8/20/2023 0 Comments Download lights out birdsOnce in a beam, birds are reluctant to fly out of it into the dark. Birds can also be “trapped” by beams of light. What happens to disoriented birds?īirds that become disoriented by artificial light will either collide with a structure or fly around it until they become exhausted and drop. Fog, rain and low clouds reflect light, making it even harder for the birds to find their way. Stars help birds find their way, and artificial lights from tall buildings, broadcast towers or any other structure that obscures starlight can disorient them. In the fall, they make the return journey. In spring, some bird species fly from the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean or South America to reach summer breeding grounds in Canada. In fact, an estimated one hundred million to one billion birds die each year due to collisions with human-built structures across North America alone. Many more birds are killed by collisions with buildings than by oil spills. The effect of reduced street lighting on road casualties and crime in England and Wales Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, July 2015 looked at data on traffic collisions & crime in 62 local authorities in England/Wales found that lighting had no effect whether turned off entirely, dimmed, turned off certain hours, or substituted with low-power LED’s.Every year, thousands of birds are injured or killed on migratory pathways when they became confused by city lights.Outdoor Lighting and Security: Literature Review 2008 found no link between lighting and crime, or any link too subtle or complex to have been evident in the studies undertaken to date.The Chicago Alley Lighting Project revealed that crime increased 21 percent after alley lighting was increased in both frequency and wattage.Read up on some interesting research that urges us to think more critically about the relationship between lighting and safety: Visit Energy Trust of Oregon to learn more. Need a Cash Incentive?Įnergy Trust of Oregon offers incentives to increase the energy-efficiency of lighting fixtures and controls. If birds are hitting your windows, there are a variety of ways to reduce strikes at home year-round. ![]() Looking for good lighting? The International Dark-sky Association has a Fixture Seal of Approval program! During migration seasons, draw blinds or curtains to reduce light spill that contributes to sky glow. Select warm LED bulbs that are under a 3,000 Kelvin rating. Take the Pledge to go Lights Out today! Make sure your exterior light fixtures are well-shielded and not overly bright. ![]() We can all contribute to the solution by evaluating the way we use light. Light Pollution is the accumulation of many sources of poorly designed or excessive lighting. Take the Pledge to Go Lights Out or contact Mary Coolidge. Buildings can also extinguish interior lighting on upper floors, move maintenance and cleaning activities to daytime hours, turn off upward-directed sign lighting and make sure that outdoor lights are properly shielded. Top priority is turning off exterior, ornamental and rooftop architectural lighting. Increased risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, impaired sleep, and higher risk of transmissible disease exposure may be most impactful to communities that are already at elevated risk of exposure to harmful pollutants, including the elderly, low-income communities and communities of color.īuilding owners and residents can help by voluntarily turning off unnecessary overnight lighting during migration seasons! How Can Building Owners and Managers Help?īuildings can extinguish unnecessary overnight lighting from late August through mid-November (fall) and mid-March through early June (spring). Research out of the University of South Florida shows that birds exposed to artificial light incubate West Nile Virus for twice as long, potentially increasing the occurrence of West Nile Virus in our cities. Research out of the Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Lab shows that street lighting can delay sleep cycles and reduce the quality of our sleep. Humans need the dark too! The American Medical Association recommends steering clear of blue-rich white LED streetlights to “minimize potential harmful human health and environmental effects.” The 2014 AMA Study suggests that exposure to artificial light at night may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, sleep disorders, obesity and breast cancer. Take Action Take Action Post news and reviews.
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