Baltimore Oriole
Latin: Icterus galbula
Protecting the birds and places they need in Maryland and the District of Columbia
Photo: luckybon
We have lost three billion birds across the Americas since the 1970s. We must therefore redouble our efforts to address two of the most significant threats to birds—habitat biodiversity loss and climate change. In the Mid-Atlantic, Audubon’s new strategic Flight Plan touches down in our work to create healthy and resilient ecosystems where birds thrive and all people have access to nature and a voice in environmental stewardship.
We use conservation and policy strategies to advance our goals for the Mid-Atlantic’s forests, saltwater marshes, and the Delaware River watershed. We work in Baltimore and Philadelphia to create biodiverse public green spaces that increase each city’s climate resiliency. We act to increase the adaptation of renewable energy throughout the region. We host programs that welcome people into the wondrous world of birds through free bird tours, community science projects, and other educational offerings that builds a community of bird lovers who take actions great and small to help them thrive.
Every year during the spring and fall months, tens of millions of birds pass through cities such as Philadelphia. While lights can throw birds off their migration paths, bird fatalities are more directly caused by the amount of energy the birds waste flying around and calling out in confusion. The exhaustion can then leave them vulnerable to other urban threats.
Simply turning your lights off from midnight until 6am during the spring migration from April 1 through May 31, and during the fall migration from August 15 through November 15 can potentially reduce bird collision death by up to 80%. For more information about Lights Out in the Philadelphia area, check out this fact sheet from Bird Safe Philly. You can also visit this page on Audubon’s website to learn more about nationwide Lights Out efforts.
The Bird Migration Explorer is a tool developed by the National Audubon Society, which tracks the heroic annual journeys made by over 450 bird species nationwide. Click below to learn more about our local migratory species, along with their locations and the conservation challenges they face.
Help secure the future for birds at risk from climate change, habitat loss and other threats. Your support will power our science, education, advocacy and on-the-ground conservation efforts.
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