Help Promote Bird Safety in Downtown SA During Spring Migration

Call for Volunteers

San Antonio was recently certified as a Bird City Texas, and one of the elements of this designation involves collecting data about bird casualties due to building collisions as part of a Lights Out Texas–San Antonio initiative. Bexar Audubon Society needs volunteers to help with downtown bird surveys from April 19 through May 7 during peak spring migration. The data collected will be used to pinpoint downtown areas where birds are most vulnerable and to work with building owners and managers to help mitigate bird casualties by turning off excessive lighting at night from 11 PM to 6 AM during peak migration periods in spring and fall.

We need 10 individuals each day from April 19 through May 7 to register to walk in pairs along five assigned routes in the early morning (6:00 AM to 8:00 AM) through downtown looking for bird casualties. The group will meet each morning in an easily accessible downtown garage where parking is free for volunteers. Masks will be worn and social distancing practiced. Volunteers should watch a one-hour online training session about the survey protocol and how to use iNaturalist for this specific project. Click here to register for the day(s) you want to volunteer. Click here for the volunteer training guide, PowerPoint slides, video of required online training session, and videos about how to collect and photograph bird casualties. Visit BexarAudubon.org for more information.