Celebrate birds in October: Dim the Lights for Birds at Night!
October is a month dedicated to birds and worldwide there will be events dedicated to birds. If you don’t have plans for this upcoming weekend, you can find many educational options or bird counts to participate, joining the great community of birders and bird conservationists around the world. The main evento include:
- World Migratory Bird Day and Global Big Day. World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), an event coordinated by Environment for the Americas in partnership with the Convention on Migratory Species and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement, is celebrated every October 8th. Global Big Day, promoted by Cornell University, is also celebrated on this day.
- Global Bird Weekend. October 7-9 is the World Bird Weekend, promoted by Tim Appleton, Birdlife International, and Swarovski. This event is more geared towards the birding industry, globally teams sign up and participate for three days of birding, educational, and inspirational activities to protect birds.
- Bird-A-Thon of Manomet. This friendly 24-hour birding competition will be held on October 8. It is also a fundraiser for the organization’s bird conservation programs, including the Flyways Program, which houses the WHSRN Executive Office.
This year’s World Migratory Bird Day campaign focuses on light pollution, under the slogan “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night”. Most migratory birds migrate at night and have been for thousands of years. With fewer predators, dark skies are safer. But that sky has been changing, with light pollution increasing every year. Lights can disorient birds, changing migration patterns and putting them at risk of colliding or landing where they normally would not. It also affects foraging behaviors and vocal communication. For birds in cold climates, the key nesting signal is the lengthening of days, a Cornell study showed that birds in urban areas advance the breeding season, streetlights and other artificial lighting can make the brain believe that the days are longer than they really are. This year the WMBD campaign provides several key recommendations so with small actions we can provide birds with darker nights so that their migrations are safe.
WMBD in October focuses on activities in Latin America, where birds are arriving after their breeding season in North America. Activities will take place all over Latin America to celebrate migratory birds and raise awareness about different issues, including light pollution. Below we share some of the events that will be happening:
Cover Photo: World Migratory Bird Day poster.
