You may have seen a yard sign like the one in this month’s picture, or otherwise heard that spring bird migration is underway. It is hard, however, to fully grasp the sheer numbers of birds involved and the disproportionate impact that we as Texans have upon them. Because of our location at the convergence of the Central Americas Flyway and the Mississippi Flyway, one in every three migratory birds passes through Texas in the spring. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240410-how-switching-off-lights-stops-migrating-birds-collisions-with-buildings (also describing how between 365 million and one billion birds are killed annually in building collisions, more than half of which are with low-rise buildings like homes).
Those who want to learn more can visit the BirdCast Migration Dashboard at https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-TX-453 for a live data feed starting every night after sunset, or sign up for email alerts (during migration season on days when the evening migration forecast is high for our area). https://alert.birdcast.info/subscribe As a subscriber, this North Loop resident can tell you that the forecast map is really starting to light up now that we are in the midst of peak migration. The BirdCast email for Tuesday, April 29, predicted that 327 million birds would be migrating that evening. Following up on the Dashboard the next day, it was estimated that 6,996,200 birds migrated across our county last night. As BirdCast explains, “Most birds migrate at night, employing an incredible sensory system to navigate and to orient in darkness. Light pollution attracts and disorients these migrating birds, disrupting these systems and increasing birds’ vulnerability to collisions with structures.”
Please make your homestead safe for struggling migratory birds, who will be traveling through June 30. At the very least, please make an extra effort during peak migration from April 22 through May 12 by turning off all non-essential lights between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. https://travisaudubon.org/lights-out-texas
North Loop Neighborhood Association 