Most song birds evolved migrating at night when predators retire and winds die down. The 11/00 issue of Architecture Magazine says: "Empire State Building officials, take note: Chicago's Hancock Center has doused its ornamental nighttime lighting to save the nearly 1,500 birds that - nightly - meet abrupt deaths when they crash into the tower during migration season, mistaking its illumination for stars or the moon."
Most of the dead and wounded kinglets, warblers, thrushes, and more are scavenged by cats, raccoons, crows, rats seagulls etc. Song birds diminish while scavengers thrive. Last year volunteers gathered over 3000 dead and wounded birds of 138 different species in Toronto, compared to near 10,000 found in past years. Please see the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP).
FLAP asks cities to extinguish all interior building lights and non-essential outdoor lights - especially all flood lighting during migration time, and to shield essential light. Doing so also reduces the amount of power plant emissions in flyways.
Migration covers about half the year. Web pages could help improve species survival rates by featuring FLAP's lighting cautions, a link to FLAP and a page that promotes the wonderful gift to the future of bird-friendly lighting legislation.
LIGHTING GUIDELINE IDEAS
New - Please share this one with your elected officials. UK Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions - Lighting in the Countryside - towards good practice
http://store.yahoo.com/elights/darksky.html
FURTHER INFORMATION
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Bird kills at towers and other man-made structures
http://www.jmu.edu/wmra/engineering/bibliography.html
LiteLynx - Click on Flora and Fauna:
http://members.aol.com/ctstarwchr/LiteLynx.htm#index
TOOLS
Preparing For Migration Season
http://www.flap.org/page3.htm
Bird-Friendly Building Program.
http://www.flap.org/bfb.htm
Please visit the links in:
http://www.badlighting.com/
I would be glad to try and answer any questions you may have.
Karolyn Beebe
Volunteer Advocate for Sustainable Outdoor Lighting
Madison, Wisconsin USA
keedos@earthlink.net
