I have always loved the annual Tribute In Light which illuminates the night sky every 9/11 in honor of the people we lost that day. When I lived in Manhattan, the lights were visible from my roof and I always make a point of taking the time to observe their simple beauty. Now that I live in Queens, all I could see was a bright reflection in the clouds - but for some reason it's still comforting to know the lights are there shining brightly every year.
This year, according to Gothamist, they had to shut the lights off for about a half-hour because it was becoming a bird-magnet...
The lights had to be shut off around 11 p.m. after a group of about a thousand birds flew into the lights. The New York City Audubon Society had warned the folks running Tribute of Light about confusing the birds, and ordered the lights to be shut off. The beams were turned on about a half an hour later, and not as many birds returned. A similar bird gathering happened in 2004, and the Audubon Society warned the birds were "seemingly unable to break away - and in danger of depleting crucial fat reserves needed to carry them to their southern wintering grounds."
Next year - the tenth anniversary of the attacks - will be the last scheduled showing of the Tribute - although there is talk of making it permanant. To do so they would need a long-term commitment of open space or a rooftop - such as the one they use now...
I really hope they can figure out a way to keep those lights shining into the heavens for many years to come.
5 comments:
Loverly and peaceful.
I wonder is a different color, or combination of wave lengths would deter the birds?
it looks kind of scary from queens, to be honest... i mean, we know what we're looking at, but if we didn't, it'd look like a still from a movie. anyway, i think it should be permanent, too ~ or at least commit for the next 10 years. donald trump was running his mouth about buying the park 51 property to preserve america's freedom, perhaps he could be convinced to provide a spot for the lights once a year?
Amazing tribute, hope they have a way to keep it going for another decade.
One of those pictures made it look like an alien beam of light shooting down from the clouds! Must be a wonderful sight to see. Too bad about the migrating birds. I can see where the light confuses them.
I bet it was beautiful to see
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