We’ve got another great Ask a Bird Nerd question! This time, we’re looking at why birds of prey, primarily hawks and owls, will decapitate some of the songbirds they hunt.
Mergansers at Dawn
Pine silhouettes gathered the first light along their edges, and the morning seemed suspended between night and day. The surface lay still, holding its breath. I arrived at dawn, before the park’s quiet would yield to footsteps and voices, hoping to encounter the birds in the brief hour when the lake still belonged to them.
If Mother Nature Assembled an Easter Basket
We know that Mother Nature follows her own calendar of the seasons, and has no need for our human holidays to mark the entry of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. But, if she were to put together an Easter Basket, what eggs might we find in it? How, and why, do the eggs of so many bird species become colorful and distinctive?
CBA Environmental Awards Brunch and Annual Meeting: Register Now!
Action Alert! Opportunity for more south lakefront bird habitat
How to Help Birds This Spring Migration Season
"Birds of North America” Review: More Than Just Birds
Presidential Birds
Interview with Adam Bianchi, General Superintendent of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County
The Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) are 70,000+ acres of diverse habitats and recreational areas, and Adam Bianchi is the one in charge of overseeing it all. As the General Superintendent of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, he manages a balance between preserving the land and ensuring people can enjoy the natural resources inherent to the area. The Chicago Bird Alliance had the privilege of interviewing Adam and learning more about his background, his conservation philosophy, and his priorities for FPCC, among other items of note.
A Beautiful Relationship – Between Bird and Plant
Ask a Bird Nerd: Are Urban Squirrels Not Tasty?
We’re answering our first question to Ask a Bird Nerd! Do our local raptors pass on squirrel opportunities? What’s your question about birds? How do birds do what they do? Why do birds do what they do? They can be such fascinating, puzzling creatures. Send us your question and we’ll do our best to answer it.
Black History Month Conservation Resources
Friend or Fowl? The Iconic Canada Goose
Act Now to Save the Act!
New rules proposed by the Department of the Interior significantly weaken the Endangered Species Act. Our friends at the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) have made it easy to alert your Members of Congress of your concerns. Read below for what is at stake.
Ask a Bird Nerd
CBA Gift Guide
Still looking for the perfect gift, or are you ready to treat yourself after a long year? Check out the CBA gift guide! We’ve included ideas for last-minute holiday presents that tie back to the Chicago Bird Alliance, from Rosemary Mosco being the keynote speaker at the Urban Birding Festival and Amar Ayyash speaking at the annual member meeting in March, to recognizing local birder and involved CBA member Riley Phoebus Mazok and, most importantly, appreciating the Piping Plovers who made Chicago their home. These gifts are sure to make any Chicago birder merry this holiday season!
A Tale of Two Cranes
Picture a nest of cattails, sedges and weeds, lit by the spring sun, that holds an olive-colored, gray-speckled egg. Every day for 30 days or so, beginning in April and ending in May, the proud parents take turns incubating this egg. Finally it cracks open, revealing a Greater Sandhill Crane chick covered in down feathers…
Spot the Owl, Respect the Owl: Tips to responsibly observing visiting Snowy Owls
With the arrival of Snowy Owls at Montrose Beach back towards the end of November, it’s good to remember that these birds can be easily negatively impacted by human interaction, causing stress and disrupting hunting. It’s common birding practice to follow several important steps, including keeping a respectful distance, that’ll protect the Snowy Owls during the winter season and allow other birders to safely observe them as well!
Halloween Disguises for Birds
If birds ever observed their human neighbors parading around one October night, looking decidedly unlike themselves, and wanted to celebrate their own version of Halloween, some could hide their identity with little effort. Below are five examples of ways one bird can look like another, given their existing similarities
