PREPARE YOUR LANDSCAPE LIGHTING NOW FOR PEAK FALL MIGRATION Sept. 6 – Oct. 11, 2022

By DORIS DURBIN HEARD Galveston County Master Gardeners (or GCH? — your call!)

Smart outdoor lighting can benefit the estimated two billion birds that migrate through Texas each year. Some birds traveling at night can be disoriented by misdirected unsafe lighting, resulting in collisions with buildings. Houston Audubon Society’s Lights Out spring campaign will be repeated Sept. 6-Oct. 11 for our fall migration. You can help by turning off outside lights during this time or use shields to help direct lighting downwards. This not only helps the birds but is a way to keep the sky dark, the stars visible and your property safer (as the photos above show).

Walk around your neighborhood at night. You will be surprised by the effects of both different street and outdoor house lighting. Some actually make it more difficult to see surrounding areas.

When driving at night, notice how some car headlights are so glaring and bright, they make it difficult for oncoming drivers to see. This“blinding” effect means you only see the lights’ glare, not the surrounding area. The same holds true for home lighting. Bright white LED lights can create lots of places to hide in plain sight.

Check out the Soft Lights Houston website for a wealth of information on what is the best outdoor lighting to use.

Street lights using 2700Kelvin bulbs have a warmer color with less blue and provide excellent lighting without the glare. The same is true for your front door lighting. Homes using bright white LED front door lights appear harsh and unwelcoming compared to front doors with 2700K bulbs.

Notice how homes with bright white flood lights attached just under the roof shining down are not as effective as those using the softer light bulbs.

Install shields on flood lights to direct lighting so that it does not shine into neighbor’s windows. Not only sleep but overall health can be impacted by poor lighting. There are a wide selection of light shields available on the Internet.

After you have looked around your neighborhood at night, you might decide that you can improve the appearance and safety of your home lighting.

Neighborhoods with street lamps that have non glare lighting and downward shields are fortunate because these lamps are not only attractive but safer for you and the migrating birds.