aTypical Joe: a gay New Yorker living in the rural South

Monday, September 26, 2005

Blinded by the light

My dog ran into the screen on a patio door tonight and though uninjured, was reluctant to try a second time. That’s nothing; I had no idea that millions of birds die each year from crashing into glass:

Tourists have always flocked to see the bright lights of New York City, but starting this week, the city is dimming parts of its renowned skyline to ward off one group of visitors: migratory birds. The Chrysler Building, Rockefeller Center, the Citigroup Center, the Morgan Stanley Building and the World Financial Center are among the high-profile high-rises that have agreed to requests from the city and the Audubon Society to dim or turn off nonessential lighting at midnight.

Toronto, cool Canada, started dimming in 1993, Chicago in 1999:

The combination of glass, tall buildings and bright light is extremely dangerous for birds, according to Daniel Klem, an ornithologist at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. He says that a conservative estimate is that more than 100 million birds die each year from crashing into glass on structures of all types, even houses.

“Here is the bottom line: Birds just don’t see glass,” said Professor Klem. “The animals are not able to recognize glass as a barrier and avoid it.”

And lights, particularly those from skyscrapers, distract migratory birds from the visual cues they receive from the stars and the moon, said Douglas Stotz, a conservation ecologist at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Thanks John!