Six Bird Friendly Actions You Can Take Today
words by Edward Warden
photos by Robyn Detterline
In the wake of the October 5 mass bird mortality event at McCormick Place and throughout the city, many Chicagoans have asked one very important question: What can I do?
It’s a simple question but often met with a complicated answer. While the journey to make Chicago a bird friendly city has been anything but simple and mired in a legacy of complex politics, there are still some very simple and concrete actions that anyone can take. Here are COS’s six recommendations for things you can do today to help Chicago become a safer city for birds.
Sign the Petition
McCormick Place management has resisted taking even the most basic steps to protect birds at their facility. They have known the building’s impact on birds for years but choose time and again to do nothing. But in the aftermath of October 5, there are signs that they are finally listening. Join us and our Bird Friendly Chicago partners in signing this petition and call on McCormick place to fully institute a lights out policy.
Contact Your Alderperson
Your local Alderperson wields a lot of power on issues like this. They may not even be aware of the problem or threats that birds face in Chicago. This is your chance to educate them not only on the problem, but how they can use that power to make Chicago safer for birds. The most effective way to do this is with a phone call. So call them and encourage them to do two things: pressure the Department of Planning to fully adopt the Bird-Friendly Design Sustainable Development Policy, and consider passing a proper city ordinance much like Local Law 15 in New York City, which would be even more impactful.
Windows treated with Feather Friendly bird tape.
Birdproof Your Glass
Conservation starts at home. While buildings downtown are more notorious for their impact, birds strike windows all across the city on buildings both short and tall. And it all adds up. By taking the time to ensure the glass in you home, office, or home office are safe, you can take a serious bite out of Chicago’s avian death toll. There are tons of options on the market that fit all kinds of needs, styles, and budgets. You can find an extensive list here.
If you like their products, COS has a long-standing partnership with Feather Friendly to offer a 10% discount on their bird tape using the code COS10%Discount at checkout.
CBCM volunteer Erin Kennelly rescues a Northern Flicker at the BMO Tower at 320 S. Canal on April 19, 2023.
Volunteer with Chicago Bird Collision Monitors (CBCM)
At the end of the day, it is the daily and diligent work of CBCM volunteers that ensures dead birds are picked up and accounted for, and that any birds that survive a collision get rescued and given the care they need. The work isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is essential. If you are willing to give one morning a week during migration to the cause, they are always in need of volunteers. You can also volunteer by patrolling your own place of work, responding to hotline calls, and driving injured birds to rehab centers in the suburbs. You can learn more and sign up on their website.
Educate Yourself; Educate Others
Despite the incredible media coverage and the decades of work and research done on bird collisions, most people (friends, family, colleagues, and even fellow birders) still have no idea that bird collisions are a problem, why it happens, how big of a problem it is, or what can be done. By educating ourselves, we can ensure that we share accurate and up to date information with others. People don’t take action for problems they don’t understand, but many more will if we make the problem clear and understandable. Below are a number of excellent resources on this topic:
A comprehensive overview of bird collisions.
An explanation of why birds hit glass.
Ae explanation of what happened in Chicago on October 5.
Information about Bird Friendly Chicago and the collective work being done.
The latest update on the Chicago ordinance and bird friendly regulations.
Donate
Last but not least, most of the organizations that have been doing the hard work of getting Chicago as far as we have come are doing so with volunteers on a shoestring budget. If you want to give, here are some of the key organizations that have and continue to do the critical work.
Pushing Chicago to become a safe city for migratory birds has been a decades long process, and reaching our vision of bird safe utopia will take many more years. We don’t expect big changes overnight, and this list will likely change as we adjust our strategies in the face of shifting social, political, and environmental climates. But with your help and support through these individual actions, we can get there.