On dark, foggy nights, it seems like something sinister might be happening outside.

It's called birdkill, and it happens more often than you might think during such conditions.

John Davis, president of the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, made an appearance at the Springfield planning board meeting last Thursday night to discuss the frequency with which birds fly into cell phone towers and die.

The numbers are staggering. According to Davis, an estimated four to forty million birds per year have the misfortune of their migratory route getting interrupted by a cell tower. Springfield board member Bill Harman pointed out that birds fly along specific trajectories and that too often, this fact is overlooked when cell towers are being constructed. As many as 230 species, including 52 that are threatened or endangered, have been affected by the technology.

Then there's the added problem of birds being attracted to red light used to mark towers.

"A lot of places consider using white strobe lights," said Davis, who stressed that he uses a cell phone and isn't anti-tower. "Or make sure that the tower is under one 199 feet tall, because then lights aren't necessary."

Clustering towers, removing them once they're no longer in use and having more than one telecommunications company utilizing a tower minimizes the threat to birds.

James Gabriel of Tectonic Engineering and Albany attorney Scott Olsen, representing Crown Castle, one of the cell tower companies looking to set up shop in Springfield, were on hand to present information.

A total of four applications are slated for discussion by the board. American Cell Tower Management of Syracuse is seeking to erect a tower on Texas Road.

SBA of Guilderland wants to build their tower on Briar Hill Road, on the property of Kermit and Myron Fassett.

A fourth application lists the name Ken Fassett, who has an address in Cherry Valley, as owner of a site where a potential tower might be erected. Crown Castle is hoping to build a tower on Doc McShane Road.

According to Olsen, Crown Castle plans to lease space to a number of telecommunications companies, minimizing the number of towers necessary to accommodate cell phone users in the Springfield area.

Board chairman Jim Willsey suggested that the board move cautiously with the applications.