As the weather begins to cool off in the fall, we start getting into our chillier days routine. That may involve layering, switching from iced to hot drinks, defrosting our car in the morning, or getting things ready for winter before it gets too cold. While we’re doing these things to adjust to current weather or prepare for future weather, birds are doing the same thing.

It’s estimated that 40% of bird species across the globe migrate. This usually consists of annual movements between nesting and winter feeding locations, with the latter sought when the nesting location starts getting cold and food sources will soon thin out. There are a few different ways to migrate. There’s short-distance migration, which involves only changing altitude; medium-distance migration, which typically involves staying within a few hundred-mile range; and long-distance migration. Here in North America, the latter involves going from Canada or the United States down to central America or northern South America for the winter months. About 350 North American bird species make that long trip.

The fall migration to warmer, more food-rich pastures can begin as early as mid-June and last through the end of the year, but it typically peaks from mid-August through mid-October. This is an especially dangerous time for birds, as their bodies are pushed to travel long distances, they may not find sufficient food on the journey, they run the risk of collisions with buildings or cars, and they may be more vulnerable to predators when they’re not in their usual habitat. Fortunately, there are things we can all do to help ensure birds get to their destinations safely, which is especially important now, as 1 in 5 migratory species is at risk of extinction. 

Turn Off Lights

One of the most serious dangers to migrating birds is collisions with buildings. Past research had estimated that up to a billion birds may die in this way in the United States each year, though new research says it may be much higher than that. That’s because figures usually only count birds that die immediately, but those that are injured often die later at wildlife rescues, as well.

Buildings, even single-family homes, pose a threat to birds for a few reasons, but one of them is their lights. When flying at night, which many migrating birds do, the lights on buildings can disorient birds. They may be attracted to them and fly closer, which can cause collisions. Lights can also lead to confusion, with the birds circling them until they get exhausted, collapse, or have to stop flying in an unsafe area.

Lights Out programs work to address this issue. People who take part agree to shut off or dim unnecessary outdoor lights to avoid disturbing wildlife, particularly during bird migration season, though doing so year-round can benefit other nocturnal species. There are a few things to do if you decide to join this effort. Those including turning off outdoor lights when not in use, installing motion sensor lights that only turn on with movement, shutting off decorative outdoor lighting, and closing your blinds or curtains at night. If you need outdoor lights, you can also set them up in a way that makes them less of a threat by aiming them down or shielding them.

There is also a resource to help you know when it’s best to shut off those lights: visit the BirdCast website. This website, produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, provides real-time maps of the number of birds flying through your area each night, and in which direction they’re flying. The data comes from the US weather surveillance radar network. 

Make Your Windows Less See-Through

Your windows can also be a bird hazard because birds don’t really understand the concept of glass. They either see reflections of foliage in your windows and try to land on it, or they think it’s safe to fly through it because they don’t realize it’s there. There are some steps you can take to make your windows less dangerous, though.

The goal is to make it obvious there’s a barrier. This can involve adding stickers, some sort of texture, window treatments, or even painting designs on the glass. If you do add designs, keep them close together so the spaces don’t seem big enough for a bird to fly through. Finally, if you’re not exactly the best at remembering to clean your windows, that may not be a bad thing, either.

Provide a Safe Space

You can also ensure migrating birds have a safe space to rest that offers some extra food. Planting native grasses, flowers, and other foliage attracts both native birds and native insects, which can feed those birds. Allowing a bit of leaf litter to remain on the ground provides similar benefits. While maintaining your yard, avoid pesticides; using natural methods to get rid of weeds is best. Avoid glue traps, as well. Bird baths and feeders can be helpful additions, but make sure to clean them and refresh them regularly for health purposes.

Car collisions are also estimated to kill up to 340 million birds each year in the United States. While this is often due to factors outside of the average person’s control, avoiding littering or leaving other food attractants near the road can be helpful. As birds often eat carrion, keeping your eyes peeled to avoid hitting other animals as much as possible can also help.

Keep Your Pets Contained

When birds take time to rest on their long migratory journeys, they’re tired and in unfamiliar territory, which can leave them more vulnerable to predators. Unfortunately, that includes domestic cats. Free-ranging domestic cats kill an estimated 1.3 to 4 billion birds each year. While this doesn’t mean your cat has to completely avoid the outdoors, allowing them supervised access is the way to go to avoid contributing to the problem.

Cats can be taken out on a harness, be given access to an outdoor area from which they can’t sneak out, or take advantage of a catio. Keeping dogs contained is important, as well, as they’re also known to kill birds.

Get Involved

While these are all things we can do on an individual level, we can also support policy changes that can help migratory birds get to and from their destinations safely. This can include advocating for bird-friendly legislation, buildings, and land use. We can also support the protection of areas essential to migratory bird species’ survival. Finally, we can tell our friends and neighbors about lights off efforts and other steps we can all take to make migration season a little less deadly.