Poll:
Should city lights be turned down for birds?
PORTLAND -- Bird experts have recommended turning down Downtown Portland’s bright lights, because they can be deadly for migratory birds.
The effort is called "Lights-out Portland" and it has already been done in 21 other cities.
Every year hundreds of migrating birds are killed when they collide into the city's brightly lit buildings at night, according to Mary Coolidge, with the Audubon Society.
Coolidge said her team has been collecting the dead birds—ranging from hummingbirds to owls—to study them.
She added the birds often migrate at night and depend on celestial lighting to guide them. The buildings’ lights confuse the birds.
If overnight lighting is reduced, Coolidge said, the birds would avoid flying through downtown.
She said while some building managers were open to turning off their lights at night, others worried it would take away from the vibrance of the city.
Coolidge hoped to have at least 20 buildings signed up by next spring.
