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Common Nighthawk

Lights Out Action Alert: Oct 15-17

Houston Audubon recommends buildings three stories and higher to turn LIGHTS OUT tonight and tomorrow night (October 15th through October 17th). Conditions are favorable for intense bird migration headed south to the upper Texas coast. We recommend buildings three stories and above turn off unnecessary lighting during the Fall migration period, October 15 to November 30.

A frontal system is moving into the region from the north with high probability of precipitation from early Monday evening through Wednesday. The Ventusky website can be adjusted to examine various aspects of this predicted weather at various altitudes and times.

Bird migration for the region is predicted to be medium to high intensity by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast Program. This fall weather front will bring multiple waves of migratory birds to the coast.

As birds migrate over big cities, they can become disoriented by bright lights and skyglow. This disorientation can cause fatal window collisions and/or exhaustion. To learn more about turning lights out for birds, visit Audubon's website.

With grounded birds in the region possible for the next few days, daytime collisions of naïve birds at ground level will be significantly increased. Please consider limiting dangerous threats such as glass surfaces reflecting vegetated habitat and outdoor predators such as house cats. More information on how you can reduce threats can be found at the Houston Audubon Bird-Friendly Communities webpages.

Thank you for making our region safer for wildlife!

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