Lights Out: High Alert!
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are High Alert nights.
May 6, 2024 — The next three nights look like they will be big bird migration nights, so please turn out your lights to help prevent those birds from crashing into windows.
The Colorado State University AeroEco Lab forecast predicts that 312,000 birds will be passing over the state tonight. Tuesday and Wednesday will be even busier, with 521,000 predicted for tomorrow and 416,000 predicted for Wednesday.
More than a billion birds a year are killed in North America when they crash into buildings. Many of those birds are drawn to building lights during nighttime migration.
Please make sure you turn out your lights to help prevent birds from getting killed.
As migrating birds pass over brightly lit cities, skyglow drowns out the stars, confusing them and luring them into urban areas. Disoriented birds can either hit buildings directly or circle them until they collapse from exhaustion.
- Turn out your lights during peak migration: Even without alerts, it helps to dim the lights during these crucial periods:
- Now through May 31st
- August 15th through November 15th
- Report dead birds: If you find a dead bird, please report it on the iNaturalist app or to the Yale Peabody Museum. This helps scientists track the impact of light pollution.
- Sign up for Lights Out Alerts: We’ll refer to the forecasts generated by the Colorado State University’s AeroEco Lab to let you know when large numbers of birds will be flying over Connecticut. On those nights, please turn off your non-essential outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sign up HERE to receive Lights Out alerts via text.
Lights Out Connecticut is an effort to help prevent birds from being distracted by artificial light in our state: www.lightsoutct.org.
Keep in mind that many of those migrating birds will be stopping on Connecticut. So the next three days are a great opportunity to participate in Connecticut Audubon’s Migration Magic Birdathon.
