Animals, Bizarre, Environment

Groups: The Vikings Stadium Kills Birds

ctyp_stadiumbird3us_bank_stadium_-_west_facadeThe new Vikings stadium has yet to prove a killer for NFL rivals but it is certainly racking up bird kills according to the Audubon Society and other environmental groups. That modern glass exterior appears to be killing an alarming number of birds and groups are complaining that the stadium is continuing to “study” the problem while the dead birds mount. This stadium seems truly star-crossed. We recently discussed how the stadium has been found to be hazardous to hearing.

The U.S. Bank Stadium cost an estimated $1.061 billion.Taxpayers forked over roughly 500 million of that amount from state and city coffers.

The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, Minnesota Citizens for the Protection of Migratory Birds, and Friends of Roberts Bird Sanctuary have all raised the alarm over the bird kills. Birds are hitting the 200,000 square feet of clear and reflective glass. Volunteers found 60 dead birds.

The groups estimate that as many as 500 birds die annually due to the glass exterior of the stadium. The stadium is right in the path of a heavy migratory path called the Mississippi Flyway, a bird migration route stretching from Canada to South America.

Now it is well known that I am a Bears fan but the only thing that dies in Soldier Stadium is hope.

38 thoughts on “Groups: The Vikings Stadium Kills Birds”

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  4. Wow! Up to 988 million vs maybe 33,000 deaths through wind turbines. And some one actually thought only mentioning wind turbines was “a great argument” and “totally connected”? Sad! Pathetic! A really weak nexus

    http://www.sibleyguides.com/conservation/causes-of-bird-mortality/

    btw – oil related bird deaths total maybe a couple of million plus per year? Wonder why the wind turbine whiners never seem to include bird deaths from other types of energy generation? Not Koch/Tillerson approved?

  5. Who in the world designed this stadium? It’s not a new phenomenon that birds fly into glass windows. They’ve been studying this problem for decades and there are many solutions available that should have been incorporated into the design. That would have been the architect’s job, I believe.

    Up to 988 million birds die annually from striking windows.

    https://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/pdf/management/reducingbirdcollisionswithbuildings.pdf

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/15/nyregion/making-new-yorks-glass-buildings-safer-for-birds.html?hp

    Everyone who has seen the movie Storks knows birds can’t see glass. We had our own tragedy the other day when I opened the garage at night, and the light woke up a nesting house finch pair. The female flew into the garage where it was light, and then into our house when my son opened the door. We went all through the house trying to catch it, but it flew into our gym and seemed to just barely bat against the mirror. It fell to the floor dead. Their bones are so light and fragile to allow flight that they are always one little bump away from death.

  6. So we worry about killing birds, but it is okay to kill the young un-born birds, the old birds that are going to die soon, and those birds with diseases that we believe are going to die right?

  7. Amazing that we can spend the money to build killing monuments to nonsense, but we can’t treat our returning veterans, can’t cloth our cold children, can’t help the mentally-challenged, can’t fix our failing infrastructure, can’t provide universal health care, and can’t do anything which would help our failing nation, but can fret and stew over an unneeded and unwarranted sports house. “We have met the enemy and he are us.” We are crapping in our own mess kit and either too dumb to know it, or too lazy to care. I grew up in the 50’s; I am now living in a different universe and none too happy about that.

    1. As a fiscal conservative, it is my deepest desire that our politicians and government officials put up a great big white board. They write in the budget. And then they spend a sweat soaked, anguished day prioritizing where the money goes. Priorities first, and pork or special projects never if the money’s run out.

      I dream of a day when potholed roads are fixed before bike helmets are given away for free in front of bike stores.

  8. As a bird lover, I am owned by three wonderful parrots, this makes me very sad. I am a native Minnesotan. Six years ago my husband and I flew into Minneapolis and drove to Souix Falls, SD to visit our daughter and her family. It’s was amazing to me that southern Minnesota is covered by wind turbines. They are fascinating up close. After returning home from our vacation, I studied to learn about these modern inventions. While I believe they are a good idea and green, it was very sad for me to learn that they also are lethal to many birds. The best part of the day for me is to wake up in the morning and hear birds singing.
    Could the design of the stadium have been studied before building it? Can you know an effect on nature before construction? I find this disturbing but wonder if there is a solution. Man should be able to coexist with nature without doing damage. I’m not a crazy person that would be against necessary building because of a small fish, I just wonder if this could have been prevented. Can someone help me understand?

    1. beakie48 – they chop up bats, too. They are white, which attracts insects at night, which lure bats into the blender.

      We have a great many wind turbines here in CA. In addition to decimating bird populations, they also make a constant noise that is aggravating. My mare hates riding by them and twitches her ears. I cannot imagine the wildlife enjoy it.

      Oh, if only they had waited to blow all that money until the technology is perfected. I particularly like this idea, although it does make a continuous clicking noise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZppFiGwJGQ

      We are always in such a hurry to go green, we end up investing in beta technology instead of waiting for when the technology is ready to go national. I want to go green effectively.

      1. Oh, I forgot to ask, what kind of parrots do you belong to? I love parrots.

  9. I grew up not far from this stadium and at least da Bears have one a championship. Of course none of the skyscrapers in the downtown skyline 1/4 mile away are in this flight path? Are they killing Canadian Geese or that other migratory Minnesota bird, the mosquito?

    1. Olly – I don’t think the mosquito is migatory, but it is the state bird of MN.

      1. I know Paul. I was expecting Jose H. to pop out from under the bridge to correct that. 😉

        1. Steve57 – I do know that in northern MN the mosquito is considered an apex predator.

  10. (music- to the tune of the ADE song from Knox College)

    Well the bird, bird, the bird is the word.
    Don’t you know about the bird?
    Everybody here says the bird is the word!

  11. Considering what wind turbines are doing, the Viking Stadium is a nothing.

      1. Dave137 – I am glad you saw the nexus. The connection is deep. 😉

  12. I am all kinds of proud for having survived the industrial accident that is the United States Navy.

    1. Great article, thanks Steve. And thanks to you and your family for your service.

    1. “I like Hitler love my dogs.”

      Should this be read as:

      1) ‘I, like Hitler, love my dogs.’

      or

      2) ‘I like Hitler, love my dogs.’

      or

      3) your original wording, which is little more than a grunt.

  17. It has no effect on Bears and Lions. In fact, those species typically emerge quite happy from the facility.

    1. It could haves something to do with bears and lions coming from different planets. OK not quite, But close.

  20. Compared to the hundreds of rapter birds killed because of wind turbines I wonder which story or death count is more important in the political scheme of things.

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