Audubon North Carolina is asking North Carolinians to turn non-essential lights off at night from March 15 to May 30 to protect migrating birds.
The plea follows last year that estimated more than 1 billion birds are killed in collisions with buildings in the U.S. annually. It cites artificial lights at night and reflective windows as causes, since they confuse birds that use the to migrate.
Birds like warblers, which are small, colorful songbirds, make "epic journeys" from Central America to the U.S., said Ben Graham, Audubon N.C.'s engagement director. Nighttime travel lets them cool off and avoid predators, but city lights "act as a tractor beam and will draw birds in and disorient (them)."
If turning off lights is not possible, covering them with a curtain or blinds will suffice, Audubon N.C. said. If you have any upward-facing lights outside, redirecting them downward can help prevent bird disorientation, too.
New York City's Tribute in Light, an annual commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, shows the difference it can make. By periodically turning off their searchlights, thousands of birds trapped by the beams .
Installing can also help, especially for large, glass-walled buildings. One Chicago convention center that applied the treatments in annual fall migrations from 1,280 to just 18.
Audubon N.C. asks concerned North Carolinians to spread the word to "neighbors, employer, or local government" to participate in the Lights Out movement. The group points to eight municipalities and counties that have passed some kind of lights out policy as examples: Asheville, Greensboro, Matthews, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, Durham, and Cumberland County.
While many of the factors harming birds today are indirect, like global climate change, Graham said turning the lights off is an easy way to make a big difference.
"It's not just simple, but tangible," he said.
