Thanks for the great suggestions, Coleislazy.
My scoring code exists at the scene level now. It took me a little while to figure out exactly how to get it done, but now that I have a better grasp of it I'll try and code it to stop at death. I also thought I might add some penalties to the scoring (i.e. every 1 second spent at the very top or bottom of the screen = -100 points).
I did change the collisions to polygons, I can play with it a bit, but I think the problem is with the bird wings I have to accommodate for the complete animation where one frame the wings exist at the top of the graphic and then a couple frames later they are on the bottom. Perhaps there is a way to morph the collisions by frame, I'll poke around and see.
UPDATE:
I have made a few modifications that I think improve the playability.

1) I tightened up the collisions a bit so a close call is now possible.
2) The scoring stops at the instant of collision.
3) The End Game page now tracks your highest score for the session.
4) Don't linger at the top or bottom for too long because you will not gain any points if you stay there.
I hope you enjoy.