Discussion:
Bird migration for the region is predicted to be high for the next three nights by Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast Program. This means that over 28,000 birds per kilometer per hour will be traveling over our city, possibly stopping to rest and refuel.
Tonight, this high migration coincides with some precipitation, increasing the likelihood that migrating birds will be grounded. The Ventusky website can be adjusted to examine aspects of this predicted weather at various altitudes and times.
By turning off unnecessary lights at night, both at work and at home, during periods of high migration, you can help dramatically reduce hazards from attraction to and disorientation by light, allowing our avian neighbors to safely proceed on their journeys through the Houston-Gulf region.
With grounded birds in the region for the next few days, daytime collisions of disoriented birds at ground level will also be greatly increased. Please limit dangerous threats such as reflective glass surfaces and outdoor predators such as house cats.
For more information on the Houston Lights Out for Birds program or to pledge to turn your lights out for birds, visit our webpage here. For more information on how you can reduce other threats to birds, visit the Houston Audubon Bird-Friendly Communities website. For complementary information about lights out alerts in additional cities and regions in the continental US, please visit Dr. Kyle Horton's CSU Aeroeco Lab City Alerts and U.S. Lights Out pages.
We thank you for your commitment to making our region safer for migratory birds!
- Houston Audubon Lights Out Program Team and Partners
