Time For Idahoans To Turn Off Lights For Bird Migration Flights

In quite possibly the most disturbing news for someone suffering from ornithophobia, Thursday, April 29th is expected to be a high birding migration night according to the Golden Eagle Audubon Society. Basically all the birds are going on Spring Break and visibility is crucial as the skies will be crowded. We are being asked to turn off our lights to ensure their safety.

The New York Times reports, "Each year, an estimated 365 million to one billion birds die by smacking into reflective or transparent windows in deadly cases of mistaken identity, believing the glass to be unimpeded sky." The absolute last thing I'd ever want to encounter is just a blanket of dead birds who smashed into buildings and windows and dropped to the earth enveloped in blood. I doubt anyone else wants that either.

With climate change endangering birds as it is, now more than ever it's important to take measures for conservation. And something as simple as turning off lights can make a huge impact. Large cities around the country are already participating in the Lights Out initiative started by the National Audubon Society, including Dallas, Philadelphia, New York, and Jacksonville.

Southern Idaho's light pollution isn't as severe as some of those cities, but with over 400 species of birds in Idaho, it's a good idea to turn off our lights. My one wonder/worry: How noisy does this migration get? That would be the soundtrack to my nightmares. But I'll take that over stepping into a sea of dead birds with mangled necks from crashing into the side of a building.

(Avibase)