Dr. Maria Andreina Pacheco
Maria is an Assistant Professor in the Biology department and the past Vice President of The Neotropical Ornithological Society (NOS)/Associated Editor at Temple University.
Maria has been collecting bird collision victims around Temple’s campus since 2016. Given the number of dead birds she found, she decided to contact the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia to start a project in avian hemoparasites. As part of collaboration with the Academy, Maria provides the bird mortalities from collisions, and the Academy provides tissue samples for Maria to research avian hemoparasites.
For Maria, Temple University is a paradise, yet a migratory trap for birds. Over the years, she and her students and colleagues have documented many Ovenbirds, Common Yellowthroats, other Warbler species, Sparrows species, Hermit Thrushes, and American Woodcocks (to name a few). They also find other species like Sora and the Yellow-breasted Chat that have been observed in consecutive years.
Maria can be reached at maria.pacheco@temple.edu.
Mandy Gibson
Mandy earned her Bachelor’s from the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) and her Master’s from the College of Education. She’s been a full-time employee for CLA since 2008; she is truly “Temple Made.”
Mandy has always been an animal lover and had bird feeders at her house, but she became deeply obsessed with birdwatching during the pandemic and her love and interest in the feathered fliers has only grown over time. Mandy met Maria after finding a dead Sora body on campus and her life hasn’t been the same since! Now she helps Maria collect stunned and dead birds, while also tracking the collisions on the iNaturalist website. She also volunteers as a transporter for Bird Safe Philly during the fall and spring migration seasons. Making sure fatalities are documented and the bodies salvaged for a “second use” is important to her. She does not want birds to die in vain.
Mandy can be reached at gibson@temple.edu or 215-204-8504.
Marc Getty
Marc is a graduate of Temple University and the Assistant Dean for Facilities in the College of Liberal Arts. Marc’s favorite birds are ravens and other large raptor-type-species. He has been critical in monitoring the peregrine falcon nest habits at the university and in spreading the word to other campus entities about window collisions. While not a passionate “birder” like Maria and Mandy, Marc’s love of animals is endless and his participation in this effort is invaluable.
Marc can be reached at marc.getty@temple.edu.
Christy Davids
Christy Davids is a poet, a teacher, and a birder. At Temple University she teaches in the English and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies departments. Some of her favorite birds include warblers, Red-winged Blackbirds, kinglets, and Black Skimmers. She loves Road Runners, but they evade her. One of Christy’s most prized possessions is a copy of Familiar Birds of the Pacific Southwest that is filled with hand-written notes about sightings from her great grandmother.
Teaching in the early mornings meant that Christy found many window collision victims on campus while simply walking to class. She’d monitor stunned birds, and mourn the dead, which became an increasingly regular experience. After the death of Falco the Eurasian eagle-owl who famously escaped from the Central Park Zoo was reported dead, Christy reached her limit and sought out Maria Pacheco to see what could be done to better support our local and migrating bird friends. Christy was introduced to the Window Strike Project and has been collecting dead and stunned birds since the fall of 2024. Supporting injured birds, creating data points, and ensuring that dead specimens are used for scientific good helps temper the loss.
Christy can be reached at christine.davids@temple.edu
