Campus Action

Cornell Bird Friendly acts on campus through monitoring initiatives, campus partnership, advocacy, and community engagement.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology installed Acopian BirdSavers in 2022. Photo by Pat Leonard.

Monitoring

Our student-led monitoring initiative collects data on bird collisions in spring and fall. Students use these data to identify collision hotspots and advocate for solutions.

Collecting collision data, including photographs, can be a powerful motivator for change. These are collision victims found near buildings on campus.

Photos provided by Bridget Tweedie and Leah Crenshaw

Have You Seen a Dead Bird On Campus?

If you find a bird that is dead or injured in a collision with glass, report it to dBird.org. These data help identify collision hotspots and prioritize solutions. If you find an injured bird that can be captured for rehabilitation, call the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital: (607) 253-3060

Report a Collision Here

Partnership

Bird-friendly Cornell works closely with our community to ensure a safe campus for birds to fly. We advise on bird-friendly construction and retrofits, working with architects, facilities directors, managers, staff, students, and volunteers.

Project Spotlight: Atkinson Center

The Atkinson Center for Sustainability opened its new building in 2025 with Walker AviProtek E acid-etched, bird-safe glass instead of traditional glass in its largest windows. The Center is considering retrofits for the remaining windows. This project is the result of the hard work and advocacy of many people, including Cornell’s own university architect. We hope to see many more projects follow Atkinson’s lead on campus!

After a fledgling hawk collided with a bus shelter on Tower Road, volunteers installed ABC Bird Tape in 2022. (Photo by Karel & BOGette)
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology installed Acopian BirdSavers in 2022. (Photo by Pat Leonard)
After a hawk fledgling died in a collision in 2022, Stocking Hall’s breezeway was outfitted with Acopian BirdSavers. (Photo by Ryan Young)
The A Lot Bus Shelters were installed with Feather Friendly dots in 2025. (Photo by Miyoko Chu)

Advocacy & Engagement

Bird Friendly Cornell participates in local advocacy for a greater bird-safe community and conducts outreach activities to raise awareness of bird–window strikes and steps that anyone can take to make windows safer.

You can also be an advocate against bird-glass collisions! Talk with students, professors, and administrators about projects to help make your dorm, dining hall, or lecture hall safer for birds.

In 2024, our student team collaborated with members of the Ithaca Common Council to propose bird-friendly measures for buildings in the City of Ithaca. (Photo provided by Miyoko Chu)
A workshop at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s 2024 Migration Celebration helped visitors make their own DIY Acopian BirdSavers. (Photo provided by Miyoko Chu)

Policy and Building Standards

In August 2022, Cornell University adopted new bird-friendly design and construction standards for landscaping, buildings, and windows. This important step for bird safety at Cornell was a collaboration between Bird Friendly Cornell and the Office of the University Architect.

See Standards

Get Involved!

Contact us at birdsafeaction@cornell.edu if you’d like to learn more about our campus initiative team, possible paid student positions, or discuss opportunities for bird-friendly projects on campus.