the reason for a bird’s demise. 

To report a band to the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory from a bird that has collided with glass, please submit at www.reportband.gov. Be sure to indicate that the bird struck a building or window in the “How Obtained” data field.   

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