Chicago Bird Collision Monitors

06/05/2026

Join us! along with the groups that are working together to promote a Chicago City Ordinance that will require bird-friendly building design for new construction and major building renovations.

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors has joined with partners over the last decade to petition Chicago to mandate protections that will make the city safer for migratory and resident bird populations.

Our proposed ordinance was tabled in March, and we need a majority of aldermen to cosponsor or vote yes to bring this ordinance back for review.

Follow this link to our partner webpage where you'll find the message we want to give to Chicago:
🐦 https://chicagocollisionscoalition.org/ 🐦

🐦Send a letter!
🐦Share this link with friends and family in Chicago!
🐦Sign up with our Bird Friendly Chicago aldermanic outreach to join a team that meets with your alderman's office!
🐦Let city officials know that protecting birds matters to all of us!

05/25/2026

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/22/migratory-bird-collisions/

As millions of migratory birds pass through Chicago each spring, volunteers race to rescue injured birds and document deadly window collisions while advocates push for bird-safe building laws.

05/10/2026

Just in time for Mother's Day! CBCM volunteers Amy, Jerry, and Therese relocated a mother mallard and her 13 ducklings from an enclosed courtyard on the College of DuPage campus.

One of the ducklings had managed to fall through a grate and ended up in a 10-foot-deep pit. But with the assistance of COD Police Officer Reyes, the duckling was retrieved and quickly reunited with the family.

The family was released on a large pond on campus where they will no doubt be much happier.

04/21/2026

Check out the John Landecker show (7-10pm, WGN Radio 720) to hear his interview with CBCM Director Annette Prince.

Interview has been postponed until Thursday, probably around 8:30

04/18/2026

DOES THIS GOOSE NEED HELP???
NO!
Thousands are nesting in parking lots throughout the area in April, May, and June. Well-meaning people may see a goose sitting on the ground and assume it must be sick or injured but it may just be nesting.

Geese and ducks regularly make their nests in parking lots, courtyards, and rooftops. These locations are not particularly safe because they and their young can be injured or killed, but their instincts drive them to nest in open areas where they can see approaching threats.

CAN THIS GOOSE/NEST BE MOVED???
NO!
Once eggs are laid, it is illegal to handle the nest/eggs.

Additionally, if the nest/eggs are moved, the mother will not follow to a new location.

SHOULD WE FEED THEM???
NO!
Leaving food for the nesting birds can attract predators such as raccoons or rats to the nest. Female geese prepare for incubation by fattening up beforehand. They may leave the nest to feed at times (while the male stands guard) but can go the entire incubation period without eating if necessary.

Feeding them bread, or other unnatural foods, can also cause irreversible problems with the goslings' bone and feather development (angel wing).

HOW DO WE STOP THEM FROM ATTACKING?
Sometimes geese become aggressive when they nest in a space frequented by humans. Particularly the male, who patrols the area and protects the female while she is sitting on the eggs and tending to the babies.

Fencing, or some other type of barrier around the nesting area can keep people a safe distance away and make the geese feel less threatened. Warning signs can help, too.

WHAT ABOUT AFTER THEY HATCH?
A few days after the babies hatch, the parents usually attempt to walk them to a nearby lake or pond. Unfortunately, in many of these cases, there may not be a pond nearby, or there are dangers on the way.

Geese nesting in parking lots are obviously at risk from cars and trucks.

It may be difficult or impossible for goslings hatched on a rooftop to get to the ground on their own. If the roof is under two stories, the goslings may survive a jump to the ground, but if they are trapped on the roof by high walls or too high to safely jump, they may need help.

CBCM provides guidance or assistance for dozens of these cases every year. However, with tens of thousands of nesting geese, this is often more than time, resources and volunteer availability can handle.

IS THERE ANY WAY TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING?
Again, once eggs are laid, it is illegal to disturb the nest in any way. The best solution is to prevent the geese from nesting there in the first place.

Draping safety/mesh netting temporarily over a planter or green space can prevent geese/ducks from nesting there.

Or fill a planter with decorative display items - sticks, pinwheels (see photo) which block any open spaces.

If they don't have room to sit, they don't have room to build a nest!

Geese are making choices to use spaces within our urban setting that we cannot control, and all we can do is try to keep them as safe as possible!

04/14/2026

Cruel treatment.
Amazing rescue!
Miraculous recovery!

This goose was maliciously shot with a dart gun through its neck. It continued to diligently guard its mate who was setting up a nest at an Elgin office park.

Although the goose could fly, Chicago Bird Collision Monitors persisted in finding a way to corner and catch it.

Amazingly, the dart passed through its neck, avoiding the trachea, esophagus, vertebrae, and major vessels.

Hopefully all will heal and "Cupid" can rejoin his mate to raise their family!

Canada geese are a protected species. Report any individuals seen harming or harassing them to officials at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

04/09/2026

If you haven't had a chance to see "Broken Flight," a documentary featuring the work CBCM does to protect birds, here's your chance. Following the film, CBCM Director Annette Prince will hold a Q&A.

Other activities at the event:
• Bird Collision Project in the Anthropocene
• Prosser Community Garden tour by Chicago Farm Lab
• Nature walk with Trillium Wilds

Saturday, April 11; 10 am – 2 pm
Prosser Career Academy
2148 N Long Ave, Chicago

03/10/2026

Help us help birds migrating through Chicago this spring!
Attend one of our upcoming trainings to learn how to help our work downtown.

We have 4 training dates set:

12:30 to 2:30 pm
at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N. Cannon Dr., Chicago

• Saturday March 21
• Sunday March 29
• Sunday April 12
• Sunday April 26

Call 773 456-2473 to register. Pre-registration is required – sessions may be cancelled if attendance is too low.

02/19/2026

Spring has sprung! At least according to the woodcocks.

Woodcocks are always one of the first species to begin migrating in the spring and we just had our first one of the year.

So as we head into another migration season, keep an eye out for any birds on the ground that may have hit the windows overnight. If you see one, call the hotline with the location. Or even better, gently place the bird in a box (with a lid) or paper bag folded over and clipped (yes, they can still breathe) and then call the hotline so we can figure out how to get the bird into care.

Research has shown that any bird on the ground following a window strike should be examined by a veterinarian before release. Often there are internal injuries that prove fatal later even if the bird appears to recover and flies off.

02/07/2026

We are sad to report that the herring gull that was rescued from the light pole last Tuesday had to be humanely euthanized due to the severity of its injuries – extensive damage to the leg that had been trapped and multiple broken bones in both wings.

We are sorry this lovely bird could not be returned to the wild, but we are glad it was not abandoned and that it was given a chance. It passed away cared for and protected. Thanks again, to everyone who helped.

Numerous people have asked what could be done to prevent such an unfortunate situation. Although it cannot always be anticipated or prevented, take a moment to check around your home's outdoor structures - poles, bird feeders, awnings, lawn chairs, etc. – for potential dangers. For example, a narrow gap where two surfaces come together to form a "V" shape that could trap a bird's wing or leg. (See picture below.) Blocking off these gaps with tape or wood, etc. in locations that birds frequent could prevent any other birds from getting trapped. Loose netting or broken metal can cause problems as well.

If you are not familiar with the amazing rescue, here is a link to a report at WGN, Ch. 9. https://wgntv.com/video/suburban-tree-service-company-rescues-seagull/11492436/