Janet McIntosh: Flip off the lights — birds overhead!

Article content material

Right here within the Decrease Mainland, we’re immediately below a closely used migratory chicken route. The Pacific Flyway extends alongside our west coast all the way in which from the Arctic to the tip of South America. Throughout the fall migration, we see solely a fraction of the tens of millions of birds heading south. It’s because they fly primarily below cowl of darkness, with most withdrawing after sundown, and the best quantity airborne two to a few hours later. Flying at an altitude as excessive as 1,000 meters, they use the moon, the celebrities and geographical landmarks to navigate.

Article content material

The Cornell College Hen Dashboard tracks chicken migration over every American state. On the peak of the 2022 fall migration, over 9 million birds flew over Washington state on one night time (Sept. 17) — nearly all on their approach south from B.C.

Article content material

Since electrical energy turned obtainable, people have been including mild on the bottom. The unfavourable impact of synthetic mild at night time on migrating birds has been properly documented. The birds might circle, name to one another, descend to a decrease stage, fly towards the lights, or land close to the lights. All of those actions use the birds’ vitality, and scale back their probabilities of efficiently finishing their long-distance migrations.

With the appearance of cheaper and brighter LED lighting, the quantity of synthetic mild has dramatically elevated. Companies have lengthy used lighting to attract consideration to themselves. Non-public houses at the moment are doing the identical, turning on ornamental roof, wall, or panorama lighting each night time. Some highrise buildings have added lighting, making a lighthouse impact. Others are utilizing tubular lighting to accent their architectural traces.

Article content material

Article content material

Portland, Ore., sends a Lights Out alert on nights when peak numbers of birds are anticipated, with a plea to cut back lighting to keep away from luring the birds off-course. Toronto has the same program. As we watch the indicators of a quickly altering setting with trepidation, many people are contemplating what we will do to make at the least a small distinction.

Listed here are a number of methods any of us might help migrating birds make it south between now and mid-October. Every motion is straightforward to take, lowers vitality utilization, reduces consumption of supplies, prices nothing, and can assist a few of our fellow creatures within the pure world:

• Flip off the lights when leaving the workplace or residence.

• Use the minimal vital indoor lighting, and shut blinds to stop mild escaping.

Article content material

• Flip off or dim foyer and atrium lighting.

• Flip off exterior lighting besides as wanted for security and safety.

• Direct safety lighting downward the place it’s wanted, and set up a movement sensor relatively than leaving the lights on all night time.

These are small actions that may add as much as a transparent profit to migrating birds.

Lowering synthetic mild in our communities will even assist different residing creatures needing a darkish interval each 24 hours for foraging, for reproductive behaviour, or (like people) for relaxation and restoration. Lowering lighting will even decrease vitality consumption, and prolong the lifetime of bulbs and lighting fixtures ultimately destined for recycling or landfills.

Keep in mind our velvety night time sky of fifty years in the past? Wouldn’t it’s a pleasure to face exterior within the moonlight and look as much as see that very same sky as soon as once more hung with hundreds of stars? Figuring out the birds can navigate extra simply?

Between now and mid-October, flip off the lights — birds overhead!

Janet McIntosh is a retired educator and a member of the White Rock and Surrey Naturalists Society, with a particular curiosity in how synthetic mild at night time impacts birds, bugs, wildlife and the communities through which we people stay. 

Article content material