200 Million Reasons to Flip the Switch Off Tonight in Missouri

Since I am a dad who pays the utility bill, I am always in favor of turning off lights. Now, there's another reason not connected to the cost of electricity that you should consider. Actually, there are more than 200 million reasons it would be a good idea to go dark in Missouri tonight.

This subject came to mind as I was scrolling Facebook today and saw a status update from Meteorologist Chris Vickers. He was reminding all of us that now is a crucial time to go dark at night especially in Missouri.

In case you're having difficulty seeing his share on your device, here's a snippet of what he said:

"HEADS UP: Over 200,000,000 birds were in flight for the start of the annual Fall migration overnight! The colder than average weather has jumpstarted the migration...YOU CAN HELP — turn off your outdoor lights!"

Chris is not wrong and, if you can see the map he shared on Facebook, you'll see that Missouri is in the heart of the region where migrating birds are flying south. As Vox shared, birds can use starlight to navigate their flight path. Lights on the ground can disorient the birds and cause many of them to perish. The main concern are outdoor lights like you might have near your driveway or porch. Indoor lights don't seem to affect the migrating birds quite as much, but if you decide to dim the lights and do a movie night, all the better. The birds will be better off because of your light-sensitive kindness.