Narrative:

Weather conditions at time of door closure was moderate snow showers. We required de-ice. We did this 10 feet off the gate. Normal thrust with both wing and cowl anti-ice was used for takeoff. After V1; at rotation; I noticed a flock of over approximately 100 birds flying off the runway; vertically; directly in the path of our takeoff. We were approximately 10 feet off the runway when we hit the birds. There was no evasive action we could take. We hit multiple; more than 7 birds on takeoff. One bird hit the middle of our windshield pillar and was stuck to the windshield wiper until about 7;000 feet.my immediate reaction was to fly the plane as a normal departure until we could assess the situation. My immediate concern was possible engine damage and current icing conditions. We climbed to 10;000 feet for the safety of altitude and conditions. At transition of airspeed from 200 to 250 knots; we started noticing a vibration and vibrating noise from the front nose area of the aircraft. I [advised] ATC that we would like to return to [departure airport].our vectors were quick and direct. My first officer had about 200 hours in the aircraft. If we intercepted the localizer directly we would not have been set up in time. I could also see that the first officer was having difficulty from time pressure to get checklists done and prepare for landing. Weights; speeds; proper setup and briefing of the approach were of concern. I informed approach that we needed more time and we were vectored across the localizer. When we were ready I notified ATC. The extra time helped considerably. The weights and speed numbers for landing came back from ACARS and said we would be at 67;700 pounds on landing; an overweight landing. We then planned and performed an overweight landing on a snow covered runway. The landing was very smooth and the nose wheel was kept off the ground for the longest possible time due to possible nose gear issues. (See previously described vibration noted to front of airplane.)after landing we checked that all passengers were okay; with no injuries; with the flight attendants. We parked off gate with plane stairs for unloading. Fire rescue boarded the airplane prior to the passengers unloading. During unloading; one passenger that was on his phone fell down the airplane stairs and was caught by two firemen before hitting anything. The gentleman; reported by the gate agent; went to the hospital.airport authority found 7 or more dead birds on the runway. Maintenance found 5 bird strikes on the aircraft. One to the center pillar of the windshield; one to the number two pitot tube under the first officer's window; [and] two strikes to the right wing. I believe we also took one to two birds in the left engine.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Bombardier CRJ-700 flight crew reported that immediately after rotation they encountered a large flock of birds.

Narrative: Weather conditions at time of door closure was moderate snow showers. We required de-ice. We did this 10 feet off the gate. Normal thrust with both wing and cowl anti-ice was used for takeoff. After V1; at rotation; I noticed a flock of over approximately 100 birds flying off the runway; vertically; directly in the path of our takeoff. We were approximately 10 feet off the runway when we hit the birds. There was no evasive action we could take. We hit multiple; more than 7 birds on takeoff. One bird hit the middle of our windshield pillar and was stuck to the windshield wiper until about 7;000 feet.My immediate reaction was to fly the plane as a normal departure until we could assess the situation. My immediate concern was possible engine damage and current icing conditions. We climbed to 10;000 feet for the safety of altitude and conditions. At transition of airspeed from 200 to 250 knots; we started noticing a vibration and vibrating noise from the front nose area of the aircraft. I [advised] ATC that we would like to return to [departure airport].Our vectors were quick and direct. My First Officer had about 200 hours in the aircraft. If we intercepted the localizer directly we would not have been set up in time. I could also see that the First Officer was having difficulty from time pressure to get checklists done and prepare for landing. Weights; speeds; proper setup and briefing of the approach were of concern. I informed approach that we needed more time and we were vectored across the localizer. When we were ready I notified ATC. The extra time helped considerably. The weights and speed numbers for landing came back from ACARS and said we would be at 67;700 pounds on landing; an overweight landing. We then planned and performed an overweight landing on a snow covered runway. The landing was very smooth and the nose wheel was kept off the ground for the longest possible time due to possible nose gear issues. (See previously described vibration noted to front of airplane.)After landing we checked that all passengers were okay; with no injuries; with the flight attendants. We parked off gate with plane stairs for unloading. Fire rescue boarded the airplane prior to the passengers unloading. During unloading; one passenger that was on his phone fell down the airplane stairs and was caught by two firemen before hitting anything. The gentleman; reported by the gate agent; went to the hospital.Airport Authority found 7 or more dead birds on the runway. Maintenance found 5 bird strikes on the aircraft. One to the center pillar of the windshield; one to the number two pitot tube under the First Officer's window; [and] two strikes to the right wing. I believe we also took one to two birds in the left engine.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.