Kaylee Finch from North Attleboro, MA, and Morgan Lane from Portsmouth, NH, are seniors at UNH. Kaylee is majoring in Wildlife and Conservation Biology with a minor in Animal Behavior, while Morgan is majoring in Zoology, also minoring in Animal Behavior.
They’re participating in this year’s Undergraduate Research Conference (URC). They will present their research on Bird-Window Collisions at UNH.
COLSA: What is the title of your research?
Kaylee & Morgan: Our research under the title, Reducing Bird-Window Collisions at UNH: Progress, Patterns, and Prevention Strategies, at the URC.
COLSA: Could you summarize your research for us?
Kaylee & Morgan: Birds cannot see windows and often confuse the reflections with open spaces that they can fly through, resulting in window collisions that kill millions of birds annually. Understanding where bird-window collision hotspots are located on campus will help to conserve birds that are more susceptible to collisions, especially migratory species.
By identifying collision hotspots on campus, such as Diamond Library and McConnell Hall, we plan to implement mitigation strategies on campus to provide visual cues to birds and reduce collisions, protecting birds living on and moving across campus.
COLSA: What challenges are you addressing through your research?
Kaylee & Morgan: The primary challenge is the high number of bird fatalities from window collisions. Our goal is to reduce these collisions by increasing awareness and modifying high-risk areas on campus.
COLSA: What has been the most interesting finding of your research?
Kaylee & Morgan: An interesting finding was how many birds were impacted by window collisions on campus, especially during fall migration. In about a 2-month period last fall, we recorded a total of 48 collisions, and that's not including unobserved collisions (i.e. non-fatal collisions or collisions that occurred during fall semester breaks).
COLSA: How has participating in the URC been beneficial to you?
Kaylee & Morgan: Participating in the URC has helped us communicate scientific research to a diversity of audiences, network with other scientists and bring awareness to the issue of bird-window collisions and conservation efforts to mitigate them.
COLSA: Who has contributed to your project?
Kaylee & Morgan: This project was made possible through the collaboration with about 30 undergraduate volunteers and our advisor, Dr. Janet Anderson. Their support was crucial in gathering and analyzing the data necessary for our findings. We are very appreciative of our volunteers' and advisor's help!
