by Dottie Head, Director of Membership & Communications 

Building collisions continue to pose a threat for birds passing through Atlanta during spring and fall migration, according to Atlanta Audubon. Since Project Safe Flight Atlanta launched in fall 2015, volunteers have collected more than 1,400 birds of 105 different species. During the spring monitoring season that ended in late May, volunteers collected more than 30 species of birds, ranging from common birds like American Robin and Ruby-throated Hummingbird to more unusual species like Fox Sparrow and Virginia Rail.
 
“The purpose of Project Safe Flight Atlanta is to gain a better understanding of the bird-building collision problem in the metro area,” says Adam Betuel, Atlanta Audubon conservation director. “We are interested in learning what species are most likely to collide with buildings, how many birds are affected, and what parts of town are problematic. Our long-term goal is to establish partnerships with building managers, citizens, and other partners to make Atlanta a more bird safe city.”
 
Monitored sites included public sidewalks, private businesses, university campuses, and a government building. Each year, Project Safe Flight Atlanta volunteers patrol pre-determined routes around the metro area collecting birds that have collided with buildings. Patrols run from late March through May each spring and again from mid-August to mid-November in the late summer and fall, covering peak migration months for many species. 
 
Current research estimates that between 350 million and 1 billion birds perish each year from colliding with buildings in the U.S. Attracted by nighttime lights and confused by daytime reflections of habitat in shiny windows, many birds become disoriented and fly into the buildings, ending their journeys and their lives prematurely.
 
There are several ways the public can help. One of the easiest is to reduce nighttime lighting during peak migration periods. Atlanta Audubon has launched Lights Out Atlanta to encourage homeowners and commercial properties to turn off nighttime lights from midnight to 6 AM during peak migration. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.atlantaaudubon.org/loa.
 
More information on how to make your home bird-safe and a reporting form for people who find dead birds are available on the Atlanta Audubon website at: http://www.atlantaaudubon.org/project-safe-flight.   
 
About Atlanta Audubon: Atlanta Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and advocacy.

by Dottie Head, Director of Membership & Communications
 
Visitors to Sawnee Mountain Preserve will notice some new window treatments on the Visitor’s Center windows, including images of Georgia birds and wildlife and tiny dots adorning the glass. The purpose of the treatments is to prevent birds from flying into the windows, an all too common problem. The project is thanks to a partnership between Forsyth County Parks & Recreation Department and Atlanta Audubon, with a grant from the Disney Conservation Fund.

The treatments are a special CollidEscape film that reduces the transparency of the glass and breaks up reflection, preventing bird-window strikes. Each spring and fall, millions of birds migrate between wintering grounds in Central and South America, the southern U.S., or the Caribbean to breeding grounds in North America. Using the sun, stars and earth’s magnetism as a guide, birds migrate primarily at night to avoid predators and take advantage of the cooler temperatures. Sadly, many never arrive at their destination due to a man-made problem —building collisions. Blinded by night-time lights or confused by day-time reflections of trees and grass in shiny windows, many birds become disoriented and fly into the buildings, ending their journeys and their lives prematurely. A recent study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology ranked Atlanta number four during fall migration and number nine during spring migration for the potential for bird-building collisions due high numbers of birds being exposed to nocturnal lighting.
“Since 2015, Atlanta Audubon has been studying bird-building collisions in the metro area through our Project Safe Flight Atlanta Program,” says Adam Betuel, director of conservation for Atlanta Audubon. “Since the program began, we have collected more than 1,300 birds of over 100 different species that have perished due to building collisions.”

The CollideEscape film is applied to a building’s windows and breaks up the reflection, allowing birds to avoid a collision, saving them. Nearly 2,000 square feet of CollidEscape material will be used to cover the windows on the Visitor’s Center.

“We have been working with a number of parks and nature centers, like Sawnee Mountain Preserve to treat problematic buildings to protect birds,” says Betuel. “We also hope to educate the people who pass through these buildings about the problem of bird-building collisions and show them that there are many easy solutions to this problem.”

In 2018, the Atlanta Audubon Society was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) as part of the Fund’s focus on reversing the decline of threatened wildlife around the world. The conservation grant recognizes Atlanta Audubon’s efforts to reduce bird-building collisions through Project Safe Flight Atlanta, a program to monitor birds and collects data on deaths by collisions, and its companion program, Lights Out Atlanta, to encourage residential and commercial buildings to reduce nighttime lighting to prevent bird deaths.

