12/28/2023 0 Comments Download bird migration lights out“Most of these birds are not urban birds, they’re not made to live along concrete and glass buildings,” Broadwater said, “so they get into these unfamiliar surroundings where there’s a bunch of glass reflecting either the sky or trees or other habitat.”īroadwater said his organization and the Indianapolis Department of Natural Resources are once again asking owners of both residential and commercial buildings to turn off their lights at night, particularly from midnight to dawn. City light not only disorients them but also draws them in. For comparison, most parts of the Grand Canyon rate class one, dark enough that the Milky Way is not only visible but able to cast shadows.īroadwater says migratory birds often fly at night and rely on stars to navigate. At that level, only the brightest stars are visible. According to the Light Pollution Map, the night sky in downtown Indianapolis registers from class 8 to 9 on the Bortle scale, a measure of sky darkness that runs from one to 9. Studies suggest light pollution contributes to the deaths of anywhere from 100 million to one billion birds each year in the United States. Broadwater said those birds can’t get where they want to go if they can’t navigate. He said they follow whatever edible plants or insects are available, so shifts in migration patterns can help identify effects of climate change. INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - An environmental scientist on Wednesday said Indiana’s cities pose a serious threat to birds migrating south.Īustin Broadwater, who leads the Amos Butler Audubon Society‘s Lights Out Indy program, said migratory songbirds are key indicators of environmental quality.
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