The Dark Toll of Light Pollution


In the morning, before the city’s cleaning crew makes its rounds, volunteers of the Lights Out Baltimore chapter are counting the number of birds that fly into buildings. Each year, for four months, they monitor 25 buildings, documenting over 400 bird deaths annually due to flying into a building. Artificial light from buildings can interrupt their vision and cause them to collide with structures. Using citizen science to log bird collisions, they hope to convince property owners to dim their lights during peak hours of the migration season or install a bird-safe film to their windows.

Related Stories