Atlanta Audubon is working with Forsyth County Parks & Recreation to install CollidEscape on the Sawnee Mountain Preserve Visitor’s Center with funding received from the DCF. Sawnee Mountain Preserve was chosen as a demonstration building 1) because they were experiencing bird collisions and 2) the park has high visitation presenting a unique opportunity to educate the public on steps they can take to reduce bird-window collisions at home.

"This effort showcases bird conservation practices. Our visitors can see CollideEscape in practice and see how they can help birds in their homes as well,” said Joseph Daugherty, natural resources management supervisor for Forsyth County Parks & Recreation Department.

 
About Atlanta Audubon: Atlanta Audubon is building places where birds and people thrive. We create bird-friendly communities through conservation, education, and advocacy.

About Forsyth County Parks: The mission of Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department is to enhance the quality of life for all citizens of Forsyth County by providing passive and active recreational, educational and cultural programming services and to provide parks and recreational facilities that are safe, accessible and aesthetically pleasing to the entire community.

by Georgann Schmalz, Birding Adventures, Inc.

"I found a baby bird on the ground and want to know what to do with it."

"What can I feed a baby bird that is sitting on a branch near its nest?"

"The mother bird kicked her baby out.  What do I feed it?"

Springtime arrives, and the inevitable happens. The baby bird syndrome besieges nearly every nature center, veterinarian, and ornithologist in town. Atlanta Audubon receives many calls as well. Who can resist the hungry cry of a "lost" baby American Robin or Northern Mockingbird when it leaves its nest and is barely able to fly? Well-meaning people scoop up and protect seemingly helpless fledglings from streets, yards, shrubbery, and sidewalks. It's difficult to watch these appealing fledglings flutter helplessly, appearing alone in a threatening world of cats, dogs and cars, and not run after them to place them in a protective box. Once in hand, the real dilemma begins—the inevitable question, "What do I do with it?"

A resounding "Put it back" is the best reply. A young bird has a much better chance of surviving if left alone. Very few fledglings are evicted from their nest or abandoned by their parents. So, unless it is injured or a cat or car is ready to pounce, leave it alone.

Only about 60% of songbird nestlings survive to leave the nest. Some die as embryos, never to hatch, some are frail from birth, and some fail to get enough food, warmth, and protection after hatching.

Those that have successfully survived their nestling period are ready to make the transition to the outer world. They have been stretching and strengthening their wings and legs for days.  Clinging tightly to the nest's rim, they practice flapping wings to prepare them for flight. They may even hover a few inches above the nest, only to return quickly to its siblings. The actual act of leaving the nest is often quite fast. One moment the nest is filled with small, squirming bodies, and the next moment it is empty. One by one, the imminent fledglings teeter on the edge of the nest, test their wings one more time, and jump. Most songbird fledglings, upon leaving the nest for the first time, will end their first flight on branches or twigs of nearby shrubs or trees. They will not return to their nest, so placing them back in it is useless, as they will keep bouncing out again and again.

Once out of the nest, the fledglings maintain a close bond with their parents. They are rarely left alone for very long; each parent is within a short distance, alert to any dangers. The ability to sit motionless contributes to the success of a fledgling's first few days away from the nest. It is during this short time that baby birds are picked up and "saved" by tender-hearted people. This is tantamount to kidnapping and leaves very distraught parent birds wondering where their youngsters vanished to.

Young birds need only a little instruction in learning what to eat. At first, they may peck indiscriminately at flowers, sticks, or inedible objects. The foraging of young songbirds involves learning how to peck at the food, what to peck at, and what to avoid. It is believed that a young bird has an innate ability to obtain food in its species' correct manner and needs only to be fed that food or be led to an appropriate habitat. For example, Purple Martins and swallows have an innate predisposition to catch flying insects. They perfect this foraging behavior by associating with their parents or other swallows, being fed insects, and being led to open places best suited to soaring, diving, and grabbing insects in the air. One will often see a family of Barn Swallows perching on a telephone wire while the parents bring food to them. Occasionally, a juvenile flies out, meets an incoming parent, grabs a mouthful of food, and returns to the wire. This behavior undoubtedly helps the young swallows to learn the flight movements required of them.

