River Blitz Chicago!

Great Blue Heron photo by Carol Freeman

Let’s Get Outside, Separate But Together

We’re guessing you need to get outside and enjoy yourself.  Nature reduces stress, you know.

How about adding to our understanding of the bird life along Chicago’s rivers by adopting or visiting a site or two? From now until the end of June, three of Chicago’s bird clubs - Chicago Audubon Society, Chicago Ornithological Society and Illinois Ornithological Society - and the Friends of the Chicago River have joined together to add species to the eBird hotspots along the rivers.

Chicago’s Rivers are Important to Birds

There are many rivers within the city limits, including the Chicago River, the North Shore Channel, the Sanitary and Ship Canal, and the Calumet, Little Calumet and Des Plaines Rivers. This is a great time to document how important our rivers are for birds.  Many new developments are proposed along the river.  Groups such as the Chicago River Ecology & Governance Task Force and Great Rivers Chicago that are engaging in visioning and planning for the river would appreciate the data.

And you would appreciate a chance to get out and bird for a good cause!

Here’s How It Works

 The goal is to add as many species as possible to eBird sites along the river. Individuals or small groups (teams) can adopt a site or sites, and make as many visits as they like. (Please remember to follow CDC guidelines when you bird with others. Stay 6 feet apart, cover coughs and sneezes, wash or sanitize hands frequently, don’t touch your face, and do not join a group if you are sick.) To add a competition aspect, sites along the river have been divided into three leagues depending on how big their current eBird list is. In each league, whichever site adds the most birds to the eBird checklist will be the contest winner.

However, the contest is secondary to the goal of collecting avian data from these important sites. All participants will be celebrated at an upcoming Birds and Beers.

Sign up to start adding birds. Look over the list below, sign up using the button below, and give us your site selection(s). We’ll add your name or your team name to the table below, and we will update the totals regularly.

 This list below shows the different sites listed by river, roughly from north to south, in each league (click and scroll to see the full list). As people claim sites, we’ll update the list. A few sites (those with 0 species recorded) do not have eBird hotspots - if you choose one of those, we can work with you to request that a hotspot be added.