Save birds, go 'Lights Out' NC

DURHAM — The Smithsonian Migratory Birds Center previously estimated that 365 to 988 million birds are killed each year in the U.S. due to collisions with buildings. A new study that examined the outcomes for birds injured by building collisions proves that the death toll is much higher.

The good news is that people across North Carolina can take action to help, starting as soon as tonight. By turning off lights at home and at work—and advocating for Lights Out policies in your own community—people can prevent the deaths of long-traveling migratory birds and help bend the larger curve of bird population declines.

“Everyone can help, starting as soon as tonight in your own home,” says Interim Executive Director Curtis Smalling. “We’ve known for a while how dangerous urban areas can be for birds, especially migrating birds. This new estimate brings renewed importance to the work our chapters do to bring bird-friendly policies to our communities.”

In the new study, researchers showed that by incorporating the mortality rate of those birds injured by building collisions with those found dead on impact, the true loss of life is well beyond the 1 billion estimate.

With fall migration already underway, it is more important than ever to help this influx of birds pass through our state safely. Most birds migrate at night, using the moon and stars to navigate their way but bright city lights can attract and disorient them, leading to collisions.

Thanks to chapter advocacy, cities and towns across North Carolina have adopted Lights Out policies including Asheville, Greensboro, Matthews, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cary, and Durham. Property owners are leading the way too with budlings in Charlotte and Winston-Salem adopting lights out measures.

In Raleigh, Kane Realty Corporation joined Wake Audubon’s Lights Out Wake initiative. As part of the program, the developer will turn off unnecessary building lights at its commercial buildings during migration season, and is asking its tenants to do the same.

More needs to be done, however, to ensure birds can complete their long southward journeys. In conjunction with making homes, buildings, and urban centers safer for birds by installing bird-friendly window treatments and planting more trees—going lights out is a simple yet effective way everyone can help.

Here is what you can do to help no matter where you live or work:

Turn off exterior decorative lighting.Extinguish pot and flood-lights.Substitute strobe lighting wherever possible Reduce atrium lighting wherever possible.Reduce interior lighting especially on higher stories.Close blinds and curtains.Down-shield exterior lighting to eliminate horizontal glare and all light directed upward.Install automatic motion sensors and controls wherever possible.When converting to new lighting, assess quality and quantity of light needed, avoiding over-lighting with newer, brighter technology.