3 November 9-15, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ SOUTH FLORIDA LIGHTS OUT TROPICAL AUDUBON SOCIETY NEEDS HELP MONITORING MIGRATORY BIRD DEATHS. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN O n the heels of a mass avian death in which more than 1,000 birds died after crashing into a Chicago convention cen- ter, the Tropical Audubon So- ciety is ramping up efforts to monitor bird-building collisions in South Florida. Studies indicate building collisions are the leading cause of human-related, traumatic deaths in birds. The frequency of the collisions is worrisome in cities like Miami that have expanding high-rise construction and a growing number of tall, all-glass, or reflective buildings. Brian Rapoza, a birding trip coordinator for the Tropical Audubon Society, tells New Times that bright light emanating from tall buildings disorients birds, often causing them to veer off course and crash into the struc- tures at full speed. It’s estimated that hun- dreds of millions of birds die each year in the U.S. as a result of collisions with buildings and other manmade structures. “If they’re flying over a brightly lit city, they’ll tend to start swirling around buildings that have the bright lights,” Rapoza says. “It’s like a moth coming to a light bulb or a flame.” When the sun rises, Rapoza explains, birds become confused by reflections they see in windows. “They see the reflection of vegetation, es- pecially in the lower stories of buildings and they’ll think that it’s actual vegetation. They’ll fly toward it right into a window. Oftentimes it’s a fatal collision,” Rapoza says. Cities around the nation have spearheaded efforts to curb collision-related bird deaths by advocating for the adoption of bird-friendly glass in building construction and limiting light pollution, particularly during the fall and spring migration seasons. Tropical Audu- bon Society launched its Lights Out Miami campaign in 2021 to encourage people to turn off lights from 11 p.m. to sunrise, to use timers on lights, and close blinds or shades. The nonprofit recruits volunteers to sur- vey around their homes and office buildings to report collision-related deaths and injuries on the dBird database. While thriving moni- toring programs driven by volunteers exist in New York City and Chicago, Rapoza hasn’t had the same luck in South Florida, he says. “It’s a real struggle,” he tells New Times. “I’m the manager of the team. I just simply can’t find players to fill the team to get the data that we need.” Rapoza says he has only one actively sur- veying volunteer, who is living in Key Bis- cayne. Since the program launched, thirty people have volunteered to collect data in Mi- ami-Dade County and only 73 submissions have been reported in the database for the re- gion, he says. According to the minimal collected data, 41 birds have died and nine were injured from building collisions. Of those birds, 21 were ovenbirds, a type of warbler. A majority of the 50 reported incidents involved birds found on the University of Miami campus. “The idea eventually is once we start iden- tifying problematic buildings, we want to contact the building managers and let them know that their building is a problem for bird collisions and give them information on how to reduce the likelihood of collision,” Rapoza says. “We just aren’t there.” He tells New Times he fears collisions are happening frequently right under local resi- dents’ noses, but the lack of volunteers makes it difficult to accurately report the problem. “It’s almost certainly happening in Mi- ami,” he adds. “The woman that’s going around her building on Key Biscayne is find- ing birds virtually every day. I think the same is happening in most of those buildings downtown and Brickell, but I just can’t find people that are willing to walk around those buildings on a regular basis or even once, to check to see what’s actually going on. “We need the cooperation of regular citi- zens, the community in general, to fix the problem.” To volunteer as a bird collision data collec- tor, contact Brian Rapoza at fieldtrips@tropi- calaudubon.org or visit tropicalaudubon.org/ lights-out-miami. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Studies estimate that hundreds of millions of birds are killed annually in collisions with manmade structures. Photo by Olase/Getty Images ▼ MIAMI JOIN US! NEW TIMES TO HOST FIRST MEMBERS-ONLY EVENT ON NOVEMBER 30. BY TOM FINKEL N early three years ago, New Times in- augurated our membership program, inviting readers to make one-time gifts or regular monthly contributions to sup- port our journalism and peruse our website without the intrusion of ads. Since then, we’ve seen our supporter count steadily rise, and we’re extremely grateful for the response. On Thursday, November 30, we’ll celebrate our benefactors with a happy-hour event to meet and mingle with our editorial staff from 5 to 7 p.m. at a soon-to-be-announced location. Seeing as how the timing coincides with the advent of Miami Art Week, in addition to bites and beverages, attendees will be treated to a sneak peek at the cover of our annual Art Week print issue. New Times has hosted plenty of events over the years, but this intimate, members- only occasion will be a first for us. “I am thrilled to be a part of planning the first of many members-only events at Miami New Times,” says Lily Black, our new member- ship manager. “This event is a testament to, and celebration of, the vibrant community that New Times has cultivated over the years. As a members-only affair, this ‘arty party’ is de- signed exclusively with our core supporters in mind. It’s a recognition of the shared passion and enthusiasm that binds us together as readers, and it’s a unique opportunity to en- gage with our publication in a whole new way.” “We look forward to welcoming our mem- bers to this exclusive get-together. Your support and engagement have made this possible. Thank you for being an essential part of New Times’ journey.” The event is open only to New Times mem- bers, and space is limited. 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