I work just west of the Aurora Bridge, at the King County Environmental Lab
on the ship canal; as Ruth mentioned, red tailed hawks have been seen under
the bridge. I have often see them well hidden in the small green belt at the
south end, as I drive along Dexter Ave and look to the north, in very close
proximity to the bridge. But I've never seen them on the bridge structure
itself.
If Green Peace protesters were to hang off the bridge again, they might even
appreciate the extra illumination!

Kevin Li
King County Environmental Lab
322 West Ewing St
Seattle, WA 9810

(206) 684-2344

e-mail: kevin.li at metrokc.gov


> ----------
> From: Scuderi, Michael R
> NWS[SMTP:Michael.R.Scuderi at NWS02.usace.army.mil]
> Sent: Wednesday, November 24, 1999 11:04 AM
> To: 'tweeters at u.washington.edu'
> Cc: Morris, F Lori NWS; Brunner, Kenneth R NWS
> Subject: Bird Use at the Aurora Bridge
>
> Hi Tweets,
>
> I received three replies for our inquiry concerning peregrine use at the
> Aurora Bridge in relation to the proposal to light the bridge. As a point
> of
> clarification, the proposal before the Corps is for permanent lighting.
> The
> information provided in the replies will be used in the permit decision.
> As promised, I am providing copies of the messages for your information
> (below). I am trying to do some searches of the tweeters archives to find
> information about previous discussions on the lighting project and impacts
> of lights on migratory birds. If anyone can key me into a date around
> which
> those discussions occurred, that would help.
>
> Mike Scuderi
> Seattle District Corps of Engineers
> P.O. Box 3755
> Seattle, WA 98124-3755
> michael.r.scuderi at usace.army.mil
> (206)764-7205
> FAX (206)764-4470
>
>
> MESSAGE 1
>
> Mike/Lori, I got a call from a man at the Corp of Engineers last year
> about
> peregrine use of the Aurora Bridge, though this was in reference to
> seismic
> retrofitting rather than lights. I do the record-keeping for peregrine
> reports in Seattle, which is why he contacted me.
> There are no peregrines nesting under the Aurora Bridge. In the past
> eight
> years of observing and keeping records, we've only had sporadic reports of
> peregrines using the bridge. All these sightings were of birds using the
> light standards on top for hunting perches, and all were in fall and
> winter.
> (I *have* seen Red-tailed Hawks under the bridge - suspect they may nest
> in
> the nearby greenbelt).
> There is a peregrine pair that nested unsuccesfully under the West Seattle
> bridge this past year. The ledge is inaccessible except to avian
> predators,
> and we *suspect* that a Great Horned Owl got the eyasses. I don't think
> that
> a light shining directly on and illuminating the ledge would be a good
> idea,
> though I don't know of any studies about this.
> Our resident pair in downtown Seattle nest on a ledge that has lights on
> it,
> but the lights don't shine directly on the nest box, and the light closest
> to the box is turned off during the breeding season.
> So far, there haven't been any peregrines nesting on the Ship Canal or
> Ballard bridges, but I suspect it's just a matter of time, as the birds
> use
> them the rest of the year.
>
> Ruth Taylor
>
> MESSAGE 2
>
> Hi Mike,
> There are no PEFA nest boxes on the Aurora Bridge. At present, there
> are
> two nesting pairs in Seattle, the one at Washington Mutual and another on
> the West Seattle Freeway Bridge. The latter failed last year.
> We also put a box up on the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge last summer but it is
> not occupied as yet. We expect use there soon however. Again, we have NOT
> put any boxes up on the Aurora Bridge.
> As for raptor use, in the 70's there was a pair of GHOWs that hunted
> pigeons there regularly and may still. Merlins are often seen perching and
> hunting from the top light posts during the day. As for use by other
> species, including PEFAs, you want to have your associate contact Ruth
> Taylor. She may have contacted you already. If not, give me a call and I
> will give you her phone number. She has the most extensive data on this.
> Best regards,
> Bud
>
>
> Bud Anderson
> Falcon Research Group
>
> MESSAGE 3
>
> Mike Scuderi,
>
> I'm responding to your message on tweeters requesting opinions on the
> intended lighting of the Aurora Bridge.
>
> I am a member of the Falcon Research Group, the volunteer organization
> involved with monitoring Peregrine Falcons around Seattle. However, I do
> not
> occupy an official position (as in Dept. of Fish and Wildlife for
> instance),
> so my opinion does not carry any weight other than by virtue of what I've
> learnt from extensive observation of the birds here.
>
> First of all, there is no peregrine nest on the Aurora Bridge. I was one
> of
> the people working with State and City agencies getting nest boxes placed
> in
> a variety op locations, but not on this particular bridge. Over the years
> we
> have seen birds around the Aurora Bridge, although I'm not sure the birds
> have actually landed in the bridge superstructure. Some birds use the
> towers
> carrying cables across the Ship Canal farther west, and there is a known
> winter territory that includes both these towers and the I-5 Ship Canal
> bridge to the east, so peregrines do fly around the Aurora Bridge
> regularly.
>
> Second, the peregrines at the WAMU building downtown do just fine in their
> highly urban setting with the many lighted structures in downtown all
> around
> them. From our observations we believe they may even use the city lights
> to
> do some nighttime hunting, although this is based on circumstantial
> evidence
> and should not be construed as a positive effect of the lights. In order
> to
> video tape the birds' behavior the lights on WAMU were kept on at night
> during the nesting season and this did not appear to influence the birds'
> behavior (they sleep perched sitting on light boxes with the lights on) or
> productivity.
>
> As you know we as a society have a tendency to focus on a few "popular"
> species when we make decisions that affect a broad range of species. It is
> good that the proposed lighting project's impact on nighttime activity of
> birds is being reviewed, but I would like to see all birds that show
> nighttime activity included. The most important thing is that the lights
> are
> aimed at the bridge very carefully, so as to minimize the amount of light
> that shines into the night sky past the structure. Migrating birds are
> easily confused by strong lights during overcast or foggy nights. Since
> Aurora Bridge is not the highest lit structure in this particular area
> (the
> broadcast towers on Queen Anne to the south are much higher for instance),
> I
> do not believe that PROPERLY AIMED lights at this bridge will add much to
> the impact city lights have overall.
>
> My understanding is that the lights aimed at the bridge are only temporary
> (Martin Luther King Day to Earth Day 2000). Last I heard the current
> street
> lights (aimed at the bridge deck) will also be replaced with more energy
> efficient lights as part of the "festivities". I believe that this last
> aspect, in the long run, has a valuable positive impact on our
> environment.
> I only wish the "celebration" included installing energy efficient lights
> everywhere, instead of lighting up structures of rather unappealing
> architectural value.
>
> I hope this is of help. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have
> any
> questions about this.
>
> Sincerely,
> Martin Muller, Seattle
>
>
>
>