Bird-window Collisions in Hong Kong: A Citizen-based Bird-window Collision Monitoring Campaign | May 24, 2024

Hong Kong is one of the major stopover points along the East-Asian Australasian Flyway for migrating birds, but our urban environment is full of hazards that affect both these migrating birds as well as our own resident birds. Bright lights can disorient the birds, exhausting them and forcing them down into unsuitable environments where they are exposed to unfamiliar and unnatural threats. An even larger problem is collisions with our many glass enclosed buildings.

Bird strikes occur when a bird fails to perceive that glass is an invisible barrier and crashes into it. This can result in injury or even mortality. Studies from North America estimate that as many as 1 billion birds die each year as a result of collisions with buildings, primarily caused by a combination of light pollution and reflective glass. The problem is so bad that the American Bird Conservancy has issued good practice guidelines on how building owners and developers can alleviate the impact of light pollution and reflectivity of glass on birds in our cities.

In Hong Kong and China there is little data on the mortality of migratory birds due to collisions with our many tall structures, nor has this problem aroused the attention of design professionals and the public.

Environmental groups such as the National Anti-Bird Collision Action Alliance and the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS) have only recently started to research the scale of urban bird strikes and what mitigation measures should be put in place. In this seminar, representatives from HKBWS will discuss the current status of bird collisions in Hong Kong and their vision on how to build a bird-friendly city.

Join us for this evening event when HKBWS will present their findings. This will be followed by a panel discussion with other professionals and stakeholders who will share their thoughts on what should be done and how to tackle this issue via building / facade design, and the way forward for our profession.

Details
Date: May 24, 2024 (Friday)
Time: 7:00 - 8:45 PM
Venue: CBRE Hong Kong Office, Level 27, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
CES: 1.5 LUs/HSW
Fee:  HKD100 AIA Members; HKD150 Non-members
Quota: 40

To join us, please sign up HERE on or before May 24, 2024, at 4:00 PM.