Lights Out, Dallas!

Spring 2025 • April Updates

Every Bird Matters!

Spring peak migration is about to take flight! While we were sleeping, an estimated 37 million birds were on the move—and over 221,200 passed through Dallas County this Tuesday morning. Yet many won’t complete their journey north to breed.

In North Texas, more people are learning how light pollution threatens migrating birds—and they're taking action, from the ground up and top down. From citizens to cities, we are all part of the migration story.

Let’s do what we can to protect it. Every step counts!

A screenshot from BirdCast, a tool that provides real-time bird migration forecasts—developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado State University, and UMass Amherst.

Bird—Building Survey Updates

Over the first four weeks of surveys this spring, volunteers have documented 26 collisions in downtown Dallas.

The top two bird families represented are New World Sparrows (Passerellidae), making up 65% of all collisions, and Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae), accounting for 23%. As migration intensity has increased over the past month, so have collisions (see graph below).

Bird—building collisions documented in downtown Dallas so far this spring

Surveys are conducted three days per week during non-peak migration, meaning the numbers we’ve recorded likely reflect only a small portion of the total collisions occurring downtown.

With peak migration just around the corner, now is the time for all of us to help! Reducing nighttime lighting and making windows safer can make a big difference for birds!

Explore this newly launched 🔗 Bird Collision Prevention Alliance webpage for simple, affordable ways to prevent bird collisions at your home or business.

How Can Your City Take Action for Migratory Birds?

As one billion birds pass through Texas each spring and fall, cities have a unique opportunity to make a difference. For those new to the Lights Out, Texas! campaign, knowing where to start can feel overwhelming—but we’re here to help!

This season, we’ve created a City Engagement Guide to support municipalities in launching or expanding their Lights Out efforts. From engaging internal departments to raising awareness among residents, there are many ways to get involved. Access the link below to read more.

🔗 Link to Lights Out, DFW! City Engagement Guide

City Spotlight

🔊 The City of Grand Prairie has created a dedicated Lights Out webpage and actively promotes bird-friendly practices at city-hosted events. Their efforts show how even small steps can lead to a meaningful impact.

🔊 Play Frisco – Frisco Parks & Recreation has gone beyond passing a proclamation by engaging its Natural Resources Advisory Board and evaluating lighting at public buildings for improvements.

To better support communities across Texas, we're gathering best practices from participating cities to share ideas, foster collaboration, and keep the momentum going.

🙌 Is your city actively participating in Lights Out? We’d love to hear from you and highlight its efforts in a future spotlight!

(Left) Play Frisco engaging the Natural Resources Advisory Board on March 25; (Right) City of Grand Prairie’s Lights Out booth at The Big Event on March 22 (Photo credit: City of Grand Prairie)

Buildings & Tenants

Everyone has a role to play

Reunion Tower Dims Its Lights for Migratory Birds

The iconic 561-foot-tall Reunion Tower lights up the Dallas skyline to celebrate people, culture, community, and holidays. But during bird migration season, it shines in a different way—by going dark.

From April 14 to May 18, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., the tower’s lighted ball will remain off as part of an expanded Lights Out commitment. After five consecutive years of participation, Reunion Tower has gone even further this spring—dimming its lights beyond the peak migration window to help provide safer passage for millions of birds flying through Texas at night.

"We are proud to support the Lights Out initiative and do our part to protect migratory birds flying through Dallas," says Jenna Guinn, Marketing Manager. "It’s a small change that can make a big difference."

Join us in giving a big thank-you to Reunion Tower for leading by example—and help inspire more buildings in our communities to turn off non-essential lights during migration season.

🏢 If you live or work in an office building or high-rise apartment, you can help too! Simply close your blinds or curtains at night to reduce the amount of light escaping through windows and protect the night skies for birds and other wildlife that depend on darkness to thrive.

Examples of the Tower’s vibrant displays, along with a screenshot of their Facebook post announcing the Lights Out commitment—one that received support from more than 28,000 people! (Photo credits: top left – Goodgame Photography; bottom left – Reunion Tower; bottom right – IG: @d.smithphoto)

Community & Education Outreach

Lights Out, Texas! film screening and panel discussion at the Traphene Hickman Library in Cedar Hil on March 21

Event Recap

From hosting the Lights Out, Texas! film screening to tabling at community outreach events, the TCA team has been actively engaging with event-goers to raise awareness about bird collisions—and what we can do to prevent them.

As the Lights Out campaign continues to grow, we’ve expanded our messaging beyond light pollution to include the role of glass collisions. We’ve created visual aids to help the public better understand how windows—due to both reflection and transparency—can pose serious risks to birds.

These hands-on materials make it easier for people to visualize the problem and learn simple ways to make their homes safer for birds.

Visual aid illustrating how windows can be hazardous for birds—reflections of sky or trees and transparent glass can confuse birds, often leading to collisions

Upcoming events!

The TCA team will be at the following events to engage with the public. Stop by to learn more about our work and how you can get involved! For full event details, please visit the host organization’s website.

Bird—Building Collision Surveys

Peak Migration is Almost Here!

We’re adding an extra survey day on Wednesdays to monitor the migration peak. Join us in downtown Dallas to collect data and help rescue stunned birds.

📆 When:

🚩 Non-Peak Migration

March 11– April 21 & May 13 – June 1.

Tue, Fri, and Sun mornings

🚩 Peak Migration

April 22 -May 12

Tue, Wed, Fri, and Sun mornings

ALL surveys begin at 6 am and end around 8 am!

🔗 Volunteer Sign Up

📍Where:

Mornings start and end at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science Parking lot; see below in the "Parking Map" for the parking location and the correct entrance.

Upon arrival at the parking lot gates, press the Help button on the screen and inform the security team that you are there for the Lights Out, Dallas! bird monitoring surveys. This will grant you access to the parking spaces (see attached map).

🔗 Parking Map

🔦 Know Before You Go

Review the Volunteer Guide to familiarize yourself with the process.

🔗 Volunteer Guide

Kicking off Spring 2025 survey season on March 11! Volunteers were all smiles on the first day of surveying

Thank you to our partners and generous donors for their support, which enables us to continue our critical work in education and advocacy for safer environments for birds.