I am dedicating this #NationalBirdDay to the 626 injured and dead migratory birds I found that crashed into downtown NYC windows during 2021 fall migration. I found 49 different species; survivors were few. (1/6) 
Most of them were from 4 bldgs: @4WTC @3NYWTC @OneWTC @BFPLny. All found in the early hours while volunteering as a bird collision monitor for @NYCAudubon. I am just one of dozens of volunteers and I found 600+ birds during a single season. Imagine the full toll. (2/6)
Of the 49 species, ranging from hummingbirds and warblers to flickers and waterbirds, there were 142 b+w warblers, the hardest hit. Lifers for me (gah, the irony of a dead lifer) included an orange-crowned warbler, a yellow-breasted chat, and a sora. (3/6)
The most traumatic part was during the WTC mass casualty of 9/14. There were dead birds everywhere; shocked strangers were handing me birds; there were birds dropping on me as they crashed into windows above ... an unforgettable nightmare. (4/6) bit.ly/3n1k869
Every one of the season's 600+ birds was heartbreaking. But this exquisite flicker tore me up forever. I rounded the corner at @4wtc right after he hit. I was desperate to get him to @wildbirdfund, but he literally died in my hands as I was picking him up for transport. (5/6)
It's all so brutal. But I'm grateful for the grand work of @NYCaudubon, the new #lightsoutnyc bills, local law 15 (for bird-safe glass in new bldgs), + @wildbirdfund for their care. Yet there is still so much work to be done ... and I'll be back on the sidewalks in spring. (6/6)
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
