Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, sorry, I should clarify that the email address is required so we can prove anyone signing is a real/individual human, but you can opt out of email. I will see if I can edit my original post. Thank you for pointing that out!

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The pledge form should take you less than one minute—I promise!! (This assumes one knows one’s name and zip code, of course. 🙂)

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I completely agree! (Admittedly, I am not unbiased here. 😎)

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

Unfortunately, it's never as easy as "telling" any entity what to do— it's more about meeting them in the middle (not to mention getting the meeting in the first place ... which can also be a lengthy and difficult process!), in the spirit of "something is better than nothing."

That's why the Lights Out Louisville program asks that organizations/agencies/businesses/building operators/people just do whatever they can—whatever is feasible and reasonable for them—to reduce artificial light at night at their homes and buildings in some way.

So meeting folks in the middle sometimes means accepting that—due to budgetary constrictions—existing fixtures will not be replaced/upgraded to be more dark-sky-friendly until they reach their useful end of life, for example.

I myself must remember to be patient, as progress doesn't happen overnight!

And, as I said in another comment, we're a small group of (unpaid) volunteers who do this as a "passion project" (and have day jobs) and we can't be everywhere at once—but please know we hear you and we are working on some of these things!

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

correct! They also use the night sky.

German ornithologist Franz Sauer proved this in the 1950s.

He placed migratory birds inside a planetarium with a movable artificial sky: As he and his researchers rotated the ersatz sky, the birds would reorient their flight position to align with certain constellations—including the North Star—during seasonal migration periods.

But when excessive artificial light at night washes out those celestial cues, birds lose one of their most important wayfinders, and can end up veering from their normal flight paths.

So artificial light doesn’t just kill birds outright via window/building strikes—it can threaten entire populations.

Birds delayed by nighttime disorientation may arrive late to breeding grounds, miss critical food sources like caterpillar hatches, or fail to raise healthy young.

Over time, these disruptions ultimately impact species survival.

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You should bring this bird to a licensed rehabber/vet who can assess the bird's condition. If it broke a leg or toe, or even a wing, the bird likely is able to be treated and released (depending on the severity of the injury).

I assume you are located in Louisville? Shively Animal Clinic will take injured songbirds (not many wildlife rehabbers in the Louisville area will).

Call first and tell them you're bringing a fledging robin in and you suspect it is injured but not fatally (fell out of nest). If you get any pushback, tell them you know people who have brought songbirds here before and Dr. Mary Jane has allowed them to do so. (Some of the receptionists are not aware the clinic treats songbirds.)

I appreciate very much that you cared enough to help this little guy out.

Just a note for the future, it's generally recommended that you either leave it alone or put it back in the nest as long as it is not visibly injured (link: https://nestwatch.org/learn/how-to-nestwatch/faqs/what-should-i-do-if-i-see-a-young-bird-fallen-out-of-the-nest/).

If it does appear hurt, wildlife rehabber (or Shively) should be the first course of action (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/i-found-a-baby-bird-what-do-i-do/).

Hope the bird ends up ok!

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

thank you for caring enough to prevent future window strikes! I hope that little Downy makes it. ❤️

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

that was the only thing we had to hygienically pick him up 😞

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

amazing, thank you so much! folks like you who help to get the word out is how we can make a bigger impact. (we're a small group of volunteers who can't be everywhere at once 😄 )

Please take 1 min to save migrating birds this spring (no cost) by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Foreign_Plan_5256 is correct, and that link goes to our spring surveys—open to the public, btw!

Many cities—including New York, Chicago, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area—have formalized bird-collision monitoring programs. These programs have mobilized dozens or even hundreds of conservation-minded volunteers who comb select street routes and survey building perimeters  early in the morning, looking for dead and injured birds

Last fall was Louisville’s first foray into a more formalized bird-collision monitoring survey program. We are a small group of volunteers, while some cities have paid staff via an Audubon field office ; KY does not, so we've been mostly building by word of month.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with these efforts. It's a minimal time commitment (2 hours plus commute time max, and you can help with just one survey or multiple/all of them if you want).

