HOUSTON – Texas is one of the most critical corridors in the country for migratory birds — but for some of them, the journey ends early in downtown Houston.
According to Audubon Texas, approximately one in every three to four birds migrating through the country passes through the state. This fall, residents and wildlife advocates are noticing a higher number of hummingbirds than usual — and a troubling number of them aren’t completing their journey south.
Dmitri Salafonov spends much of his free time taking long walks through the city. During fall migration season, those walks come with a heavy emotional toll.
“You feel very helpless when you’re standing out there by an intersection and just raiding dead hummingbirds,” Salafonov said.
He says the problem has grown significantly in recent years.
“Three years ago, usually one bird, two birds, three birds, and recently I was able to pick up between 12 to 15 birds and even more,” Salafonov said.
Weather, buildings a deadly combination
Wyatt Egelhoff with Birds Houston says this year’s conditions may be making things worse.
“Weather patterns can affect how birds are concentrated during migration,” Egelhoff said.
Egelhoff explains that hummingbirds typically migrate at altitudes that clear most skyscrapers. Many collisions, he says, happen when birds descend to local parks in search of food — putting them directly in the flight path of glass-covered buildings.
Solutions don’t have to be costly
The good news: fixes don’t require a major investment. Bird collision tape — a simple deterrent that can be applied directly to glass — runs about $25 a roll. Egelhoff also suggests that downtown skyscrapers could simply turn off their lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. during peak migration periods.
Several Houston-area buildings have already committed to the “Lights Out Texas” initiative, and advocates are pushing for more to sign on.
“If we are killing, and we’re responsible for — as we’re responsible for helping,” Salafonov said.
The goal now is momentum — more buildings, more awareness and, ultimately, more birds completing their flight south.
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