Calgarians asked to turn off lights after 100 birds found dead from window strikes in August

A bird-friendly advocacy group is asking Calgarians to turn off their lights at night earlier than normal because more than 100 birds have already hit windows in Calgary since the start of August.

The Calgary Urban Species Response Team (CUSRT) started its yearly Lights Out campaign a week early after finding more birds dead from striking windows in 12 days than the entire fall season of 2019.

From Aug. 1-12, 106 birds were found while monitoring, and only three were found alive, and two were rescued. When compared to 2019, 102 birds and five bats were found in its monitor, with 88 birds being dead while the remainder were rescued alive.

According to data it shared on BirdMapper, over 1,000 birds in downtown Calgary have been documented as window collisions since 2019, and nearly all the 50 species found are native, non-migratory birds.

However, most of the birds are found dead.

CUSRT executive director Kathleen Johnson says while the situation appears dire in downtown Calgary, the numbers coming out represent only one per cent of all strikes in the city.

“Another 99 per cent will be happening outside the core at lower buildings and homes,” she said in an email to 660 NewsRadio. “All require attention for retrofitting window treatment and for light pollution.”

A Facebook post regarding the early start to the initiative says, “If it’s happening downtown, far more fatalities are happening at windows like yours.”

Lights Out typically runs from Aug. 15 to Oct. 31, and Calgarians are asked to flick off their lights from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day.