The National Aviary and other bird experts are encouraging everyone to turn off or dim unnecessary lights at night. — The National Aviary and other bird experts are encouraging everyone to turn off or dim unnecessary lights at night.
The request comes as we approach peak bird migration season.
As many as 1 million birds could be passing over the Pittsburgh area in a single night.
Birds are returning north to their breeding grounds for the warmer months.
Ornithologist Bob Mulvihill said the lights can disorient the birds, leading to window collisions.
“They don’t understand glass. It can both look transparent to them and they think they can fly through it, or it can fly through it, or it can look reflective to them and they think they are flying to their habitat. Either one has a bad consequence when they strike it,” Mulvihill said.
Mulvihill said sometimes birds will end up circling lights in urban areas for hours at a time, thinking they are traveling somewhere else.
Members of the Fox Chapel Wildlife Conservation Club are helping to spread the message by placing signs.
About 75% of the birds will make their migration at night.
Mulvihill said you can help your power bill go down while also helping the birds.