Penn Bird Strikes Project

Penn Bird Strikes hopes to raise awareness about bird strikes on Penn's campus. Members of the Penn community are encouraged to document the bird strikes that they encounter across campus. The information will help the university understand where bird strikes are taking place and begin to take steps to address the issues. Thank you for participating. Future goals of the project include retrofitting existing buildings to be bird-safe, encouraging bird-safe techniques in new construction and the implementation of off a Lights Out Penn program on campus, which would reduce lighting which can attract and confuse birds resulting in bird-building collisions.

What To Do If You Find A Bird:

Step 1) Document it! Take as many photos of the bird from as many angles as you can. This will help with the identification of the bird. Please include photos showing where the bird was found in relation to the building or windows it may have hit.

Create an account on iNaturalist.org and join the Penn Bird Strikes Project

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/penn-bird-strikes

Add your observation by adding your photos, placing a point on the map, and the following information:

Species of Bird (If Known)
Location (Outside of Which Building or Address – as much detail as possible. )
Date/Time you found the bird

Please email Joe Durrance to let him know you have added a new observation. At josephdurrance@gmail.com

Step 2) Collect it! We would like to collect the birds found during this project at donate them the collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences. If you feel comfortable collecting the bird, put the bird in a plastic ziploc bag (turn bag inside-out to pick up the bird, and then turn it around to seal and close the bag with the bird inside.) Please include a piece of paper inside the bag that has the following information.

Species of Bird (If Known)
Location (Outside of Which Building or Address – as much detail as possible.)
Date/Time you found the bird
Your name and contact information

If you do not feel comfortable handling the dead bird, you can pick it without touching by turning the sandwich ziploc bag inside-out to pick up the bird, and then turn it around to seal and close the bag with the bird inside. If you would prefer not to touch the bird at all, please contact me at josephdurrance@gmail.com, and I will go to the site and collect it.

Step 3) After putting the bird in a bag, if you have a place to freeze the bird, put it in the freezer, until arrangements can be made for me to pick it up.

Thank you,
Joe Durrance
Penn Bird Strikes Project less ↑