Call to Action: Bird Friendly Design Public Feedback

Please read this call to action and help us demand the implementation of the City of Chicago’s sustainable development policy that would require new projects through the Department of Planning and Development to meet bird-friendly design standards.

COS Blog

Writer Andrea Martinez takes a look at the Endangered Species Act on the 50th anniversary of its passing.

Eric Houghton walks us back through 2023 to remember the year that was in the Chicago birding world.

Kris Hansen dives into the ins and outs of the very human practice of feeding our wild feathered friends.

COS member and field trip leader Jorge Garcia writes about Riis Park and two of this year’s community events held there, including a bird walk facilitated by COS.

It's Christmas Bird Count season! With well near a dozen counts happening throughout the Chicagoland area, how does one get started? We've got you covered!

On October 18, the Bird Friendly Chicago coalition met with leadership from Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA) and McCormick Place. Here are some takeaways from that meeting and next steps for action.

Read the full press release by Bird Friendly Chicago, listing its demands for immediate action to make Chicago a bird friendly city.

Architect and former COS president Carl Giometti helps us navigate through the twisting path to bird friendly design legislature in Chicago. Learn where we are now, and where we go next.

COS president Edward Warden gives six actions the average citizen can take to help protect migratory birds in Chicago.

Get the latest update on COS’s LaBagh Woods restoration project and learn how you can help make a difference in this burgeoning habitat.

With the 2023 nighthawk monitoring season behind us, we are excited to now share some of the key results from the efforts of our amazing volunteers. Spoiler alert, they did in fact find nighthawks!

Earlier this year, a team of researchers and volunteers came together to identify and develop techniques to encourage Black-crowned Night-herons to explore additional rookery locations. Today, we’re excited to share an update on this project and some of the results of those efforts!

COS Vice President and Calumet Project committee chair Stephanie Beilke provides information about the fourth year of bird banding at Big Marsh.

COS was among several birding organizations contacted by Redfin Corporation for tips to create a bird haven in our yards and gardens. Check our their post to see what best practices were shared.

Guest blogger Maggie Van Dyke provides interesting facts about the Common Nighthawk.

With the 2022 pilot nighthawk monitoring season behind us, we are excited to now share some of the key results from the efforts of our amazing volunteers. Spoiler alert, they did in fact find nighthawks!

Learn about the efforts by UIUC researchers and local conservation groups to bring breeding herons back to Big Marsh.

LaBagh/Lower North Branch project chair Katy Krigbaum gives an update on the restoration work completed this spring.

Read about why COS celebrates Marian Byrnes, a Southeast Side conservation activist, during this Women’s History Month.