I often wonder how much consideration is given to birds in city landscaping, parks, cemeteries, commercial developments etc. I don’t personally know of any but then again there is a lot I am not aware of. Does anyone have any examples worth noting?
Off the top of my head - trees? I mean, there are many reasons for putting in trees. But the fact that people like birds is surely one of them.
As early as the late 70s if not earlier yet, NJ started designing on and off ramps for highways with small wetlands, largely to accommodate birds and small wildlife. This was especially for migratory birds as I recall.
So basically a small pond would be there with some marshy areas.
Let’s see if I can imbed a satellite view of what I’m talking about:
ETA: Where the highways were near the ocean, they also put up nesting poles for Ospreys. Our Osprey population was frighteningly low in the 70s and has bounced back nicely.
There are a number of approaches that architects and building managers use to avoid or deter excessive congregations of birds, particularly “pest birds” like pigeons and gulls, from their buildings.
https://foodsafetytech.com/column/strategies-and-building-design-improvements-to-help-prevent-birds/
Similarly, Canada geese are a significant issue in many parts of the U.S., and because they’re federally protected (and thus, can’t be broadly hunted), designers have tried various methods to try to dissuade them from taking up residence, especially in developments that feature ponds or lakes.
Collisions with the glass facades of high-rise buildings are a surprisingly common cause of death for birds, and some cities require new buildings to have anti-bird-strike technology in place.
Relatedly, in recent years, there’s been a movement in some cities to have high-rises turn off some of their lights at night, specifically during spring and fall migration periods, to keep migrating birds from hitting the buildings.
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/progs/env/lights_out_chicago.html
This is precisely a major area of interest for me. The red wing blaclbirds and western spadefoot toads have all but dissappeared from urban areas in so cal. The off and on ramps would be perfect spots for these.
I was just reading about the reasons that the robin is so successful. One is that they have perfected the ability to hunt worms. And tied in with that is the fact that they hunt worms on our lawns. They have adapted to humans perfectly.
Every time I mow the lawn the robins hop into the mowed areas since the grass is shorter. Smart little birds! Every other wild creature is terrified of a lawn mower and to the robins it is a dinner bell.
Fly catchers used to follow me around in the garden for what ever flying insects I would scare up.
I live in Chicago and regularly see summer red wings on an on ramp (along some commuter railroad tracks) that leads to a below-grade interstate.
And a Carvana recently pull out of building a facility at a nearby suburb, mostly due to opposition from bird fans.
There used to be a BlueJay that got excited whenever I brought out the lawnmower. He would sit nearby and ‘talk’ to me while I put gas in the tank and got ready to mow. Sadly his descendants weren’t nearly as social.
(BTW, I really like your avatar. I had a 57 TR3 and a 56 TR2 in my youth.)