By Jennifer Nantais

The Global Bird Rescue is an annual week-long event where citizens search for birds that have collided with windows in urban areas. The goal is to find injured birds quickly to get them the help they need and increase their chances of survival, and record all collision incidents, casualties and survivors. The purpose is to identify the extent of the losses taking place in order to mitigate hazards and make communities safer.

Previous participation in the area was limited to a few entries submitted by Erie Wildlife Rescue in 2020, and this year the Bird Friendly Windsor team conducted the first volunteer outing in Windsor. While many individuals agreed to check around their home or workplace, a small group headed out to actively search for collision victims. The team consisted of PIBO Executive Director Suzanne Friemann, Urban Bird Educator Jennifer Nantais, and Essex County Field Naturalists club member Carl Maiolani, who of course took care of organizing the weather for the day.

The team gathered at City Hall just before sunrise, and when the three met in the still dark morning, Carl had already found the first bird of the day. The team walked around municipal buildings, several others in the downtown and Riverside area, and the University of Windsor campus, finding 10 birds during their morning effort.

While conducting the search, the team assessed the built environment, to see Windsor through the eyes of the many birds we share the city with. They soon began to recognize which sites present potential dangers, knowledge which as it continues to grow, will streamline future Global Bird Rescue events.


The hazard presented by habitat reflected in glass. Photo: Jennifer Nantais.

Migration is a dangerous time for birds. They travel long distances, expose themselves to potential predators, and need to be able to find necessary resources like food, water and shelter along the way. For many of these birds, this journey would be their first fall migration, and for too many, their last. Of the young born this past spring, many will never make it to their wintering grounds as the result of a hazard that can be prevented. This problem has a solution – windows can be adapted to prevent bird collisions. To solve this problem, it first has to be identified. Proving that certain areas present a danger can be done through demonstrating the sheer number and variety of birds that have died at a certain location.

Sad though it was to find beautiful birds dead at the base of expansive glass which reflects the habitat that they were striving to reach, with each bird recorded came a sense of purpose. Millions of birds lose their lives this way across the globe, but these birds at least, won’t be forgotten.

If you find a bird that has collided with a window, contact your local wildlife rehabilitation organization. If you find a bird that has died as a result of a window collision, make it count by uploading it on the Global Bird Collision Mapper, or sending a photo, date and location to

Wings Rehabilitation Centre (519) 736-8172

Erie Wildlife Rescue (519) 735-3919

Birdmapper.org