Last semester into this semester, birds have been flying into the windows on the east side of Andreas, dying as they slam into the glass. Their bodies then sit on the pavement for days, where students are saddened as they walk by.
The dead birds lay by the door into Andreas on the east side, which is the one most residents use. Emma Pate ’27 said, “I just go to class… and all of a sudden there's a dead creature at my feet at the doorway.” This is highly disturbing to the residents and to students walking by.
Lyndi Jenson ’26, who worked in admissions last semester in Andreas, said she thought she “saw three [birds] outside… In front of the windows we sit behind.” So, the dead birds were scattered all along the side of Andreas along the patio and the walkway. They would lie there for weeks, no student daring to touch them. Christina English ’27 said, “There was one [bird] last semester and no one did anything about it and it turned into a skeleton left underneath a bench.”
Mass Audubon, a New England-based nature conservation organization, said that the reason these birds may be flying into the windows and dying is because “birds… collide with windows when they are attracted to landscaping outside the window or lights shining out from the interior.” Since Andreas is surrounded by woods, it might be the reflections of the trees in the windows that are confusing the birds.
In addition to the reflection of the windows, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also states, “Birds are especially confused by light pollution on foggy or stormy nights when the outline of the city and the source of the lights are less visible.” On top of the mountain, foggy days are normal, which is most likely contributing to the birds' confusion.
Though this is a new and shocking issue for Andreas, it happens all across the world because of the confusion that windows bring to birds in flight. Hopefully, this will stop occurring as the fog disappears with the coming of spring and summer.