Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions Urges Residents and Businesses to “Leave the Lights Off” During Bird Migration

As fall migration reaches its peak, Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions, an ecological restoration company, is urging Long Island residents and businesses to turn off unnecessary outdoor and indoor lighting at night. Long Island sits directly along the Atlantic Flyway, one of the busiest bird migration corridors in North America. Every fall, songbirds, warblers, thrushes, and sparrows funnel along our coastline and stop to rest and refuel in our woodlands, marshes, and backyards. Most of them travel under the cover of darkness, and the glow from the lights in our homes and businesses is putting them in danger.

“Long Island is one of the most important rest stops on the entire East Coast for birds that have been flying for hours, sometimes for days,” said Frank Piccininni, President and CEO of Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions. “When our lights pull them off course, they burn through the fuel they need to survive the rest of the trip, or they hit a window and never make it at all. In our work restoring landscapes, we see every day how connected these systems are. The native plants in a yard feed the insects, the insects feed the birds, and the birds carry seeds and control pests across the entire region. A healthy landscape and a dark sky go hand in hand. This is one of the rare conservation problems where every resident can make a difference tonight, just by flipping a switch.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 1 billion birds die from collisions each year in the United States, and artificial light is a major driver. Lighting can draw night-migrating birds from as far as 5 kilometers away, causing them to circle lit areas, burn critical energy, and collide with structures, most often homes and buildings under four stories tall, which describes nearly every Long Island neighborhood. As birds follow our coastline, they encounter a continuous band of suburban and commercial lighting from Queens to the East End, and the danger increases on the foggy, low-cloud nights common here in autumn, when birds fly lower and are more easily disoriented. The Service reports that birds exhausted by lit structures have lower migration survival and breeding success, meaning fewer birds return to Long Island each spring.

Spadefoot recommends the following actions for homeowners and businesses throughout the fall migration season:

At Home

• Turn off nonessential outdoor lights, especially between 11 p.m. and dawn.
• Close blinds and curtains at night to keep indoor light from spilling outside.
• Replace always-on porch and landscape lighting with motion sensors or timers.

Outdoor Fixtures

• Use shielded fixtures that point light downward rather than outward or upward.
• Choose warm-colored, lower-intensity bulbs over bright white lighting.
• Avoid decorative uplighting on trees, facades, and flagpoles during migration.

Businesses and Property Managers

• Turn off lobby, office, and signage lighting after business hours.
• Reduce parking lot lighting to what is needed for safety.
• Pay special attention to lighting on foggy and overcast nights.

In addition to protecting migrating birds, reducing nighttime lighting lowers energy bills, cuts carbon emissions, and helps restore the dark night skies that benefit people and wildlife alike. Paired with native plantings that provide food and shelter for birds during their stopover, these simple steps can turn Long Island backyards into safe havens for local wildlife rather than hazards.

About Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions

Spadefoot Ecosystem Solutions is an ecological restoration and land management company dedicated to restoring the natural function of landscapes. The company specializes in stormwater infiltration, water quality improvement, invasive species management, and the establishment of resilient native plant communities. Using principles rooted in soil science, hydrology, and field ecology, Spadefoot designs and implements sustainable systems that restore ecosystem function, improve soil health, enhance biodiversity, and create landscapes that become more resilient over time.

By focusing on long-term ecological performance rather than traditional landscaping, Spadefoot helps property owners protect natural resources, increase property value, and build landscapes that thrive without reliance on chemical inputs. For more information, visit www.spadefoot.eco.