Bird migration

The number of trumpeter swans spotted at the Audubon Center at Riverlands in West Alton has swelled in recent decades, from just five in 1991 to nearly 900 last year.

When migrating songbirds get to a major city like St. Louis, light pollution can cause them to become disoriented or exhausted, and sometimes die. A new effort seeks to address the problem by encouraging businesses and individuals in the Midwest to turn off exterior lights during May and September.

For Joe Hoffmann, spring is like the dinner rush at a restaurant. But instead of customers, there are rows of hungry baby birds, demanding to be fed.“It’s…

The lights illuminating the Gateway Arch will go dark for two weeks beginning Monday.The decision is part of a biannual effort to avoid disrupting bird…