Glassy PLG Tower Bad News for Birds, Says Expert
Scores of migrating birds would smash into the glassy 23-story tower planned in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, on Lincoln Road and Flatbush Avenues, creating a mess on the crowded sidewalks below, said Prospect Park Audubon Center senior naturalist Gabriel Willow. He said adjacent Prospect Park, at 585 acres, is a popular resting place for birds along the…
Scores of migrating birds would smash into the glassy 23-story tower planned in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, on Lincoln Road and Flatbush Avenues, creating a mess on the crowded sidewalks below, said Prospect Park Audubon Center senior naturalist Gabriel Willow. He said adjacent Prospect Park, at 585 acres, is a popular resting place for birds along the Atlantic Flyway, and added that glass towers in Manhattan near smaller, less popular parks have been the death of hundreds of birds a year. “You’ll just find the ground littered with birds,” he said. Tom Gilman of Gilman Architects didn’t respond when asked if his design took migrating birds into consideration (the flock was added to the rendering). Meanwhile, developer Henry Herbst said he’s been busy polling the community about their preference for the ground floor retail compenent—so far, they’re leaning toward a bank and organic market, even though the short block already has two non-organic markets. Herbst said, “They claim there’s no organic foods in the area,” which is basically true. Cage-free hens, anyone?
Wings Meet Deadly Glass [NY Times]
Form Follows Feathers: Bird-Friendly Architecture [Architectural Record]
Lefferts Gardens Gets a Few New Arrivals [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]
it also looks like a giant bird cage.
2:41 – i never said i was an expert – and you’re right – i’m not – which is why i still need someone to explain to me how this building is a problem here but not anywhere else in the city where there are no migrating birds.
if you’re argument is that this building poses a risk to migrating birds who choose to rest, good luck getting anything but smirks with that one.
combine the small amount of surface area reflecting trees, the small % of migrating birds resting in this location and the enormous alternative real tree resting across the street and you’re position sounds foolish.
thanks for the education though.
The rendering is also totally misleading – makes the building look like it will be 230 stories instead of 23.
Could there be any better proof that the NIMBY’s/anti-everything crowd will do and say anything to protect their agenda.
There are 23 story buildings all over the world and somehow the birds manage to survive. Yet here in the middle of the city apparently this relatively low building will cause a bird holocaust. It is so stupid as to be laughable – except some court somewhere will be willing to tie up the developer with litigation that will cost thousands of dollars.
And BTW – Migratory Birds generally fly north south routes so they should have no trouble finding Prospect Park (or National Wildlife refuge in Jamaica Bay – where they actually do stop and nest) despite this building
Birds on a migration flight have to stop and rest. They don’t just fly thousands of miles without stopping. And I don’t think the opposition is concerned with birds only when they are headed to and from the south for migration. You clearly aren’t an expert on this.
This is not a sufficient argument for downzoning, btw. Buildings do not have to be tall to be a danger to birds. Any structure higher than the treetops are a danger. Look it up. Thus the reason they also hit bridges and other things.
“This faceless, inchoate glass box would be a big negative for Lefferts.”
I HATE inchoate buildings!
1:51 – the point of the opposition is that this building presents a special risk to birds due to the migration path. if your point is that glass buildings are bad for birds b/c they fly into tree reflections in the glass, that wouldn’t really be relevant to birds in migration flight, nor would that problem be specific to tall buildings or buildings in migration paths. next.
Affordable housing no… affordable free range geese for Thanksgiving dinner yes!