Dead Bird by Building File RICHARD A. BROOKS /Getty Images Staff
(Cleveland)- We need your help! Each year, millions of migrating birds are killed by building collisions in the U.S. A recent review of published studies suggested that between 365 and 988 million birds are killed annually. Although we all enjoy the beauty of Cleveland’s skyline, many are unaware of the impact these buildings have on our beautiful migrating birds. Many of the warblers, orioles, thrushes, and other songbirds migrate through Cleveland at night, using the stars to orient their flight. When there is fog or a cloud layer, birds are no longer able to see the stars and can mis-orient and start tracking artificial lights, particularly around tall buildings.
By dimming the building’s lights during the peak of spring and fall migration, we can save many birds each year.
Light’s Out Cleveland is a group of local partnering organizations working together to create awareness about the effects brightly lit buildings have on nocturnally migrating birds. Through this awareness we will create change and save migrating birds’ lives.
We are looking for volunteers to help collect injured and deceased birds from the grounds of downtown Cleveland’s buildings during peak migration months (from the middle of March to late May, and from mid-August through end-October). Any live birds will need to be transported to Lake Erie Nature & Science Center for care and treatment through their rehabilitation program. All deceased birds will be processed by Cleveland Museum of Natural History and used for research purposes, including data collection about the scale of these impacts.
If you are interested in volunteering please fill out our volunteer form HERE. For questions, contact Jill Fowler, our volunteer coordinator at LightsOutCLEvolunteer@gmail.com. More information on volunteering is available HERE.