BIRDS AND LIGHTS

This Saturday is the World Migratory Bird Count.  Of course I will be doing it on Shaw Island along with Oblate Gigi and her busband Jim.  In just a few days, goldfinches, purple finches, pinesiskins and house finches have appeared on my deck,en masse, facing Squaw Bay (recently renamed Reefnet Bay).

“Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!” has been selected as the official slogan of the 2022  global World Migratory Bird Day campaign. 

Artificial light impacts birds in the breeding and winter seasons, disrupting feeding and other vital behaviors. In 2022, the impact of light pollution is the focus of World Migratory Bird Day, an annual global campaign that celebrates the migration of birds across countries and continents.

Artificial light is increasing globally by at least 2 per cent per year and it is known to adversely affect many bird species. Light pollution is a significant threat to migratory birds, causing disorientation when they fly at night, leading to collisions with buildings, interfering with their internal clocks, or interfering with their ability to undertake long-distance migrations. 

Biologists have found that light pollution causes birds to begin nesting up to a month earlier than normal in open environments such as grasslands and wetlands, and 18 days earlier in forested environments. The consequence could be a mismatch in timing and hungry chicks may hatch before their food is available.

Birds that migrate or hunt at night navigate by moonlight and starlight. Artificial light can cause them to wander off course and toward the dangerous nighttime landscapes of cities.

Studies have estimated at least 100 million bird deaths  are related to light pollution in cities throughout the United States per year, and some estimates put that number closer to one billion deaths per year.

Solutions to light pollution are readily available. For instance, more and more cities in the world are taking measures to dim building lights during migration phases in spring and autumn. Further information about the impacts of light pollution on migratory birds and steps one can take to address this issue will be made available on the WMBD website throughout the year.

There is a group called International Dark-Sky Association  (IDA)  which studies this problem- not only in relation to birds but all wildlife. Many universities across the globe, as well as the Audubon Society, are studying  this problem.

 When one looks at the above light-pollution map, it is easy to see that most of the pollution comes from the East coast of USA  and all of Western Europe. 

Someone recently told me that during the first year of Covid isolation, when many businesses were closed and lights turned off, they were able to see the night sky as they had not in many years.  Something to ponder!