Philadelphia dims city lights.
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Philadelphia has lots of lights. That confuses birds. -
People will turn down the lights at night. (AP/Matt Slocum) -
Birds look at stars when they fly at night. They think lights inside buildings are stars. (AP/Ted S. Warren) -
Ovenbirds fly through Philadelphia. -
Black-throated blue warblers also live near Philadelphia.
Flocks of birds fly over Philadelphia [fill-uh-dell-fee-uh] in spring and fall. Bright lights in tall city buildings throw them off. Many fly into windows. They are hurt or killed.
How can people help? Dim the lights!
Read More: Stars help guide birds when they fly at night. The largest number of birds in 70 years hit Philadelphia’s downtown buildings last fall. It was cloudy and raining. The birds mistook lights in the buildings for stars. Property owners and people living or working in many buildings are joining “Lights Out Philly.” They will switch off lights near windows between midnight and 6:00 in the morning. See if you can find out which birds migrate over Philadelphia. Psalm 91:4 tells us that God protects us like a mother bird: “Under His wings you will find refuge.”
