It is interesting that there is a lot more fuss made about wind
generators than buildings - possibly, I suspect, to the NIMBY
phenomenon.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/
index.php?set_id=1&click_id=143&art_id=qw1141938181251B253
Skyscrapers are magnets for birds at night
March 10 2006 at 03:00AM
Ottawa - Animal rights groups pleaded on Thursday with Toronto office
and apartment building owners to dim their lights at night to reduce
the staggering number of bird deaths due to collisions with lit
skyscrapers.
To make their point, the Toronto Wildlife Centre and the Fatal Light
Awareness Programme (FLAP) set up a gruesome display at the Royal
Ontario Museum this week of 2 000 birds lured to their deaths by the
bright lights of Canada's largest city.
The 89 species scraped off downtown Toronto sidewalks during the 2005
migratory season included blue jays, sparrows, woodpeckers, pigeons,
hummingbirds and chickadees.
"There are so many advantages to turning off the lights, not just for
the birds. People would save millions of dollars in energy costs, lower
pollution emissions, and maybe enjoy a starry night," said FLAP
executive director Michael Mesure.
Thousands of birds die in collisions each year in Toronto, he
estimates. Others pegged the number of deaths in North America at 97
million.
Some fly headlong into windows, crushing their skulls. Others circle
until they drop from exhaustion or crash into other birds drawn to the
same lights.
Toronto is considering a novel law to force tower developers to reduce
dangers to fowl.
"Most people probably haven't thought about this problem because
janitors have swept away all the dead birds by the time they get to
work in the morning, but it's a growing concern," said councillor Glenn
De Baeremaeker who introduced the motion.
The new guidelines expected in mid-2006 would encourage the use of
bird-friendly glass, restrict outdoor "vanity" lighting and require
more light switches, he said.
In many older buildings, a single switch controls all the lights,
making it impossible to dim individual offices or floors if someone is
working late. - Sapa-AFP
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