“Facing criticism from wildlife groups who say its glassy new Chicago store is causing deadly bird strikes, Apple plans to dim the store’s lights Friday night, a company spokesman said, and will continue to do so during the fall migration season,” Blair Kamin reports for The Chicago Tribune.
“Members of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, a volunteer group that rescues migrating birds that collide with buildings, have said they’ve found dead birds at the Apple store since it opened Oct. 20,” Kamin reports. “The group blames the store’s exterior glass walls and night lighting. At night, according to experts, birds often become disoriented by city lights, then crash into buildings and fall to the ground.”
“In response to the criticism, Nick Leahy, a spokesman for the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer-maker, said Friday: “’Starting tonight, at least until we can get through the migratory season, we will get the lights down as much as can overnight,'” Kamin reports. “London-based Foster + Partners designed the $27 million store, whose facade consists of huge sheets of floor-to-ceiling glass. The firm’s chief designer on the project, Stefan Behling, said the architects had studied the possibility of bird strikes and had concluded that it would not be a problem.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If it’s not one thing, it’s another.
I bet you’ll never look at birds the same way again. — Dr. Alan Grant
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s Angela Ahrendts on new Chicago flagship store: ‘We are the live version of Apple Music’ – October 19, 2017
just bring the food trucks to prepare/serve.
If the carnage includes Starlings or Pigeons it would be no great loss.
Memphis years ago attacked excessive Pigeons by bringing in Birds of Prey housed on top of the taller buildings downtown. PETA was not amused.
PETA = PITA
The first time that I saw this Apple Store I knew that bird strikes would be a problem, especially since it was located near water. The architectural firm and Apple failed to adequately consider the obvious risks.
I am a proud and strong supporter of the environment and animal rights. When I was growing up, my mom taught me to observe how people treated animals, because anyone who will abuse an animal also has the potential to do the same to people. Later on, I learned to watch how people treated those in a subservient or service position, such as waiters/waitresses. That can provide some extremely valuable insight into the core psychology of a person, and helped me to avoid some heinous women who happened to be fairly good actresses.
Anyway, back to the point, which is that you can support the environment and animals without going to extremes. In fact, going to extremes often undermines a movement’s efforts rather than strengthening them. Using birds of prey to control urban pigeon populations sounds fine to me – literally part of the circle of life. It isn’t as if pecking on a concrete city sidewalk is the natural environment for pigeons, after all. And the urban environment is not a highly diverse and healthy ecosystem. It mostly consists of pigeons, rats, cats, and dogs. Animal supporters need to fight the more important battles and give a little ground in the less important areas. Only like-minded extremists listen to extremists.
So PETA was upset about the natural food chain? Do they think they can turn all animals vegan? Lol
Are Starlings still a pest there, they have become quite a rarity here compared to their ever present hoards when I was a child.
Oh well, just another opportunity for Darwin to polish another facet of a few species’ adaptation.
Survival of the fittest… means we should have no problem with people torturing dolphins, harpooning whales, clubbing baby seals… adapt or suffer the consequences!
I mean… the sooner we can all agree on Darwinism…. the faster we can get back to being the top of the food chain. White Rhino steaks here I come!
“Survival of the fittest… means we should have no problem with people torturing dolphins” — ZERO logical link.
What the hell are you gibbering about?
Publicity stunt or free publicity for Chicago Bird Collision maybe?
I don’t hear them going after other building owners or home owners. I have mirrored glass doors and windows. There is no way a bird can’t see them and they still fly into them. I have have spoken to people about this and they say they see their reflection and become agressive. So OK, I guess I can’t have any glass doors or windows with pissing someone off or killing a bird or bug.
I guess they want us all to go back to living in caves.
What were they Pigeons? SAVE THE PIGEONS! More Bird Droppings and Less Dropped Birds?
Yes, the great annual pigeon migration!
Migratory birds are the ones of concern here. Not pigeons.
I presume the pigeons are predominantly city types in which case they are not a natural species at all but a human constructed one so you could argue I guess they are doing nature a favour.
Hey, isn’t the aspect ratio of that roof the same as an iPhone?
– Dogadoga
Think that was pointed out when it opened if I remember right.
A couple of owl statues on the roof and several hawk outlines on the glass will solvate problem.
“Apple will make changes to their Chicago bird-killing machine”
Why not write an article with the title, “Will somebody make changes to Chicago’s PEOPLE killing machine”?
birds be stupid
I was going to thank Apple for ridding Chicago of its feathered vermin, now I have to retract my thankfulness.
Not to worry, there’s plenty of vermin in Chicago bent on shooting each other to oblivion.
“The group blames the store’s exterior glass walls and night lighting. At night, according to experts, birds often become disoriented by city lights, then crash into buildings and fall to the ground.”
Unless every other building dims or turns off their lights, then this should be a problem all over the city.
Why is Apple getting singled out on this?