Tune Up For Spring! Using eBird to Study Birds

Tune Up For Spring! Using eBird to Study Birds

Many of us know eBird as the app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that makes listing and sharing our bird observations easy. The eBird website also features useful information and ways to explore data: interactive maps, species profiles, and tools for analyzing sightings across years and geographic regions. But you may not know there are even more tools available to help you learn about birds.

Rally for Birds and People: Ducks not Dumps!

Rally for Birds and People: Ducks not Dumps!

The Confined Disposal Facility is a dump that juts out into Lake Michigan between two well-used birding locations, Steelworkers’ and Calumet Parks in Chicago. Our partners Environmental Law and Policy Center are suing on behalf of Friends of the Parks and Alliance of the Southeast to ensure that the Army Corps does not build a 25-foot tall dump at the site, which is slated to be turned over the the Chicago Park District. We held a rally to support them. Here’s a recap of the day.

Is Migration Happening Earlier?

Is Migration Happening Earlier?

It may be feeling like spring some days but it’s still winter! Sightings of typical spring migrants have already been reported in February. Should this be cause for concern? Perhaps not in some specific cases, but mild winters are affecting migratory patterns for numerous birds, such as the Swainson’s Thrush and Black-throated Blue Warbler. Check out this article for some good news, some not so good news… and what we can do to help birds during migration time!  

Photo Credit: Gregory Ball/Audubon Photography Awards

The Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat

 The Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat

On Valentine’s Day, the board of the Chicago Park District voted to approve the petition submitted by Chicago Piping Plovers on behalf of our organizations, requesting that the 2021 expansion of 3.1 acres to the Montrose Dunes Natural Area be named The Monty and Rose Wildlife Habitat, honoring one of Chicago’s most famous couples, Monty and Rose, the Great Lakes Piping Plovers.  

Update - Bird-Friendly Buildings Progress Stalled

Update - Bird-Friendly Buildings Progress Stalled

Despite developing an ordinance and guide that two other municipalities have already implemented - despite promising that regulations would be enacted a year ago - despite the international attention that the October debacle at McCormick Place where over 1000 birds died at one Chicago building in one morning - the Chicago Department of Planning and Development is dragging its feet. Your help is needed to end unnecessary bird deaths in Chicago.

2024 Chicago Bird Photography Contest

2024 Chicago Bird Photography Contest

Calling all shutterbugs and bird enthusiasts! We want you to capture the vibrant avian life of Chicago through your lens and participate in the inaugural "Chicago Birds Photography Contest." Photographers of all experience levels are invited to compete with winning submissions eligible for eternal bragging rights and cash prizes!

Connecting with Local Indigenous Tribes

Connecting with Local Indigenous Tribes

About a year and a half ago, Chicago Bird Alliance formed a committee to develop a land acknowledgment, an important part of our DEIJ plan. We didn’t want to do a performative document of words only, which meant we needed to make some relationships with local indigenous groups.

Luckily, we had a calling card. An anonymous donor gave us three painted lithographs from the book, History of the Indian Tribes of North America by Thomas Hall and James McKenney, James. Read about what we learned and join us on some interesting programs.