By Gus Saltonstall
Leading New York City bird groups have come out strongly against the fake-bird drone show that is slated for Saturday night in Central Park over safety concerns amid migration season.
The performance, dubbed “Franchise Freedom” and created by the Dutch studio DRIFT, will feature 1,000 drones that fly over Central Park with movements that mimic 10 years of starling flight behavior data.
“This is a VERY BAD IDEA, light pollution during peak bird migration, which by the way is happening right now, poses a hazard for the millions of birds traveling over NYC on their migrations,” NYC Audubon, a nonprofit dedicated to conserving birds and their habitats in New York City, wrote on X (formerly twitter) Friday morning. “COULD WE MOVE THIS to after fall migration.”
The shows are currently slated for three 10-minute windows at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. within the iconic Manhattan green space.
NYC Audubon wasn’t the only bird organization to make a squawk on Friday morning about the drone show.
“It is mystifying that the makers of this bird-centric show and everyone involved in approving this do not seem to understand or care about bird migration and the importance of Central Park to migratory birds in fall,” Wild Bird Fund, the city’s only wildlife rehabilitation and education center, wrote in response to NYC’s Audubon’s post.
DRIFT did not immediately respond to West Side Rag’s request for comment, but a Parks Department spokesperson told Patch, which was the first publication to report the pushback against the drone show, that the show’s organizers have “been in close contact” with Parks.
Additionally, DRIFT has updated its website Saturday morning with the message: “ALL PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND WILL PROCEED AS SCHEDULED.”
Upper West Side Councilmember Gale Brewer also joined the calls to cancel the drone show.
“I agree with NYC Audubon that drones in Central Park on Saturday night should be canceled; it is peak migration seasons and birds could be killed,” Brewer wrote in a comment on NYC Audubon’s post. “I have conveyed my opposition to the Parks Department and the Mayor’s Office. I am not opposed to drones. But not in Central Park at the height of bird migration.”
NYC Audubon previously estimated that close to 250,000 birds are killed each year due to light pollution attracting and disorienting birds as they migrate in the evening.
“Everything about this is puzzling and infuriating,” NYC Audubon wrote.
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NYC Bird Orgs Put Out Call To Cancel Central Park Drone Show: 'This Is A Very Bad Idea' - westsiderag.com
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