2024 Bird Art Contest - Help Us Select a Winner
Lights Out After 11 p.m. During Migration
Lights Out! Chicago asks buildings to turn off or dim bright antenna, rooftop and display lights from 11 pm to sunrise every spring and fall migration season. This act saves the lives of thousands of birds who would otherwise be attracted from their nightly travels towards the confusing city lights.
Volunteers Needed
Respecting Owls: Ethical Owl Viewing and Photography
A Year of Helping Birds: Vote for Candidates and Speak Out on Legislation That Helps Birds
A Year of Helping Birds: Responsible Pet Ownership
A Year of Helping Birds: Become a Community Scientist
A Year of Helping Birds: Go Birding!
A Year of Helping Birds: Avoid Harmful Pesticides
Pesticides are used to kill unwanted pests - insects and rodents, mainly, and they’re used everywhere: on farms, in our homes, lawns and gardens. Tragically, pesticides don’t just stop at their intended targets - often they kill birds (and bees and butterflies and other animals), resulting in at least 67 million bird deaths every year in the U.S. There are safer alternatives.
A Year of Helping Birds: Make Migration Safe: Windows, Lights and Bird-Safe Design
Every year, up to a billion birds are killed by crashing into windows, greatly reducing already decreasing overall bird populations. It’s a terrible death, killing birds in their prime as they migrate to start new families in their breeding grounds. We can prevent many of these deaths by turning off lights at night during migration, and making windows less reflective.
A Year of Helping Birds: Provide Habitat - Plant Native Plants and Leave the Leaves
Bird populations are dropping drastically and much of this is the result of habitat loss. Native plants are a primary source of habitat for birds; they supply food, shelter, and nesting for raising their young. Learn how you can help birds survive and thrive by planting natives in your yard, patio, or window box.
A Year of Helping Birds: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
Carbon emissions and climate change are affecting birds in many negative ways, reducing food and habitat, and placing many bird species into a precarious struggle for survival. Reducing your carbon footprint is complex and sometimes difficult, but challenging yourself to make a few changes can be empowering.
A Year of Helping Birds: Flex Your Spending Power
Coffee, burgers, and toilet paper - they don’t seem like they have anything to do with birds, but they do: they all require land to grow, and so do birds! This month we’re going to explain how these common products are produced and how their production often hurts birds. Most importantly, we’re going to give you bird-friendly alternatives.
A Year of Helping Birds
Chicago Bird Report - September
Chicago Bird Report - August
Check out our new video series identifying awesome birds you can find in the Chicago area - Chicago Bird Report. Often we travel to unusual under-birded areas to locate and explain hard-to-find birds. Here’s our second episode, where we traveled to Park 566, along Lake Michigan on the far south side of Chicago.
Volunteers Needed - Share and grow your Instagram skills
Chicago Audubon needs your Instagram passion!
We’ve grown our IG audience to nearly 3,000 in 2 years, but we need (volunteer) help to keep growing! Are you a talented communicator? Do you love bird photography and telling local conservation stories?
You don’t need to be a photographer or an expert birder, but a knowledge of Instagram - posts, stories and videos, along with an eye for design, and expertise in communications is important. And time - we need volunteers who can donate at least 1-2 hours a week.
Chicago Bird Report - July
Check out our new video series identifying awesome birds you can find in the Chicago area - Chicago Bird Report. Often we travel to unusual under-birded areas to locate and explain hard-to-find birds. Here’s our first episode, where we traveled to Orland Park, behind a Costco parking lot - we call it the Orland Costco Slough.
Action Alert: Comment on Kankakee Refuge due August 13
The USFW is seeking comments on a draft visioning document for the Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in Kankakee and Iroquois counties, Illinois. Please take 5 minutes to express your support for the Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. A simple email and affirmation of your support is all that is required. Send your email in support to: R3Planning@fws.gov (subject line “Kankakee NWR LPP Comment”).