Lights Out, a nationwide initiative to protect migrating birds, kicks off on Friday, March 1. Keep Fort Worth Beautiful is encouraging residents to turn off nonessential outdoor lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. through the end of spring migration on Saturday, June 15.
In case you didn’t know, every year nearly 2 billion birds migrate through the skies of the Lone Star State — primarily at night. Lights and skyglow attract and disorient the birds and put them at risk of colliding with buildings.
Species like purple martins and barn swallows migrate in early March, yellow-billed cuckoos and golden-winged warblers come through in April + olive-sided flycatchers and blackburnian warblers bring up the tail end in May.
Visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast for live data about migrating birds in your area.
Want to help our feathered friends stay fueled on their journeys? Check out these tips for feeding backyard birds.
