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‘Lights Out’ from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. as millions of birds return home

The Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society urges Washington residents to dim non-essential outdoor lighting from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. between Wednesday, April 29 and Friday May 1 to help migrating birds safely reach summer grounds.
Millions of birds traverse Washington during peak spring migration, with 3.8 million predicted on April 29, 5 million on April 30, and 4.1 million expected on May 1, covering the state's western regions and Puget Sound area.
Purdue AeroEco Lab tracks this movement using color-graded maps, where red areas indicate stopover density above the 90th percentile, identifying the most critical zones for avian activity during this season.
Bright artificial lights and skyglow disorient migrating birds passing over cities, frequently causing collisions with buildings and windows, particularly throughout the Puget Sound region during peak passage nights.
Lights Out reduces collision risks by lowering skyglow, conserves energy, saves money, and improves nocturnal habitat quality for resting birds near critical stopover hotspots during this migration window.

Insights by Ground AI