Helping feathered friends in the city

Broadway won't be dimming its lights, but some of New York City's tallest buildings will be going dark this fall - for the sake of birds.

Lofty towers including the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center have all agreed to dim or shut off their lights from midnight until dawn to help ensure safe passage of migrating birds.

In just two migratory seasons, the New York City Audubon counted 90,000 birds that were killed in collisions with New York City buildings. That carnage prompted a request starting back in 2005 to the Big Apple's skyscrapers to please dim their lights or even shut them off in the middle of the night from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1 to help prevent the birds from plowing into the buildings.

Drawn by the glow of the city lights the birds become blinded and confused and fail to see the concrete and glass stretched out before them, said Glenn Phillips, executive director of New York City Audubon.

Mr. Phillips is especially pleased that this year the program has gotten its best response ever, with a number of the city's biggest and most recognizable skyscrapers participating.

We applaud the effort, too.

Fixing Social Security or plugging the federal deficit aren't problems easily solved, but flicking a switch to make the flight of birds headed south safer, well, yes New York City, that you can do.