If you have found an injured bird call our hotline:

773 988 1867

 (***do not use email to report a bird in trouble***)

You may try to contain an injured bird in a paper bag or box.  Close the bag or box securely so that the bird does not escape and place in a quiet, dark area away from extreme heat or cold.  Do not offer the bird any food or water.  Call our hotline or a wildlife rehabilitation center for assistance.

Local wildlife rehabilitation centers:

Willowbrook Wildlife Center (630) 942 6200

Fox Valley Wildlife Center (630) 365 3800

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• Introduction

• CBCM History

• Solutions

INTRODUCTION

First, a little information on our program.... The Chicago Bird Collision Monitors is an all volunteer, hands-on, grass-roots conservation effort for migratory birds. We work to rescue birds injured from striking buildings and we mitigate the risks of bird-building collisions by educating the public and working with building managers and architects to find solutions. Most people don't know that birds hitting glass and buildings is one of the top killers of migratory birds. The estimates are chilling and top out at 1 billion birds....a year.... in the US alone!!!!

Fortunately, this is a solvable problem. Already, we have saved thousands of birds in Chicago by getting managers to turn out their display and lobby lights. We directly rescued over 1,000 birds during the Fall 2007 season, and most of these birds were successfully released after treatment.

Our cooperative relations with building managers, security staff, sweepers, doormen and office workers play a significant role in helping save more birds.    The CBCM HOTLINE responds to thousands of bird collision calls from the public each year.

During migration most of our Chicago building managers now participate in our efforts to save migrants. From mid-August to mid-November and from mid-March to mid-June, many buildings in the loop now dim or extinguish their rooftop display lighting and lobbies after 11pm. This makes a tremendous difference in the sheer numbers of birds that are injured and killed in collisions. Ken Wysocki and Robbie Hunsinger saw this firsthand in fall 2002 before CBCM existed.

There was a heavy night of migration on September 10th, 2002.  All of the lights were on downtown and birds were circling rooftop lights, hitting buildings and literally falling out of the sky all night long and well into the morning hours. It was horrendous as birds were found on downtown sidewalks and streets of Chicago with very few survivors. After picking up nearly 80 dead birds, Robbie Hunsinger came home and started looking up phone numbers for building managers and contacting them. Through her efforts that day, the majority of rooftop lights were out by the following night and the drop in fatalities and injuries was obvious.

We are happy to report that the Loop has gotten darker with each season.

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HISTORY

The Chicago Bird Collision Monitors project began in spring 2003. It was late spring 2002 when Robbie Hunsinger first monitored collisions. There was no monitoring program in place then, just one dedicated person going out to monitor for birds, Ken Wysocki. At that point, Ken and Robbie were mainly documenting fatalities. There was a terrible fallout in Fall 2002 with all of the lights on downtown which motivated Robbie to get more involved and to try to get an organization formed to deal with this devastating conservation issue. She began contacting building managers and others downtown for assistance and began recruiting volunteers in fall 2002. Robbie officially founded the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors program in spring 2003, and the program has grown significantly since that time. In 2004 Chicago became the first US city to go dark during spring and fall bird migrations!  Thanks to our continued monitoring of night time lights, our follow- ups with managers, and our building recruitment efforts, a significant number of birds are flying safely over the downtown area. 

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SOLUTIONS

In addition to rooftop lights, lit lobbies prove deadly for night migrating songbirds, especially when there is internal landscaping that attracts birds.  This is a risk that can be eliminated by dimming lobbies during the early morning hours.

If you have a problem window at home or work, please consider treating windows.  Find ways to make glass less transparent and less reflective.

Check out our page on reducing collisions.

If you have a problem at your home or office please contact us and we will be happy to help you find an appropriate solution.

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If you would like to read more about the program, Chicago Wilderness Magazine's Summer 2003 issue has an article here.

The following is a link to this Spring's two-part Daily Herald story on bird rescue and protection: click here for part 1 and here  for part 2.

Bird protection efforts are featured in this spring's Humane Society of the United States "All Animals" magazine: click here .

Learn about the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors in the spring 2008 edition of the Habitat Herald: click here .

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CONTACT US

HOTLINE 773 988 1867

(revised 4/20/09) © Contents are property of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors,  all rights reserved.