Hundreds of migratory birds crashed into the NASCAR Hall of Fame building in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday night. A nonprofit helping the survivors said a total of 310 birds hit the building’s windows.
According to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, a wildlife rescue organization based in Charlotte, approximately a third of the birds were dead when the nonprofit’s team arrived. Nine had to be euthanized, and 103 were critically injured, with broken wings, legs, or other fractures. The rest of the birds were stunned and should be released in the next few days.
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Carolina Waterfowl Rescue’s rehabilitation team arrived at the NASCAR building after receiving a call around 11 pm on Tuesday. The birds were identified as chimney swifts, aerial insectivores, which will need to be individually hand-fed worms due to their injuries. The organization said:
“It’s an expensive endeavor but these birds are an incredible contributor to our ecosystem and eat hundreds of mosquitos a day.“1
Chimney swifts are migratory birds that travel during the fall from the U.S. to Peru and other parts of South America. They feed on insects while flying and nest in chimneys and other hollow structures.
While chimney swifts typically fly higher, rainy weather can cause them to forage lower to the ground. Additionally, bright lights are known to attract birds and can cause them to slam into buildings at high speeds. According to the National Audubon Society, building collisions kill hundreds of millions of birds every year.
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Many supporters on social media are calling on NASCAR to donate to rehabilitation efforts. A NASCAR Hall of Fame spokesperson told CBS News:
“We are extremely grateful to Charlotte City Services, the Animal Control division of CMPD and Carolina Waterfowl Rescue for their prompt response and for handling the situation with great care and compassion. We welcome the opportunity to meet with representatives from The Audubon Society and learn what may be the root cause of this regrettable incident.”1
The Hall of Fame also said it would reduce lighting to help with the issue, saying:
“The NASCAR Hall of Fame Plaza is a public space that is frequented well into the night, and evening events are a critical component of the NASCAR Hall’s success. Finding a balance between operations and safety is our goal. After learning more, we are willing to evaluate potential adjustments that we hope would mitigate future occurrences. Following the conclusion of a scheduled event at the Hall tonight, we will reduce lighting to a minimal level. Continued dialogue to address concerns regarding this matter is important to us.”
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Over the last 50 years, the U.S. and Canada have slowly but surely lost 29% of their bird populations — amounting to nearly 3 billion birds. Scientists warned last month that the shocking loss could be a sign of an ecological crisis.
While not all of the factors for the mass decline have been pinpointed, researchers say habitat loss is a major concern. Peter Marra, researcher, and director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative, said:
“This is being caused entirely by humans. Habitat loss, which is the primary driver here, is a human-caused issue.”1
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It is well known that city leaders in Charlotte are pushing hard to become the world’s first 5G city.2 As we’ve said before, there have been NO STUDIES on the health impact of 5G wireless technology on ALL forms of life. A customer service representative at NASCAR’s Hall of Fame Plaza in Charlotte said their facility does not yet have 5G capabilities. Nonetheless, did Charlotte’s experiment with 5G cause this unfortunate event? How will 5G technology affect birds, bees, and all living creatures? Think about this. Many believe that 5G “constitutes an experiment on humanity and the environment that is defined as a crime under international law.”
