Private Story
Skies of Glass
Summary
Skies of glass
Birds dying in large numbers in a small geographic area tends to occur during peak migration periods in spring and fall. Weather conditions like opposing wind, rain and fog can make it difficult for birds to orientate themselves, in addition to light pollution from cities that can draw them in and trap them among deadly structures.
A 30-year global movement to keep birds safe from deadly collisions with buildings started with Toronto's non-profit Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada in 1993, launching campaigns such as the Lights Out initiative to turn building lights off at night that has now spread to 48 U.S. cities. Every October since 2018, FLAP also organizes a “Global Bird Rescue” across the world at the peak of migration season, with local teams spanning from Hong Kong to Washington, DC. By tracking the number of injured and dead birds passing through the city, these community scientist volunteers have mapped out the data that they’ve collected, which has tracked over 80,000 individual birds so far.
Through these initiatives, they have not only been able to organize communities around the world to address an issue that surpasses borders given the wide movement of migratory birds, but they have also raised awareness about the need for how modern day cities can peacefully and responsibly coexist with wildlife in urban spaces - with measures as simple as incorporating visual markers on windows and raising awareness with annual layouts of birds they have collected.
With the spring migration season just around the corner, will the world see another day like Chicago, with hundreds or even thousands of birds endangered in a single day?
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