ALAN traps Silver Gulls?

By peter, on January 16th, 2019

In the December 2018 issue of Wingspan, there's an article about the dangers of ALAN (artificial light at night) to birds because it upsets their night navigation abilities (Fatal Attraction, John Peter, p53). It offers Silver Gulls as a local example:

"Silver Gulls provide the most conspicuous examples of ALAN-related discombulation in Australia, with their white forms obvious as they swirl above floodlit city landmarks or night matches at arenas."

I'd always believed the story that they're feeding on flying insects, not confused and lost. Is that story wrong?

Peter Shute

Birding-Aus

1 comment to ALAN traps Silver Gulls?

• peter

  January 22, 2019 at 6:14 am

  Apologies, the magazine is Australian Birdlife, not Wingspan. It appears it changed name about 7 years agoPeter Shute
  

  From: Birding-Aus <birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org> On Behalf Of Peter ShuteSent: 16 January 2019 8:12 AMTo: New birding-aus <birding-aus@birding-aus.org>Subject: [Birding-Aus] ALAN traps Silver Gulls? In the December 2018 issue of Wingspan, there's an article about the dangers of ALAN (artificial light at night) to birds because it upsets their night navigation abilities (Fatal Attraction, John Peter, p53). It offers Silver Gulls as a local example:"Silver Gulls provide the most conspicuous examples of ALAN-related discombulation in Australia, with their white forms obvious as they swirl above floodlit city landmarks or night matches at arenas." I'd always believed the story that they're feeding on flying insects, not confused and lost. Is that story wrong? Peter Shute<HR>
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