COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas is implementing a new "Lights Out" initiative to protect the billions of birds that migrate through the state each fall, encouraging residents and businesses to turn off non-essential lighting during peak migration season. And the city of College Station is taking part in the initiative.
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The program addresses a critical conservation need, as Texas sits at the crossroads of several major migration flyways. About 1 in 4 birds migrating this fall will pass through Texas, totaling approximately 2 billion birds, according to Skyler Nix from the Texas Ornithological Society.
"Here in Texas, it's really important. We're right in the middle of several migration flyways, and so about 1 in 4 birds migrating this fall will pass through Texas. That's about 2 billion birds," Nix said.
The initiative encourages residents and businesses to turn off any non-essential lights at night during the migratory season, as artificial lighting can significantly affect migrating birds.
"Lights themselves aren't particularly dangerous to birds, but it leads them to places where there are these very specific threats," Nix said.
When there's too much light, birds can become disoriented and separated from their flocks. This separation forces them to waste crucial energy searching for their groups during an already demanding journey.
"They fly in groups, so they look for the rest of their flocks, they get lost, they get separated, and so they waste a lot of energy trying to find the other birds and their flock," said Laurie Brown, recreation supervisor at Lick Creek Park.
The problem becomes particularly dangerous when artificial lights are associated with buildings, making glass structures nearly invisible to migrating birds at night.
"And it's a particularly an issue because of the way that lights are associated with buildings. So, like, just like right here, for example, you know, lights at night just make glass look completely invisible," Nix said.
However, homeowners can take steps to make their windows safer for birds. Heather Prestridge, collections manager at Texas A&M University's Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections, recommends specific solutions.
"So there's a feather friendly film, there's bird friendly solutions that you can apply at your house," Prestridge said.
Local residents are embracing the conservation effort.
Brent Cheerhart, a local resident who enjoys birdwatching with his family, supports the initiative.
"I think it's a great idea," Cheerhart said. "Me and my wife, we like to put out local bird seed. My daughter loves watching the birds in the backyard, birds and the squirrels all come, so we really like having the birds around."
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