Shorebirds in the Dark

*Red-necked Phalarope by Eric Ellingson*

It was dark.

My friend cut the headlights and parked the car. We got out and took a short walk to the shoreline. Before us was nothing but darkness. The water was black, the sky was black. My friend and I, normally chatty, stood quietly. Although we weren’t talking, hundreds of conversations were going on. Soft chitters, whistles, peeps and chirrups revealed what we couldn’t see. Legions of shorebirds congregated on the mudflats before the incoming tide. I couldn’t see them, but in my mind’s eye I visualized the field guide’s illustrations of long-legged birds with crazy names liked Godwit and Plover, Phalarope and Dunlin. There they were, under cover of darkness. The black nothingness was, in fact, teeming with life. I was mesmerized. And I was hooked on nightlife in the dark.

Shorebirds need darkness. Much of the year, they are migrating between their northern breeding grounds and their southern wintering grounds. Natural darkness allows them to see the celestial cues they need for navigation. It provides them with a measure of safety while they’re roosting at the water’s edge.

Artificial lights at night create a form of pollution known as light pollution. Light houses used to be the only artificial light along coastlines, but the revolution in modern lighting means that today most beaches, boardwalks, decks, and seaside cities are illuminated at night. Dazzling lights may entertain humans and mark their property, but they confuse and disorient birds. It’s not uncommon for birds to fly towards artificial light in the mistaken belief that they’re navigating by the moon or starlight, and then perish when they collide with reflective buildings.

*Looking for Shorebirds by Valerie Blaine*

Why should we landlocked Illinoisians care about shorebirds?

As a group, shorebirds are birds that like to hang out where water and land meet. The Brits call them waders. They generally have long legs and long bills for mucking about in mud and shallow water where they dine on invertebrates (small creatures without backbones) and some small vertebrate animals like frogs and fish.

In Illinois, you’ll find lots of shorebirds along the shore of Lake Michigan, but they are plentiful along rivers and creeks, and they thrive in healthy wetlands. There are a few species in the group that are jokingly referred to as shorebirds who have forgotten about the shore. The Kildeer, who announces his presence on farm fields in early spring; the Upland Plover, an endangered species in Illinois; and the cryptically-colored Woodcock are all shorebirds that do not live at the water’s edge. Upland Plovers inhabit open prairies, and Woodcocks live in woodlands with openings in the tree cover.

Shorebirds are Olympians of the bird world. Many species migrate up to 15,000 miles per year from breeding grounds in Alaska to wintering grounds in South America and back again. The Bar-tailed Godwit is one such long-hauler, traveling some 7,000 miles from Alaska to New Zealand in nine days. Some shorebirds are high-altitude flyers, travelling at 10,000 feet. Speeds of 50 miles per hour have been recorded for several types of migrating shorebirds.

To cover this much territory twice a year, shorebirds are always on the go. Their journey to wintering grounds begins in mid-summer, and the flight to breeding grounds gets started in late February. Because they’re always on the move, they’re subject to many flight hazards.

Artificial light at night is a primary hazard during migration. You can help make shorebirds’ journeys safer by evaluating the lighting outside your home and making improvements where necessary.

Follow these five principles of responsible outdoor lighting: