“Lights Out!” to Save Birds

By Linda Rhodes

Last month's Shorelines included an informative article on how artificial lighting poses a threat to migratory birds by confusing and disorienting them during nighttime migrations. However, inappropriate lighting can also be harmful to birds who migrate here to nest and to our year-round resident birds. Birds deceived by inappropriate lighting can collide with windows and buildings. When confused by lighting, birds waste valuable time and energy when avoiding or trying to understand the situation. Making small changes in lighting around your own home or workplace can produce big benefits for your local birds.

Direct actions you can take to reduce the impact of light pollution on birds include:

• Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights at night (especially between 11 pm and 6 am).
  Close curtains or blinds at night to reduce attracting birds to windows.

• Direct lighting downward (not upward) and onto the area where it's needed.

• Set light intensity to what is needed (not the maximum).

• Use warmer-colored lights (under 3,000 Kelvins).

• Educate your family, friends, neighbors, and employers about bird-safe lighting.

Lights at night at the Whidbey Island Fairgrounds could pose confusion to local as well as migrating birds.

In a pilot study in April 2026, Whidbey Audubon Society Executive Director Joaquín Swett collaborated with students from South Whidbey High School to inventory certain locations in South Whidbey for potentially harmful non-residential lighting. We hope to expand the lighting inventory and to provide outreach and education to owners about the benefits of bird-safe lighting before the Fall 2026 migration (which is only a few months away!).