Conservation Guardians of Northwest Illinois

More Field Notes Previous Next

Home  •  Field Notes  • Migration Hazard

Deadly Lights

Fall 2001 Newsletter

Most songbirds evolved migrating at night when predators retire and winds die down.

Bright lights on tall buildings and towers are deadly for winged birds, who confuse the illumination for stars or the moon.

These lights cause as many as 1,500 deaths per night during peak migration season.

Most of the dead and wounded kinglets, warblers, thrushes and more are scavenged by cats, raccoons, crows, rats, or seagulls. Song birds diminish, while scavengers thrive.

Volunteers gathered over 3,000 dead and wounded birds of 138 species last year, compared to near 10,000 in past years.

What's being done about it now?

Some concerns citizens have already pressured city building officials to douse ornamental night time lighting during migration time. Chicago’s Hancock Center has doused its ornamental lights during migratory season. Many buildings in Toronto have followed suit.

How you can help

Go to the web produced by the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP). Educate yourself; then pass on the word. Insist on bird-friendly lighting legislation by communicating with your elected officials.

Tell others how it's good for birds, if humans extinguish all interior building lights and nonessential outdoor lights — especially all flood lighting during migration season. Talk about how we need to shield essential lights, too. And about how we can reduce the amount of power plant emissions in flyways, if we take those steps.

Remember, there are millions of birders just like yourself spread all across the country. Together, we are an economic and political force with which to be reckoned.