Two beams are being projected from the Mount Washington summit to honor the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks this weekend, but local conservationists are worried the memorial could hurt migrating birds.
“This is the peak time for fall migration for songbirds,” said Carol Foss, a senior advisor with New Hampshire Audubon. “They migrate at night and they can be attracted to and confused by outdoor lighting.”
Because of its remote location, Mount Washington typically lacks light pollution compared to urban areas, Foss said, so experts are still unsure how exactly the installation will impact birds flying overhead.
She said NH Audubon has been working with scientists from Cornell University, the New York City Bird Alliance and local agencies like New Hampshire Fish and Game and State Parks to develop a protocol to turn the lights off in case they see birds get disoriented by the beams of light.
They conducted a test earlier this week, and noticed the birds modified their behavior to avoid the new lights.
“They were staying much, much lower, like less than 2000ft in altitude,” she said. “So we really weren't seeing much of anything happen from the summit.”
Still, Foss and her team will be observing the situation over the entire weekend, she said, utilizing monitoring tools like binoculars, potentially spotting scopes and a thermal monocular, which can detect heat signatures from birds and bats.
Foss said lights can harm migrating birds no matter their scale or where they are. She encouraged “everybody to be aware of migration and minimize outdoor lighting during this time of year, as well as in the spring when [birds are] heading back north.”
