We encourage all Texans to join us in participating in Lights Out Texas to protect migrating birds by turning off non-essential lights at night from 11pm – 6 am during the fall migration period of August 15 through November 30.
When, where, and how far will birds migrate? How many birds passed last night? Tools from BirdCast help you explore the answers to these and many other questions about bird migration.
From Lisa Gonzalez Vice President and Executive Director, Audubon Texas:
Audubon Texas is honored to facilitate the Lights Out Texas campaign and warmly welcomes each of you to our flock! The new, 2022 Fall Migration materials are now LIVE on our website.
We acknowledge and are grateful to the many partners that have led Lights Out Texas campaigns in local communities, created research and science initiatives, and managed volunteer efforts since 2017. We also thank Texan by Nature, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the BirdCast collaborative for their leadership to standardize and coordinate communications, volunteer efforts, science, and reporting across the state.
Birds are amazing indicators because their presence and behavior inform us about changing ecosystems and the impact that our activities have on the natural environment. Birds provide ecosystem services, act as benchmarks for environmental health, increase livability and quality of life, and connect people of all ages and abilities to the natural world. Light pollution is a growing and underrecognized threat to birds. Birds are easily disoriented from commercial and residential light emanating from our cities across the country. In fact, it is estimated nearly one billion birds die annually due to collisions with buildings. Birds tell us it is not too late, but there is no time to lose!
Each year during fall and spring migrations, nearly two billion birds travel through Texas in one of the planet’s greatest wildlife spectacles. This fall, one in every three birds migrating through the U.S. will pass through Texas from August 15 through November 30.
We encourage all Texans to join us in participating in Lights Out Texas to protect migrating birds by turning off non-essential lights at night from 11pm – 6 am during the fall migration period of August 15 through November 30. Where conflicts apply, prioritize lights out during the critical peak fall migration period from September 5 – October 29. Each night and each light turned out helps save migrating birds. As an added bonus, turning off non-essential lights also saves money and conserves energy for cities, local businesses, and homeowners!
The Lights Out Texas effort is facilitated by Audubon Texas beginning with the 2022 fall migration season. The initiative is supported by a coalition that includes conservation non-profits, local Audubon chapters, universities, museums, governmental organizations, businesses, and individual Texans dedicated to the conservation of birds. We invite you to learn more about how you can help migrating birds along their migration journey by visiting our website.
We hope that every Texan, business, and local government operating in Texas will participate in Lights Out Texas, starting this fall by turning out lights from 11 pm to 6 am, August 15 – November 30. Audubon Texas envisions this collaborative, seasonal effort to become the standard for turning out lights at night all year long across Texas, and across the country.
