BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Each spring, millions of birds fill the skies over Western New York, traveling thousands of miles from South and Central America, the Caribbean and coastal regions. For many of them, the Niagara region is a key rest stop or breeding ground before they continue north.
But their journey has become increasingly dangerous—thanks to something as simple as a light left on overnight.
“It’s called Fatal Light Attraction,” explains Jay Burney, a longtime bird watcher and member of the Western New York Environmental Alliance. “Birds navigate by using starlight or the moon. When other lights light up they can get confused, and they tend to get attracted to the buildings and collide with them."
The U.S. Forest Research and Development estimates that between 500 million and one billion birds die each year in the U.S. due to building collisions, many of them during overnight migration periods.
To address the issue, New York State has implemented the Lights Out New York initiative, requiring non-essential outdoor lighting on state buildings to be turned off between 11 p.m. and dawn from April 15 to May 31, and again during the fall migration season from August 15 to November 15.
However, John Whitney, president of the Western New York Environmental Alliance, says this shouldn't stop with state buildings.
“We'd like to see that expanded to all facilities, public and private, across the state and in the city of Buffalo in particular, here in this important flyway area," said Whitney.
You can find additional information on this initiative or the WNY Environmental Alliance here.
