Deadly Mirrors
Faraaz Abdool considers human impacts in the kingdom of the air, and urges us not to put obstacles in the way of migrating birds.
Migratory flyways
Are the bronchi
Of Earth;
Dictated by a gentle planetary waltz
The ebb and flow of life itself,
Migration is the Earth breathing. *
The rhythmic mass movement of life across the surface of the earth is one of Nature’s many marvels. Whether the thundering hooves of millions of ungulates across East Africa’s Greater Mara ecosystem, or the multi-generational odyssey of Monarch butterflies in the Americas, the spectacle of migration has been unfurling over millennia. Pushing its participants to their physiological limits, the indisputable need to shift location stirs in bodies large and small due to external environmental conditions we are only now beginning to understand. Humans too, would undertake these journeys in ancient times in search of greener pastures, long before there was Netflix and UberEats.
Animal migration, however, typically involves the characteristic ebb and flow of all natural systems. While humans have been known to migrate great distances to settle in new places, animals would leave and return on a regular basis. Birds form the most immediate link between the casual observer and this phenomenon. At certain times of year, we would notice new arrivals in our space as others momentarily disappear. Sandpipers on the beaches, the flash of a Ruby-topaz Hummingbird in the garden, an endless stream of Fork-tailed Flycatchers in the sky above - these are all opportunities for us to notice bird migration.
Large and small birds undertake migrations of varying distances. Climate and food tend to be the drivers. Some birds fly a couple hundred kilometres to greener pastures while others fly non-stop for thousands of kilometres, defying odds and dodging storms over the open ocean. Young birds are not excluded and have to migrate as well, sometimes on their own!
The
Dickcissel is a migratory bird that travels in massive flocks. It is an annual
visitor to T&T. Photo by Faraaz Abdool.
Birds see the
world vastly differently from how we do. As it turns out, “as the crow flies”
does not always apply. Their maps consist of specific pathways that draw them
out of their breeding grounds and onto mega-airways where they often migrate
alongside several other species. These routes are termed “flyways,” there are
several which span the globe. This sprawl of flyways reflects the natural
signature also visible in the structures of ocean and wind currents, river
deltas, branch and root systems, as well as in our own arteries and bronchi.
All of these serve to transport specific nutrients and ecological goods from
one point to another. Most birds traversing flyways follow the food.
Birdlife International recognises eight terrestrial flyways and six marine flyways overall. Here in T&T, we are lucky to sit directly under a major flyway: the Atlantic Americas Flyway. This has strongly bolstered T&T’s already expansive species total; our equatorial location attracts migrants from northern and southern hemispheres who spend some time in our twin island state.
Migration is incredibly risky, however. In addition to the threats felt universally in the animal kingdom, migratory animals must contend with a different array of dangers. Some birds are hunted at specific bottlenecked regions along the flyway, for example. Offshore energy infrastructure can sometimes pose a threat to migrating birds. Eclipsing all of these are two very significant - and easily avoidable - killers: outdoor domestic cats and window strikes.
Outdoor cats, whether stray, feral, or free-roaming pets, are efficient and deadly predators. Annually, these felines account for the deaths of billions of birds and countless other small animals. The solution is exceedingly simple: keep domestic cats indoors. Window strikes are the second-highest killer of birds worldwide, and it is especially evident along the migratory flyways.
Our
new airport terminal building in Tobago is a fresh instalment of deadly mirrors
for the birds. Installing bird collision deterrent technology can serve a
multifaceted purpose; conservation of the birds themselves to the communication
of a commendable eco-conscious message in this intended tourism hub. Photo by
Elspeth Duncan. 
Cities are particularly notorious for being bird killers. Lights left on in offices well into hours of darkness, signs, billboards, and all other forms of city lights can confuse birds - especially those that are nocturnal migrants like the Dickcissel. During the day, reflective glass panes offer images of an open sky and a clear path forward. Non-reflective panes are just as deadly, and many birds view these windows as an easy fly-through. Buildings with entire façades of glass – think high-rises at the Port of Spain waterfront or the new airport terminal building in Crown Point – can be effectively invisible to an advancing bird with an ancestral playbook of pursuing insects through uninterrupted air. The bird’s death knell is a dull thud as bones crumble in an instant. Feathers become impressed upon the glass and the bird makes its final journey straight down, its lifeless body greedily gobbled by the gravity it had defied for all its life.
A
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird still glimmers after death, a victim of a window strike
in Tobago. Photo by Faraaz Abdool While the effects
of window strikes are most notable in city areas, they are equally likely to
occur in rural settings. This White-tailed Sabrewing died instantly after
flying into a glass pane at a hotel in the rainforest of Tobago. Photo by
Joanne Husain. 
The knowledge of the dangers of glass panes must not be a burden; rather it should spur us to make the responsible choice of investigating solutions. Much research has been done on this, and the overwhelming realization is that the simple act of superimposing a repeated pattern on an unmarked glass pane can greatly reduce the likelihood of a bird flying into it. There are companies that specialise in the production of materials that can be used as bird collision deterrents.
One such company is Toronto-based Feather Friendly. Established in 2006, Feather Friendly makes glass bird-safe by installing special window decals that meet and exceed all published bird-friendly standards and guidelines. The effects are staggering. From a single installation at Chicago’s McCormick Place Lakeside Center, the number of recorded deaths went from 1,280 during the 2023 migration season to 18 for the same period in 2024. These figures are consistent with the 95% decline in window strikes noted elsewhere.
This easy and straightforward installation can potentially save the lives of countless birds. Compounding all the threats already outlined here, the ongoing climate catastrophe is only exacerbating the situation. We need to make every effort to prevent the needless deaths of animals we didn’t even know existed.
(Faraaz Abdool is a Strategic Avian Conservation Partner for Feather Friendly, a pioneer in Bird Collision Deterrent Technology.)
*Excerpt from “Stillness in Perpetual Motion” by Faraaz Abdool, from Dawn Songs: A Birdwatcher’s Guide to the Poetics of Migration, edited by J. Reaser and J. Drew Lanham (2023)
REFERENCES
https://abcbirds.org/dawn-songs-editor-interview/
