Name: Hector Cordero
Picture title: Invisible killers – The impact of light and glass on migratory birds
Category: Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award
Nationality: Spain
Occupation: I am a biology professor, nature guide and freelance conservation photographer.
Technical information
Camera: Canon R5 and Canon 5D Mark IV
Lens: Several lenses ranging from 16mm to 500mm.
Accessories: Non-applicable (portfolio of multiple images)
WINNER CATEGORY FRED HAZELHOFF PORTFOLIO AWARD
Hector Cordero | Invisible killers – The impact of light and glass on migratory birds
Name: Hector Cordero
Picture title: Invisible killers – The impact of light and glass on migratory birds
Category: Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award
Nationality: Spain
Occupation: I am a biology professor, nature guide and freelance conservation photographer.
Technical information
Camera: Canon R5 and Canon 5D Mark IV
Lens: Several lenses ranging from 16mm to 500mm.
Accessories: Non-applicable (portfolio of multiple images)
Hector Cordero says:
Building collisions, and particularly collisions with windows, are a major anthropogenic threat to birds, with 1 billion birds killed annually in the United States. The two major threats to birds are artificial light and glass. On one hand, nocturnal migratory birds are attracted to the lights on structures such as communication towers and tall buildings, especially on nights with fog or low clouds. Because of light attraction, birds may become disoriented, and trapped, many of them fatally collide, or get exhausted and more easily predated. On the other hand, glass can act as a mirror for diurnal migratory birds that want to reach the reflected images in the glass and then hit the glass leading to injuries and causing death in many cases.
In North America, most of the window-strike victims are migratory birds moving upwards in the spring to breed in the Arctic tundra or moving southward in autumn to winter in warmer areas, near the tropic or even South America. In this regard, New York City is a key stopover for migratory birds from the Atlantic flyway. The peak numbers of bird strikes in the city occur in both spring and fall, with significantly more deaths occurring in the fall than in the spring.
In collaboration with NYC Audubon, I was reporting the bird collisions in different hotspots in downtown Manhattan as well as documenting the work at the Wild Bird Fund, the wildlife rehabilitator center that takes care of injured birds. Bird collision is a large-scale conservation issue and the second cause of bird mortality. But the good news is that this issue is preventable and everyone can help by using bird-friendly solutions in their windows. In addition, it is important to show and reach both local and state governments to bring about a change in legislation that allows the implementation of bird-friendly glass in cities, especially in the collision hotspots as well as support developers and builders of buildings in implementing such infrastructures.
Hector Cordero
Spain
Hector Cordero was born in Cilleros (Spain) in 1988. From a young age, he developed a love and passion for nature, spending countless hours observing the behavior of the animals around his parents’ farm. Upon reaching adulthood, he decided to study biology to pursue it professionally. At the same time, he taught himself photography, and with the savings from his first research grant as an undergraduate student, he bought his first entry-level camera kit to capture the species of animals and plants he encountered during his outings. Since then, he has never stopped learning photography, mastering various disciplines such as social photography, landscape, macro, and especially wildlife photography.
His beginnings in wildlife photography were mainly focused on documenting species, trying to capture their beauty. Gradually, however, he became aware of the challenges and threats facing the planet’s species, and his photography shifted towards a more conservationist approach, where problems are not overlooked but photographed to tell a story that sometimes not everyone wants to hear or see.
In recent years in New York, he has mainly focused on photographing the effects of light and glass on bird migration, the role of rehabilitation centers helping the species, the restoration of sensitive areas such as marshes and coastal areas, and the breeding of vulnerable and endangered species. Currently, he combines his roles as a scientist and communicator with his work as a nature guide and conservation photographer. He also serves as a jury member for several international nature and conservation photography contests and is a member of the Spanish Association of Nature Photography (AEFONA).
In 2023, he published his first book on the birds of New York, titled “Central Park: Four Seasons of Birdlife,” where he describes the full diversity of birds that can be seen in New York City and the challenges they face with those reflective glass buildings, accompanied by many of his award-winning photographs that visually complement the story.