More than 3 million birds flew over Mecklenburg County on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 15, and Charlotte's City Council wants residents to help keep them safe.

Council member Kimberly Owens, who represents District 6, read a proclamation recognizing spring and fall as "Bird Safe Awareness Months" at the council's Sept. 15 meeting, WFAE reported. The proclamation asks residents and businesses to turn off nonessential lights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. during migration seasons, which run March through May and September through November. That includes Ballantyne homeowners and businesses along Johnston Road, Ballantyne Village and the Backyard.

The ask is simple. Bright, upward-facing lights confuse birds' biological navigation systems, causing them to circle and crash into buildings, according to Mary Claire Wall, a Wing Haven Bird Sanctuary volunteer who helped draft the proclamation with Mecklenburg Audubon.

"The birds are in crisis, and this is a little thing that we can do in Charlotte to help them survive migration," Wall told WFAE.

About 80 percent of migratory species fly at night, according to Wall, which is why the proclamation targets overnight hours. Up to a billion birds die annually from building collisions across the United States, WFAE reported.

On the night of the Sept. 15 meeting, Birdcast's radar-based migration dashboard recorded more than 3 million birds passing over Mecklenburg County. Avian traffic peaked at nearly half a million birds around 11 p.m.

The proclamation is voluntary. It does not impose fines or mandates on property owners.

Wall and Mecklenburg Audubon worked with Owens to write the proclamation. Wing Haven Bird Sanctuary is located at 248 Ridgewood Ave. in Charlotte's Myers Park neighborhood.

Instead of leaving exterior lights on all night, the proclamation suggests using warm, downward-facing lights controlled by timers or motion sensors. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also recommends closing curtains, avoiding blue lights and installing dimmers. Mecklenburg Audubon maintains a "Lights Out" resource page at meckbirds.org/lights-out.

Fall migration continues through November, and Birdcast's tracking tools remain active through Nov. 15.