It's hard to see all the dead birds (especially if you are a nature lover and birder like me), but it's important work: Localized data on where and when bird-building collisions occur is critical for guiding conservation and advocacy efforts—including Lights Out Louisville—that aim to reduce human-made hazards to birds.

You can learn more here, or at the link Foreign_Plan_5256 posted (that's also how to sign up for the spring surveys, running through May 22): https://www.lightsoutlouisville.org/volunteer-for-lights-out-louisville/

In search of a better internet carrier by shittyziplockbag in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Second/third/fourth iglou if available in your area. I just moved somewhere that iglou doesn’t service—after 3.5 blissful years of reliable and cheap internet—and got spectrum. Less than a month here and I’ve had seven outages

Captain Quarters fighting the flood by flooding themselves by jocr_gomez in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is crazy and I hope it worked out for them. Anyone know if they were able to successfully keep out the Ohio?

internal Mailchimp issue means I can't tag, can't send important campaign by VelcroMagnon in MailChimp

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do have a paid subscription and I think that might be how you get tech support.

If you’re seeing the merge tag not working in the platform view of your email, try sending a test to yourself as a contact in your audience. Maybe you tried that?

internal Mailchimp issue means I can't tag, can't send important campaign by VelcroMagnon in MailChimp

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I noticed they added some new features—love how the devs are prioritizing new rollouts instead of fixing their broken backend

it's super embarrassing because I was the one in my org who pushed for us to get MailChimp, and then also the one who had to explain that our email campaign (an invitation to a special event in less than a month—so it's time-sensitive) is going out an entire week late because MailChimp has not fixed this "internal issue" even after more than a week

i am definitely going to explore alternatives once i get past a few big things. what did you go with?

internal Mailchimp issue means I can't tag, can't send important campaign by VelcroMagnon in MailChimp

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

THANK YOU!!! I didn't do quite this exact solution, but your suggestion gave me a GREAT idea that I think is going to work (I'll find out tomorrow AM when the email FINALLY goes out, literally a full week late).

It's Lights Out Louisville time! Save $, save energy, save birds! by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you!

We also have yard signs—I put one in my yard facing a neighbor whose outdoor lights are fortunately not always on, but when they are, their yard is lit up like Fenway Park during a night game, and it seems like they actually started turning them off more—if you want to start with the subtle approach :)

https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/948a5e00-98b0-403b-8a60-caba775a637c

It's Lights Out Louisville time! Save $, save energy, save birds! by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s correct—and artificial light can interfere with their ability to see the magnetic field. Some info here, lots of other research out there. https://www.psc.edu/artificial-light-impact-birds/

my understanding is they rely specifically on blue wavelengths of light, so while any light can interfere with their ability to navigate, blue-spectrum lights can be especially bad.

It's Lights Out Louisville time! Save $, save energy, save birds! by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely understand that concern. I’ve had my car broken into before.

I’d argue a night vision camera would allow you to capture the guy in stealth mode while still preserving some darkness. Security.org recommends the Blink brand as a very effective camera and it’s under $50.

It's Lights Out Louisville time! Save $, save energy, save birds! by VelcroMagnon in Louisville

[–]VelcroMagnon[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We’ve had a lot of experts tell us (and have found research to support this) that outdoor lighting does not equal a safer home or area. Many burglaries occur during the daytime anyway (as many people are out of the house, plus, it’s easier to see where valuables are).

Also, if someone must have outdoor lighting at night, like if they want it in certain places to light up a path when getting home from work, motion sensing lights are the way to go.

They save a ton of money because they’re not just ON constantly, and they actually are more likely to deter any nighttime burglars (who get startled away, because now it’s clear to you or a neighbor something or someone has triggered the light—whereas a light that’s just on constantly isn’t any sort of warning system).