Backyard Nature: With the flip of a switch, we can help migrating birds find their way

The cover image at LightsOutDC.info (photo by Geoff Livingston)

by Julia K. Stevenson

The biannual migration of birds has begun.

Washington, DC is on the path of the Atlantic Flyway, a major route for birds traveling north in the spring and south in the fall.

The spring migration actually began earlier in April and is expected to last through May. This is an event worth calling to your attention for two reasons: the sheer scale of this impressive natural phenomenon, and the fact that we, as individuals, can do something about one of the dangers migrating birds face.

The migration plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity, as more than 500 different bird species traverse vast distances in search of breeding grounds and their traditional food sources. To do so, they must overcome significant obstacles.

The dangers include bad weather, predators, exhaustion and more recently, human-made obstacles. In the last several decades, artificial lights at night have proliferated, and have become ever more lethal to birds. This is because when journeying, many birds travel at night, both to avoid turbulence in the air and to use the stars as a navigational tool. Passing over cities, they are often attracted to the lights shining forth and grow confused as to their route, adding to the time it takes them to travel, and using up critical energy stores. Furthermore, the lights often draw them down, frequently resulting in window strikes – which can be fatal. Indeed, according to a new study, it is estimated that over one billion birds die each year from collisions with buildings.

Importantly, we can help these birds along their way. The Lights Out DC campaign – a collaboration of DarkSky DC, City Wildlife, and DC Bird Alliance – has just launched. We want to address this problem and suggest that if we are all more thoughtful with the lights we use at night, we can have a significant impact on the nighttime environment, making it far more likely that these birds will reach their destination.

Our new website, LightsOutDC.info, includes helpful actions (some as simple as flipping a switch!) and a pledge to do what you can to help.

Julia K. Stevenson is a lifelong resident of Washington, DC and a DarkSky DC board member. She has previously written about light pollution and the fall bird migration, and the negative impacts of artificial light on wild and human life. Stevenson lives with her family on Albemarle Street.