(In a few cases, after watching for a while and you are totally convinced that the parents are not coming around, carefully pick the fledgling up, put it in a warm quiet place, and contact a local rehab center such as AWARE Wildlife Center. Atlanta Audubon has a list of additional wildlife rehabilitation resources on our website. 

As difficult as it may be, rescuing baby birds from imagined dangers is usually unnecessary. Those tiny bodies really are supposed to be out of the nest, hiding, finding food, and hopping around, appearing totally helpless. It is nature's way of making sure that only the best hiders, finders, and hoppers survive.

Additional Questions? Email Georgann. 

by Sandra Kruger, Executive Director of the Olmstead Linear Park Alliance

The old-growth forest at Deepdene in DeKalb County is full of mystery and wonder. With more than 70 bird species, a wide diversity of native trees and plants, and a plethora of wildlife, Deepdene offers visitors an exciting learning environment and a place to relax and unwind. While some visitors prefer to run the trails, others prefer the calm and tranquil welcome of birds singing and cool breezes through the trees. As one enters the forest, the mind begins to calm, and the stresses of everyday life begin to melt away.

Deepdene is a 22-acre forest that was added to the Old Growth Forest Network two years ago. While there are plenty of tall oaks and huge tulip poplars, there are also beautiful understory trees that thrive in the preserve. Unfortunately, there are also a great deal of invasive plants. Through partnerships with the Atlanta Audubon Society and Walter Bland of Rock Spring Restorations, we have been able to clear out these invasive plants and replace them with native ones. The goal was to create a bird-friendly and thriving wildlife sanctuary.  

Each month, hard-working volunteers come out to help, and amazing results are our reward. Visitors to Deepdene witnessed May Apple (Podophyllum peltatum), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Eastern Wild Ginger blooming underground (Hexastylis arifolia), Columbine (Aquilegia), and Scarlet Quince (Chaenomeles japonica). A rare type of mottled ginger (Hexastylis shuttleworthii) and Crane Fly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) have also been discovered.

Thanks to all this hard work, Deepdene forest is thriving. On Saturday, June 15, Atlanta Audubon presented Deepdene with its official Wildlife Sanctuary Certification. We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with Atlanta Audubon on this project. It is exciting to see what can flourish when given the right environment.

Be sure to plan a trip to Deepdene to witness the beautiful native wildflowers. You too can discover mystery and wonder of this beautiful, historic forest.

For information on parking and a map, please visit the park website. 

By Adam Betuel, Director of Conservation
 
Though the spring migration period has ended, there are still many exciting bird watching opportunities. Even though bird diversity in Atlanta takes a significant dip after the migrants continue north, June is the perfect time to really learn about local birds and to dive into the interesting world of breeding behavior. This month, many of our year-round residents will have fledglings around while returning migrants are just beginning breeding activity. This time of years overflows with speckled eggs, chirping babies, nests of all shapes and sizes, and an auditory flood that will make the most nature-centric of us feel alive.
 
Many of our members have invested in nest boxes or martin gourds and for years have enjoyed the synchrony of the early summer and the new life that comes with it. Others have periodically observed a robin with a wet piece of grass heading towards a nest or maybe even had a pair of Carolina Wrens use an old bike helmet or watering can to raise a brood. While all of these avian encounters are exciting and illustrate why we feel so connected to nature through birds, there are ways we can add even more to these observations. Like eBird and the Christmas Bird Count, there are community science programs that focus on breeding behavior that educate the bird lover and inform the conservationist.
 
NestWatch is a Cornell Lab of Ornithology program that is accessible to bird enthusiasts of all levels. Via their website or app, users can learn how to safely monitor a pair of birds during the entirety of the nesting process while also providing data to researchers. NestWatch also provides you with information on how to find a nest that is not in a box, species specific details, how to attract a species to your space, and all the intricacies of the chick rearing process. Once you are familiar with the data entry process, this program will allow you to keep records of your nest box or tree cavity year after year and see how the birds in your yard are have fared over time. It truly is a fun and easy way to connect with the birds of your patch while gaining a better understanding of bird behavior.
 
Requiring a bit more skill and limited in the number of participants, the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is a jewel in the community science arena. Like the Christmas Bird Count, the BBS is a long-term dataset dating back to 1966. Famed ornithologist Chandler Robbins started the BBS in hopes of monitoring breeding populations of birds over large geographic areas, specifically in the post-pesticide era. Though the causes of bird declines today may be different or more diverse, the valuable data collected during the BBS can be used by researchers and managers to better understand population changes and determine appropriate responses.
 
