Central is saving birds — one window sticker at a time.
Russ Benedict, professor of biology, and Mathew Kelly, associate professor of art, collaborated with students across the biology and art programs to create and design CollidEscape stickers on a window of Vermeer Science Center on Central’s campus. The window, which faces west, has caused significant bird deaths for many years.
“Over the past 20 years I’ve been at Central, I’ve probably come across about 50 different species of birds that have been killed by our windows across campus,” Benedict says.
Birds are drawn to the windows because they reflect the sky and trees so well, they cannot differentiate between what is real and what isn’t real until it’s too late. According to Benedict, he typically records 10-20 bird deaths across campus each year. One of the leading causes of bird deaths is collisions with windows, with an estimated half a billion birds dying across the U.S. annually.
“People vastly underestimate how many birds are dying from window collisions, because scavengers have figured this out,” Benedict adds. “I’ve seen quite a few cats walking out from underneath windows on campus carrying a dead bird. I believe we’re losing at least double the number of birds we can actually count.”
Art students created different designs for the window stickers, which were then voted on by Central students, faculty and staff. The winning design was created by Megan Rohr, Class of 2022.
“The reality is, birds are declining, and they’re declining fast,” Benedict says. “This is only one factor, but it’s a fairly easy fix. So many of the problems that are currently facing nature — like climate change, pollution, invasive species — are enormous fixes. But this is an easy one.”
The project was one of 13 funded by the Moore Family Foundation for the 2021-22 academic year. The foundation’s goal is to provide Central faculty with the opportunity to strengthen engagement with students in the classroom and other educational settings. Established by Frank Moore, Class of 1949, and his wife, Grace, the foundation has provided $564,059 in funding to Central faculty since 2013.
