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Someone to Know: Bird activist Gretchen Nareff

During migration periods birds often fly into windows which causes them to be stunned or die on impact.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The City of Corpus Christi has been plagued with bird deaths for many years with some caused by Coastal Bend buildings.

Gretchen Nareff has made it her life mission to offer a voice for birds.

"Some people are drawn to helping people, and I'm drawn to helping animals, and that's always been the way for me," Nareff said. 

Nareff has been protecting bird species for 20 years and has seen all types of threats, but reflective windows remain one of the biggest.

"I don't think that they understand the scale of it and what's going on in city's imparticular," Nareff said. 

During migration periods birds often fly into windows which causes them to be stunned or die on impact.

"You think about all the things they're going through to survive to get here only to fly into a window and be killed," Nareff said. "To see these preventable deaths is devastating for me."

Nareff is already making a change, after seeing the death toll rise Nareff and a small group began to take action.

"Humans are putting up all this infrastructure," Nareff said. "I just feel it's my part to do what I can to protect them."

One solution Nareff has to use masking tape to cover reflective windows outside the Nueces County Courthouse where birds often fly into.

"This is a temporary solution if you have windows birds are flying into. Whether at your house or your business if you own a building," Nareff said. 

Nareff knows she can't save every bird but believes together Corpus Christi can soar to make a difference. 

"I think if we are going to wear the badge of the birdiest city in America that everyone can do a little more effort into protecting that resource," Nareff said. 

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