So how does one conduct a BBS? BBS surveys take place during the peak of the breeding season, from late May through June in Georgia. Each survey is done along a predetermined route of 24.5 miles that was randomly chosen years ago to provide a sampling of the habitat of that region. The observer conducting the count stops along their route every half mile, totaling 50 stops, and completes a three-minute stationary point count. All birds seen or heard are recorded as is the number of vehicles that pass by during the survey window. BBS routes start about 30 minutes before sunrise and take roughly five hours to complete. In Georgia, there are over 90 BBS survey routes, and across the U.S.there are more than 4,100 total routes.
 
During the month of June, I become immersed in breeding biology and both of these community science programs. Before entering the office, I often check the bluebird boxes across the Blue Heron Nature Preserve or search for cup nests along the creek. A pair of Red-tailed Hawks have nested in the same clump of trees near the Emma Wetlands since I first moved to Atlanta, and it always give me warmth and excitement to see them try again. I input all of this data into NestWatch and enjoy comparing the current year to previous years. I am lucky enough to have two BBS routes, and they are one of my favorite things to do each year.  One of my routes begins just north of Metter and allows me to enjoy the birds and dusty roads of the Coastal Plain habitat. Mississippi Kites, Common Ground-Doves, Loggerhead Shrikes, and the occasional Prothonotary Warbler bring me joy on that typically warm morning each year. A couple of weeks after completing this route, I sample the bird communities of Walker and Dade County in the extreme northwest corner of our state. Ridges and valleys as well as quaint family farms dot this route, as do the Ovenbirds, Scarlet Tanagers, Worm-eating Warblers, and Indigo Buntings. These two surveys remind me each year that we have such an amazing diversity in habitats and avian life here in Georgia.
 
So while the last Cape May and Canada Warblers are making their way north, I encourage you all to not just dream of the fall to come but rather devote yourself to learning more about those nesting chickadees and towhees. Try to find a nest or some newly fledged babies. This isn’t easy but it is a worthy challenge, and you will learn much along the way. When the House Wrens stake claim to your nest box, give them some study and report your findings. Monitor them safely and consciously. Be active with community science, visit parts of the city or state that maybe you haven’t in the past, and enjoy the excitement and energy that flows from this summer season.

by Dottie Head, Director of Membership & Communications

Save these dates in September 2019 when Atlanta Audubon will once again celebrate the inextricable connection between birds and native plants during the second annual Georgia Grows Native for Birds Month. We’ve got a great lineup in the works, including:

• Saturday, September 14 – Wildlife Sanctuary Tour. The annual Wildlife Sanctuary Tour will take place from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at various locations in Intown Atlanta. Stay tuned for additional details on locations for the 2019 tour.
• Saturday, September 21 – Concrete Jungle Ramble. Join Jason Ward, bird walk leader and National Audubon Fund II Apprentice, and representatives from Concrete Jungle for a bird walk and tour of some of the urban trees from which Concrete Jungle harvests.
• Sunday, September 22 – Wrecking Barn Farm Brunch with Atlanta Audubon and Georgia Organics. Join us for a farm-to-table brunch and bird walk at Wrecking Barn Farm in Loganville as we explore the relationship between sustainable agriculture, insects, and birds.
• Thursday, September 26 – Swift Night Out at Brickworks Gallery. Atlanta Audubon will once again partner with Brickworks Gallery for a Swift Night Out to see the resident population of Chimney Swifts descend into the Brickworks Gallery chimney around dusk.
• Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28 – Chattahoochee Nature Center Native Plant Sale. Once again, Atlanta Audubon be collaborating with CNC on their fall native plant sale to help people find bird-friendly native plants for their landscapes.
• Sunday, September 29 – Chalk Art Festival at the Exhibitat at Piedmont Park. Last year’s Chalk Art Festival was such a big hit we decided to bring it back for 2019. This year, we’ll have multiple categories for artists, including levels for individuals and families as well as for nonprofit organizations and corporations. Prizes will be awarded to the chalk art winners in several different categories.

 
Tickets for these events will go on sale in mid-July. For more information, please visit our website.