There are reports of open polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes causing bird deaths in the western United States (Brattstrom 1995). Here, we document cases of open bollards and open pipes on gates causing bird deaths in northern New Mexico. At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), a 10,240-ha site, over 100 uncapped 10.16 cm diameter protective bollard posts were examined, and 27% of the open bollards contained dead birds. A total of 88 open pipes used as gate posts, with diameters of 8.89 cm or 10.16 cm, were examined, and 11% contained dead birds. We conducted a preliminary assessment of open pipes on gates along a highway on federal land north of LANL, and 14% of the open pipes contained dead birds. This gate configuration, with open pipes anchoring the gate on either side, is very common in the western United States. In all cases, Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) composed the majority of the identifiable birds we discovered. Based on these preliminary findings, the number of bird deaths from this source is potentially very large and should be a concern in bird conservation and management.