Twice a yr, around 5 mil birds, representing 250 species, fly thru our skies. These migratory birds cover 1000s of miles each season. Many are nocturnal migrants, meaning they travel at night. When they are flying near bldgs, the nighttime lights confuse the birds. Sometimes they crash into the lit bldg; other times, decorative lights disorient the birds & cause them to circle around & around, finally settling exhausted in a street tree or bush at daybreak. From there, they fly into glass windows as they fly toward a reflection or a planter inside the bldg. The problem is easy to overlook because you don’t see it in the aggregate. But it is a huge problem. I’ve spoken with bldg mgrs who say some nights during peak migratory season, birds were picked up by the shovelfuls the next morning. Tens of 1000s are killed from nighttime lights each season. Chicago, thru its Lights Out program, was 1 of the 1st US cities to address nighttime bird deaths. The program encourages bldg mgrs to dim or turn off decorative lighting late at night & minimize the use of bright interior lights during migration season. They also encourage high-rise residents to draw their shades or dim interior lights late in the eve. The program has won the support of almost all of the major skyscrapers in Chicago. One night there was a tragic mix up & the lights did not go out on schedule. We had a heavy night of migration, & there were birds everywhere with few survivors. The next night, the lights were out & the drop in fatalities & injuries was amazing - we had an 80% drop. We could still hear the birds flying, but they made it safely over the bldgs that night.” https://youtube/watch?v=8bGSI3nN8k4&list=RDQ40h8dPmgwQ
Posted on: Fri, 11 Apr 2014 03:10:36 +0000
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