Urban Birds FAQs

Q. I live in a high rise apartment with a tiny balcony. Is there any way I can attract birds all the way up on the 17^th floor?

A. Depending on what the habitat below you is like, it may take some time for birds to discover your balcony. Bird feeders in high rises along lakes and rivers are fairly likely to be discovered during migration. Feeders in any neighborhood are more likely to attract birds if there are trees and other vegetation at ground level, too. Providing plants that you enjoy may lure birds, and will make your balcony more pleasant for you whether or not they ever arrive.

Q. My landlord says he doesn’t want any bird feeders in our apartment complex. He claims that bird feeders attract pigeons, rats, and other vermin. Is this reasonable?

A. Pigeons, rats, mice, and other animals that associate with humans are always searching for food resources, so if your feeders or spilled seed are accessible to them, they’ll come. Because rats and mice pose serious human health issues in urban areas and are difficult to control, it’s very important to be proactive.

Choose feeders on poles that rats and mice can’t climb, with wire mesh or weighted perches that exclude larger birds and squirrels. Keep your feeders meticulously clean, and clean up any spilled seed daily. Sometimes landlords are also concerned about general sanitation, since rotting seed hulls building up near a building’s foundation can cause structural problems. If you can assure your landlord that you take his concerns seriously and are willing and able to do the work necessary to prevent problems, you may be able to change his mind.

Q. How can I keep birds from hitting my windows?

A. If you live in a high rise, it’s very important to keep your shades or curtains drawn at night to prevent your lighted space from attracting migrating birds. If your city has a “lights-out” program, support it! You can find out more about the original Fatal Lights Awareness Program in Toronto and the programs in other cities inspired by FLAP at
www.flap.org.

If you live lower down, there are many strategies you can try for minimizing or even eliminating bird deaths. Two commercial products that are extremely effective are screening http://www.birdscreen.com/ and a special film called Collidescape http://www.flap.org/film.htm.

Q. How many kinds of birds can a person really see in a big city?

A. In very dense, urbanized neighborhoods, birds other than sparrows, starlings, and pigeons can be few and far between. But urban parks can provide summer and winter habitat for a wide variety of birds, as well as resting and feeding areas during migration. Almost 200 species can be seen in New York’s Central Park in a year, and 317 species have been observed at least 10 times in the past 30 years in the Chicago area alone. That checklist is available at http://cityofchicago.org/Environment/BirdMigration/sub/chicago_bird_checklist.html.

Q. What are some good resources for making buildings and neighborhoods better for birds and the environment?

A. Here’s a start:

• Development guidelines from the Fatal Light Awareness Program: www.flap.org/development_guidelines.pdf

• Seattle Audubon has a great many resources for urban greening: http://www.seattleaudubon.org/conservation.cfm?id=1107

• A Habitat Guide for Chicago Landowners: Enhancing Your Property for Birds: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/BirdHabitatGuidelines.pdf.

• Best Practices for Green Building in Chicago: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/BestPracticesforGB.pdf

• Bird-Safe Building Design Guideline: http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/BirdSafeBuildingDesignGuide2.pdf

• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Green Buildings: http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/218.html

For permission to reprint all or part of this article, please contact Laura Erickson, editor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY, 14850. Phone: (607) 254-1114. email: lle24@cornell.edu