The first time I saw the Tribute Of Light, when New York City illuminates two giant columns of light using 88 powerful floodlights to create a ghostly image reminiscent of the World Trade Center as it appeared before the events of September 11, I was stunned. It was beautiful and heartbreaking. It’s still beautiful and distracting, both to viewers like me and to migratory birds that get disoriented by the massive columns of light disrupting their flight path. So far, an estimated 10,000 birds have been trapped by the Tribute Of Light art show in Manhattan.
Fortunately for all involved, there’s an arrangement between the Municipal Art Society (which turns the lights on every September) and the New York City Audubon group (who monitor the well-being of birds in the area). Said an Audubon spokesman, “We have a protocol in place in partnership with the Municipal Arts Society in case something happens like it did. There were huge numbers of birds flying through and large numbers did have difficulty navigating out of the beams. The Municipal Arts Society were very supportive of our goals of minimizing risk to migratory birds.”
An estimated 90,000 birds are killed every year by lights in New York City skyscrapers. The light show was turned off five times last week to allow an estimated 10,000 birds trapped by the lights to reorient and resume their journey south. The lights were off about 20 minutes each time.
Tags: New York City, New York, Manhattan, New York City Audubon, Tribute Of Light, Municipal Art Society, birds trapped by World Trade Center lights, memorial lights trap birds, unusual animals, World Trade Center, WTC memorial lights trap birds, lights trap birds, migrating birds trapped by WTC lights
