With the number of birds crossing Clark County skies increasing nightly this fall, the Vancouver Audubon Society hopes homeowners will do their part to help the migrating animals cross safely by limiting excess light.
Birdcast estimated 201,700 birds crossed Clark County skies overnight Tuesday, Sept. 3, into the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 4, and the total number of birds will only increase each night through November.
“Those bird species that are nocturnal in migration get disoriented and confused by the excessive light pollution around a number of our larger cities, and then, of course, even in the countryside of Clark County, farm lights, other lights, if you will, all tend to confuse birds, which leads in many cases to mortality, ” Vancouver Audubon Society President Tom Tinsley said. “They either hit buildings and then die upon impact or injuries are sustained in the crash or they literally fly around in circles disoriented until sheer exhaustion drops them to the ground.”
Birds migrating between sunset and sunrise in the fall often include juveniles and yearlings making their first trip South. The greater number of younger birds and the larger number of birds crossing tend to lead to more preventable deaths, Tinsley added. Numerous studies have estimated that at least 100 million bird deaths are related to light pollution in the United States each year.
Many of the bird species that are favorites to backyard bird spotters are the ones utilizing the night sky.
During peak migration dates, Audubon societies across North America encourage homeowners to turn off their outdoor lights once the sun goes down. If outdoor lighting is necessary, Susan Saul, the conservation chair for the Vancouver Audubon Society, said motion sensing lights are encouraged.
Even indoor lighting can disorient birds, so closing blinds or curtains can be an easy solution, as well.
“There are a number of cities that have adopted lights out or dark sky policies or initiatives that have asked and cities have agreed to turn lights off during certain periods of the year and certain times of the night and early morning to reduce the potential for migration mortality and aid birds in getting from point A to B,” Tinsley said.
Locally, the city of Vancouver is drafting a Green Building Policy to introduce new building and development code standards, incentives and programs to reduce energy use, emissions and more, including dark sky standards, the city’s website stated. Vancouver’s policy will target both new construction and existing city-owned buildings. Saul hopes the rest of the county will follow suit in adopting green standards that will also help nocturnal migrators in the sky.
In Clark County, areas such as the Vancouver lowlands, Shillapoo Wildlife Area, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Columbia River and others all attract bird species, especially ones stopping over on their migrating paths. But, all those attractive rest areas for the avians come close to urban sprawl and dense light pollution.
Clark County residents can learn more about how fewer property lights help birds, as well as efforts to ensure street lights, billboard lights and building lights strictly shine downward to aid the dark sky efforts. During the peak of the autumn migration season, the Vancouver Audubon Society will be hosting an event at Battle Ground’s McConnell Park, 918 NW 25th Ave., to educate visitors during World Migratory Bird Day, Oct. 12, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The free event will include family-friendly games, food trucks, guided bird walks and migratory bird education.
To track birds in Clark County night skies, visit birdcast.info and search for Clark County, Washington.
