Recent installations of anti-bird collision technology on campus promote wildlife conservation

This past February, The Stute published “Stevens’ invisible threat to bird safety”, containing an interview with Hoboken resident Jeffrey Train, and a discussion of the dangers large glass structures pose to Hoboken’s avian wildlife. This follow up article aims to summarize the updates campus has observed in the time since.

In early July 2024, installation of transparent dots were observed on the free-standing glass panels between the North and South UCC towers, an area also referred to as the UCC breezeway. This decal installation was confirmed to be Bird Divert technology in an interview with the Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communication and Public Relations, Kristen Daily. Bird Divert is New Jersey-based company, endorsed by the American Bird Conservancy and the Audubon Society, which develops optically clear, anti-bird collision solutions for both residential and commercial glass. Bird Divert’s anti bird-collision marker technology employs a key difference in optical capability between humans and birds to accomplish a proven (Rössler and Zuna-Kratky, 2004; 2007) visual boundary for birds that is imperceptible to the human eye. Birds are tetrachromatic, meaning that they see color through four distinct classes of photoreceptors. Humans, on the other hand, only have three. The additional fourth class of photoreceptors that birds maintain over humans allows them to see into the UV range, which human eyes can’t do.

If you approach the UCC breezeway glass closely, you may be able to notice a pattern of small, raised, clear circles. Bird Divert is a leader in commercial options for retrofit of pre-installed, non-avian-friendly glass. Their products consist of a film, similar to a sticker sheet of patterned, UV reflecting dots that can be applied to preexisting glass construction. The application process is not dissimilar to how you would apply a privacy glass film to your own residential windows. The glass is first cleaned, then the film is squeegee-ed onto the glass. The UV-reflective dots attached to the application film are given time to bond to the surface of the glass, and once bonded, the application film can be removed, leaving just the raised pattern of dots.

Daily informs that the planning for the July breezeway installation, executed by the Division of Facilities & Campus Operations, began back in March and April of this year. The pilot UCC breezeway installation “presented an opportunity to test Bird Divert film in a defined area where we had reports of bird strikes.” When exploring the possibility of expanding the pilot installation to additional glass-heavy campus locations, Daily shares that the Division of Facilities & Campus Operations “conferred and consulted with the American Bird Conservancy, [and] the National Audubon Society on selection of effective bird deterrent products.” They additionally consulted with commercial real estate owners and managers in the surrounding area that have performed similar installations on their buildings to gain further insight into their experiences and perspective on product effectiveness.

The Bird Divert installations on campus began expanding in October, with initial work starting at Babbio Atrium. A new solar film installation was due to address HVAC study concerns regarding overheating and sunglare within the Atrium, informs Daily, who adds, “Given that bird strikes on campus were under review, it was an opportune time to add and install bird divert film along with solar film to the atrium glass.” Both film additions to Babbio Atrium mark a positive shift towards a more sustainable campus with decreased HVAC energy consumption and minimized impact on local wildlife. Daily confirmed that both bird deterrent films and glass are eligible for LEED points for both new construction and existing buildings. Solar window film alone can provide LEED credits in six different categories: energy performance, light pollution reduction, glare reduction, thermal comfort and innovation.

With the new construction of Davis Residence Hall’s replacement looming on the horizon, conversations around campus sustainability initiatives and infrastructure desires are highly pertinent. Daily confirmed that avian glass products will be considered for all new construction projects. Bird-friendly windows, which are even less visually obtrusive than decals such as Bird Divert, are commercially available from companies such as Guardian Glass, Feather Friendly, Viracon, and more. 

Low rise buildings, or those that range from four to 11 stories, are a construction height commonly found on college campuses, but are unfortunately the most dangerous construction height for birds, with a median annual mortality estimated as 339 million, or 21.7 birds per building. Preventative actions such as Bird Divert film installation place Stevens among a number of innovative universities making the positive leap to preserve their campus’s wildlife. The Division of Facilities & Campus Operations has continued expansion of Bird Divert to additional campus buildings, such as Howe this month. Additional glass-heavy areas, such as the Gateway and Morton-Kiddie-Peirce bridges, have been identified as potential future locations by the Division of Facilities & Campus Operations, Daily informs that their implementation will be prioritized as funding becomes available. Daily reports that the cost of material per square foot ranges from $7 to $12 depending on the specific type of Bird Divert product used.

In July 2024, 14-year-old Hoboken resident Otys Train was awarded $5000 as a part of Hoboken’s Youth Climate Action Fund for his “Bring Birds to Hoboken” project. He used a portion of his grant money to purchase anti-collision film for use on the ground floor of the UCC. On October 11, a pilot installation of the film Otys supplied was performed, with wider application of the film pending on results of the pilot test.

Daily informs that students interested in learning more may contact the Division of Facilities and Campus Operations. Frank LoCastro is the Assistant Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operation. If Mr. LoCastro is not available and assistance is required, an email may be sent to workorder@stevens.edu.