The old nursery rhyme went from prose to dark reality as more than a thousand blackbirds fall out of the skies of Arkansas. Local officials are uncertain of the cause of the birds demise which some speculate can range from high altitude hail to lightening strikes. This incident is part of a wider issue as to the direct impact of sky scrappers the new temples of the 21st century, the expanding growth of cities in terms of urban sprawl and more importantly the impact of human migration on bird migration.
Last autumn a project was started in New York City to turn off or dim the lights of unused offices in the city's skyscrapers as researchers have identified that migratory birds are disorientated by excessive light which affects their navigational perceptions. It may seem frightfully surprising switching off the lights saves birds, energy and reduces greenhouse emission its better than a bankers bonus. Toronto established its Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) to help mitigate against the yearly tragedy in which over 250,000 birds die from the effects of artificial lighting. Its a sin to kill a mockingbird; I guess killing 250,000 birds borders on extinction you do the math. A recent University of Sheffield study has identified that Robins have been forced to sing at night as not to compete with rising urban noise levels. The evidence of our growing affluence as a global society is not only measured by the size of our skyscrapers but also by the size of our landfill sites. These landfill sites have now become the feeding ground for seagulls which in the eyes of many city folk are urban pests and nuisance to the citizenry enjoying alfresco dining at town centre restaurants. Sea gulls can defend themselves, my heart goes out to Robins its hard finding a soul mate if she can't hear you sing.
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