Windy City Bird Lab seeks to raise awareness of Chicagoland’s bird population and make environmental science more accessible through project-based community learning opportunities while providing technological support to local research and conservation efforts.

The vision is to empower environmental stewardship through collaboration and technology.

As fiscal sponsor, The Illinois Audubon Society is proud to support The Windy City Bird Lab, a new initiative dedicated to raising awareness of Chicagoland’s bird population and democratizing access to environmental science.

By combining technology, education, and community engagement, the lab is striving to make science accessible to everyone.

Windy City Bird Lab’s core efforts include maintaining the Chicago Bird Migration Monitoring Network in collaboration with the Migration Biology Lab at UI-UC and the Lipshutz Lab at Duke University, developing the Grosbeak Nocturnal Flight Call Monitor used on the network, and creating interactive web apps and print materials to promote bird education and awareness.

Windy City Bird Lab will also take on innovative side projects to support conservation and scientific research, such as developing a Black-crowned Night Heron decoy and custom scientific tools for the Field Museum.

Along with these efforts, plans are to host bird walks, park cleanups, and workshops in neighborhoods like Belmont-Cragin, Humboldt Park, West Lawn, and the Loop, encouraging diverse communities to connect with the natural world around them.

Long Term Goals

• To build a community of practice supporting bird conservation using open-sourced technologies
• To establish an Environmental Technology Center in Chicago
• To support campaigns for building bird awareness in Chicago

Current Projects

• The Chicagoland Bird Migration Monitoring Network
• Wings Over the Windy City
• Grosbeak Bioacoustic Microphone
• Chicago Night Heron Decoys

Here’s how your tax-deductible donation can help empower their work:

• $30 – Sponsor a spool of filament for 3D printing hardware
• $50 – Sponsor a community bird outing
• $250 – Support the development of bird education materials
• $500 – Sponsor a month at our incubator, mHub
• $1,000 to $1,500 – Fund the deployment of a new station for the Chicago Bird Migration Monitoring Network

Donations by check should be made out to “Illinois Audubon Society” and mailed to PO Box 2547, Springfield IL 62708.