Turn Off Lights To Save Birds, Atlanta Audubon Society Says
A new initiative by the Atlanta Audubon Society is trying to save birds by asking people to turn off their lights at night.
Hundreds of millions – maybe even a billion — birds die each year when they get confused by lights and crash into buildings, according to the Audubon Society.
Atlanta Audubon’s “Lights Out Atlanta” program aims to cut down on that number by encouraging people in homes and office buildings to turn off lights they don’t need, especially on top of skyscrapers. Closing blinds or using shades helps, too.
Atlanta Audubon also runs a program, described in a WABE story last year, to collect dead and injured birds that have crashed into buildings, to learn how bad the problem is in Atlanta, and where birds crash the most frequently:
Glassy office buildings that reflect trees or the sky can confuse birds. Bright lights at night can disorient them too, and they’ll circle like moths until they’re exhausted.
The focus of the “Lights Out” program is on migration season, which is going on now, through May, and again in the fall.
The city of Atlanta’s “Better Buildings Challenge” is a partner in the program.
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