Friday JohnKu – AKA -TGIF – Fri-YayGood News

~ John W. Howell
The Houston skyline darkened – Tendenci CC 3.0.

Today’s  good news story comes from the Good News Network

Millions of Birds Now Migrating Safely Through Darkened Texas Cities After Successful Lights Out Campaign

By Andy Corby – April 18

Texas is in the middle of the most critical migratory pathway for birds moving up and down the Americas—nearly 2 billion birds, or 1 out of 3 in the US, will pass over Texas during their spring and autumn migrations.

To safeguard the over 400 species of birds that migrate through Texas, the Houston chapter of the Audubon Society and their partners in the state have been running the Lights Out! Texas campaign for two years, and they’re seeing remarkable results.

With the prestige that owning and operating a skyscraper confers it may be surprising to note that dozens of building managers have been convinced since 2022 to turn off non-essential outdoor lights.

“We issued the proclamation, and they… found out, ‘Oh, wow, I can do these simple things, and it actually helps the birds when they’re migrating,’” Houston city hall spokesperson Sarah Osborne told KHOU 11.

“We’re seeing communities all across the state join in on this effort,” adds Anna Vallery, a Conservation Specialist with the Houston Audubon.

Researchers working in Chicago and studying the effects of Lights Out campaigns and other phenomena impacting migratory birds found that reducing the reflections from exterior lighting on tall buildings worked to prevent 60% of all bird collision deaths.

Since most birds migrate at night by the light of the stars and moon, the shining lights of a city in the distance can attract them. But once lost in the photo-soup of a shining skyline like Houston or Fort Worth, they can become extremely disoriented, smash headlong into buildings whose glass is reflecting light from the city, and die.

Fort Worth is participating in Lights Out! Texas and the skyline looks decidedly different in this short CBS bulletin.

The Texas Audubon has all the information a resident might need to do their part or organize municipal efforts to help our winged brothers and sisters safely pass by.

Spring migrations last only about 70 days, from the start of March to the middle of June, with a slightly longer period during autumn migration of middle-August to the end of November.

The good news in this article is that cities and individuals are cooperating to ensure a safe migration for our bird species. Today’s JohnKu discusses the importance of bird life. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Birds by John W. Howell ©2024

Birds are critical.

They are an important link  . . .

In the chain of life

 

 

90 thoughts on “Friday JohnKu – AKA -TGIF – Fri-YayGood News”

  5. Wow, I didn’t know this. It’s almost counterintuitive. Thank you for sharing this collective effort, John. Bravo!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Wow that’s fascinating, John. It’s such a good feeling to know about this effort to help the birds migrate. I had no idea that city lights were such a distraction to migrating birds.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Light pollution is a huge issue. When we were sailing in the Gallapagos, I spent my nights in awe of all the stars I could see.

    With respect to the birds, now they’ll just wander into those huge wind propellers and get killed! Still, this is a start.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Good news from Texas for a change! Thanks for sharing, John. Next weekend the Botanical Gardens in CC will host “Birdiest Festival in America.” A little Texas brag there but we do get a lot of birds migrating through our state. TGIF to you.

    Liked by 1 person

  23. I’ve read some about this but I didn’t know much about it. Light pollution can really be a problem and this is a great initiative. I am not sure if it matters but I will try to keep my house dark at night. In addition to helping birds amateur astronomy gets better.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I read an odd mishmash of a book, gifted from a friend, about birds getting eaten as a unique delicacy. I’ve taken their existence for granted, and the existence of humans who DON’T kill off birds and the environment. :/

    Liked by 1 person

  27. Very encouraging to see a private entity partner with a government entity to identify a problem and mutually develop a problem-solving solution. What a concept….🐳

    Liked by 1 person

  28. I am so happy to see this kind of compassion and cooperation, John. It’s so important to understand how we impact nature and to do what we can to support the other inhabitants of this planet.

    Liked by 1 person

  30. It’s about time something is done to stop the bird migration deaths from big citylights.

    Kudos to Texas and the Audubon Society!

    Birds are an important link in the chain of life. (Fab JohnKu 🌟)

    A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

    Seems to me in the chain of life, humans are the weakest link.

    ⛓𝔛 🦅𝔛 🕊𝔛 ⛓𝔛

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Wow! Talk about some Fri-Yay good news!! Thanks so much for sharing this, John. I’ve not heard of any areas that are working on light reduction for bird safety, and it does my heart good to know Texas is doing so. I’ve got to check to see what other areas might be working on this. We live in a smaller town where the night lights (and the night life) are not all that present, but there are certainly areas in Florida where this could be important. Thanks for giving me something to ponder! And congratulations for living where steps are already being taken to help protect avian lives.
    🤗🤗🤗

    Liked by 1 person

  33. That’s really cool, not only because it helps the birds, but it’s good to encourage humans to think of others, even if those others have wings. It should also make them feel good knowing they’re helping. Win-win-win!

    Liked by 1 person

  35. :0 1 out of 3 birds in the U.S.! Glad to hear that most people in your area are on board with the Lights Out campaign. It’s great to see some good news about the natural world for a change. Thanks for sharing, John.

    Liked by 1 person

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