Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP)

Summary Report on the Bird Friendly Building Program: Effect of Light Reduction on Collision of Migratory Birds.

Lesley J. Evans Ogden — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:01:33 PDT

Most migratory songbirds are nocturnal migrants, which makes them vulnerable to collision with lighted structures they encounter along their flight path during migration. The Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) was formed by a group of concerned citizens to rescue and relocate disoriented birds trapped in the city centre, and to record the number and species of birds killed due to collision. Following the initiation of the Bird Friendly Building (BFB) Program by FLAP and World Wildlife Fund Canada in 1997, light emissions at 16 buildings in the downtown core of Toronto were also monitored during migration seasons. This report summarizes data on birds and light emissions collected from 1997 to spring 2001. This data provides evidence that:
• the number of fatal bird collisions increases with increasing light emissions
• the number of birds entrapped by particular buildings rises with increasing light emissions
• the BFB has been successful in reducing light emissions
• weather is the most important factor influencing collision risk
• nights of heavy cloud cover and/or nights with precipitation are the conditions most likely to result in high numbers of collisions.
A survey of building managers involved in the BFB program revealed that tenant education programs about bird collisions had increased awareness of the problem. Managers found that most tenants were willing to participate in the BFB, which they saw as a “green” initiative that had a positive environmental impact. Many buildings had installed or reprogrammed automated light systems that reduced the number of night-time hours that lights were left on. Several buildings that had limited success in reducing light levels between 1997 and fall 2001 have recently installed automated timer systems that should dramatically improve their light emission reductions in the future. In general, the BFB represents a win-win situation for property managers because reducing the period of time that lights are on not only reduces bird mortality but also results in substantial cost savings due to reduced energy consumption. An estimated $3.2 million could be saved if all of the 16 monitored buildings employed the nighttime light emission reductions already in place at several of the BFB sites. Such a reduction in power consumption would result in an estimated reduction of 38,400 tons of CO₂-emissions from fossil-fuel burning energy sources. The BFB therefore contributes locally to a reduction in bird mortality, and globally to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, thus reducing the production of greenhouse gases that lead to global climate change.

BIRD-FRIENDLY DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

Thu, 29 May 2008 07:55:52 PDT

INTRODUCTION
• Background
• Need for Policy and Action
• Policy Context
• Relevance to New, Existing and Heritage Buildings

DESIGN-BASED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR BIRD-FRIENDLY BUILDINGS
• Glass
• Visual Markers
• Strategies for Creating Visual Markers
• Strategies for Muting Reflections

LIGHT POLLUTION
• External Lighting Fixtures
• Types of Lighting
• Preferred Lighting
• Discouraged Lighting

BUILDING MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS
• Reducing Light Pollution from Interior Lights
• Cleaning During the Day
• Internal Location of Greenery

SITE DESIGN STRATEGIES
• Lighting
• Other Site Features
• Comprehensive Bird-Friendly Site Strategy

CONCLUSION
• Glossary

Collision Course: The Hazards of Lighted Structures and Windows to Migrating Birds

Lesley J. Evans Ogden — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:50:43 PDT

The collision of migrating birds with human-built structures and windows is a world-wide problem that results in the mortality of millions of birds each year in North America alone. Birds killed or injured at such structures are due to two main factors. The first of these is the lighting of structures at night, which “traps” many species of nocturnal migrants. The second factor contributing to the hazard is the presence of windows, which birds in flight either cannot detect, or misinterpret. In combination, these two factors result in a high level of direct anthropogenic (human-caused) mortality. Bird mortality at human-built structures receives relatively little public attention, but structural hazards are actually responsible for more bird kills than higher profile catastrophes such as oil spills. The purpose of this report is to summarize what is currently known about migratory bird collisions, to investigate the seriousness of the threat, to present data on migratory bird mortality in central Toronto, and finally to make preliminary recommendations on how to help eliminate the problem.

Bright Lights, Big City, Dead Birds

Thu, 29 May 2008 07:47:08 PDT

Hundreds of species of birds migrate at night. If the skies are clear and their path is moonlit these migrants will often fly at high altitudes avoiding any possible obstructions. But the lights of 20th century society can be confusing to them, especially on foggy, rainy nights or when cloud cover is low. Then they may fly directly into tall lighted structures such as skyscrapers, transmission towers, monuments, lighthouses and the like. Where spotlights are shone into the night sky the birds fly "into" the light and become "entrapped", unable or unwilling to fly out again. Eventually, exhausted, they fall to the ground. Some birds are killed outright. Others are stunned and will revive in a couple of hours. Those birds that survive collisions with office towers clustered in a city's downtown core find themselves trapped in a maze of brightly-lit, reflective buildings. Their chances of survival are slim. Feral cats, rats, gulls and other animals learn to take advantage of this easy food source. When people appear on the scene, the disoriented migrants panic and try to take cover in the nearest tree or shrub - whether it's behind a wall of glass or reflected in it. Those birds that do not die upon impact will go into shock, easily falling prey to scavengers or being crushed by unsuspecting feet.

Bird-Friendly Development Rating System and Acknowledgement Program

Thu, 29 May 2008 07:44:36 PDT

The City of Toronto wants to prevent the needless deaths of migratory birds, many species of which are threatened and endangered, and thereby reduce the impact our urban area has on surrounding ecosystems. This Bird-Friendly Rating System outlines for developers, building owners and managers what options and strategies need to be incorporated into a new or existing development in order to be acknowledged by the City of Toronto as bird friendly.