Illinois Audubon Society today announced a three-year, $384,000 capacity-building partnership to support the growth and development of the Chicago-based Windy City Bird Lab. These funds were made available by a generous bequest from Pamela Vawter, intended for the study and support of birds in Northeastern Illinois.

Windy City Bird Lab was founded in 2024 by J’orge Garcia to broaden access to birds and bird research across Chicago’s urban landscape. Drawing on his experience in STEM education and human-centered design to develop tools and learning environments, Garcia is now building a hub in the West Loop for tangible, community-centered work in urban bird conservation and research.

“J’orge’s fresh and innovative voice is a timely and valuable addition to the landscape of bird advocacy, and we are thrilled to help amplify it through our support of the Windy City Bird Lab,” said Jo Fessett, Executive Director of Illinois Audubon Society.

This new investment marks a significant milestone for Windy City Bird Lab and enables Garcia to transition the Lab into a new era led by a collaborative team of experienced nature educators and strategic leaders. Projects housed at Windy City Bird Lab include the Bird Migration Monitoring Network, the Grosbeak Bioacoustics System, and the Birds in My Neighborhood program.

“The growing demand to expand our services made it clear there was a real need for this work,” said J’orge Garcia, Executive Director of Windy City Bird Lab. “Partnering with Illinois Audubon Society allows the project to grow strategically and collaborate with Deja Perkins of Naturally Wild LLC and trusted environmental science educator Dave Bild to shape the future of our work.”

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A24 and its heron family need all the help they can get. These wading birds are declining across much of their historic range in the U.S., and are listed as a special-status species in 11 states. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign professor Mike Ward says the number of breeding colonies has dropped dramatically over the last 30 years as critical wetland habitats have been destroyed or degraded by agricultural and urban development.

“Continued anthropogenic disturbance has caused long-term colonies to be abandoned,” added Brad Semel, Illinois Department of Natural Resources endangered species recovery specialist. “This has been particularly true in Illinois, where the species has been listed as state-endangered since 1977. The single remaining major rookery is located at the Lincoln Park Zoo near downtown Chicago.”

Since the birds’ arrival in the Lincoln Park area in 2007, biologists with the zoo’s Urban Wildlife Institute have monitored the colony closely. They say it appears to be flourishing despite the inherent risks associated with nesting in a highly urbanized area. Henry Adams, UWI’s wildlife management coordinator, said over 300 breeding pairs fledged more than 400 chicks in 2023.

While Black-crowned night herons have a long history of urbanizing in North America, researchers don’t know exactly why this colony has been so successful in Chicago. They’re hoping to learn more about the herons’ habits — what they eat and where they spend time in the city — to help maintain that success. A big part of sustaining the colony’s health is ensuring high-quality habitat beyond city limits, along the birds’ annual migratory route. But until recently, researchers could only guess where they went.

That’s where A24 comes in.

Researchers at U. of I. teamed up with scientists from Lincoln Park Zoo and IDNR to unlock the secrets of the herons’ success in Chicago and beyond, leading to better-informed conservation strategies for the species. During the project’s pilot season in 2023, the team attached seven satellite transmitter “backpacks” onto adult and juvenile birds, including an individual dubbed A24, and banded an additional 20+ herons born that year. The transmitters collect GPS points of each tagged bird’s location every hour.

“So far, these transmitters have shown us that birds are utilizing a wide variety of natural and human-made water bodies across the cityscape, some of which are hydrologically influenced by Lake Michigan while others are managed by state and public agencies,” said Ward, Stuart L. and Nancy J. Levenick Chair in Sustainability in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES), part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at U. of I. “We hope to triple the number of tagged birds in 2024, significantly increasing the scale of this program and enhancing our knowledge of the behavior and ecology of the heron in the Great Lakes region and along their migratory routes.”

Data collected from birds tagged during the 2023 breeding season are starting to provide some fascinating insights.

“A24 went on a particularly interesting journey after leaving Chicago in late July 2023,” said Sarah Slayton, an NRES master’s student working with Ward. “After the bird completed the breeding season, it surprisingly departed to the north and ended up spending several months fueling up for migration in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In mid-September it began its weeklong southern flight down to Florida, ultimately settling on the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Brighton Reservation in Glades County.”

The selection of the Brighton Seminole Reservation was a smart move for A24, as there are extensive ongoing natural resource management efforts on the Reservation. The Seminole Tribe of Florida lands span more than 90,000 acres in one of the nation’s most sensitive, ecologically important areas of the Everglades.

“The Tribe holds a unique relationship with the environment, where connections with the landscape and ecological communities are culturally significant. Diverse habitats and wildlife have sustained the Tribal communities throughout Seminole history by providing food, shelter, and medicinal resources,” said Kari Eckel, the Tribe’s environmental science manager. “The Seminole Tribe continues to take pride in managing natural resources for not only the benefit of Tribal communities, but in support of the sensitive wildlife and ecological communities which comprise the greater Everglades region.”

A24 has just returned to Chicago after its arduous 1,500-mile journey from the Seminole wetlands. The research team will continue to analyze its movement data to identify and evaluate the quality of the habitats it selects throughout the year.

“This project really illustrates the coordination needed to conserve our migratory birds,” Ward said. “Whether it is volunteering to help clean up a wetland, leaving an area on your property for wildlife habitat, reducing the use of pesticides, or contributing to conservation organizations, we all can help protect our migratory birds and ultimately our environment.”

This research is made possible with the support of the Bird Conservation Network, Chicago Black-crowned Night-Heron Project, Chicago Park District, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Audubon Society, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Environmental Resources Department.

Sources:
Mike Ward, mpward@illinois.edu
Sarah Slayton, slayton4@illinois.edu;
Henry Adams, hadams@lpz.org;
Liz Lehrer, llehrer@lpz.org;
Brad Semel, Brad.Semel@Illinois.gov;
Karli Eckel, KarliEckel@semtribe.com

News writer:
Lauren Quinn, 217-300-2435, ldquinn@illinois.edu

Date:
June 10, 2024

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The public is invited to help Audubon members and friends document as many birds, flowering plants and insects as we are able to, at War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, located 5 miles north of Golconda at 228 Bushwack Rd, Golconda IL. The Blitz will run from predawn (4:30 AM) to 3 PM. No reservations needed, come and go as you like. Introduction and orientations will be held at 8AM, 10AM and noon. Maps of the sanctuary will be available.

What is a BioBlitz you may ask? A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. We’ll be utilizing the smart phone apps iNaturalist and Merlin, as well as our own ears and eyes and our cell phones, to document what we see & hear during the Blitz. No special knowledge or training is required. Experts will be available to help participants. Come explore War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and we’ll learn together what lives in our special part of Southern Illinois.

Plenty of snacks and drinks will be provided. This is a free and family friendly event and everyone is welcome. Please wear proper footwear and dress for the weather, including sunscreen and a hat if needed. Pets should be left at home, as they could frighten the wildlife. For more information, please contact Karen at (618) 534-7870 or email shawneechapterias@gmail.com.

Directions to the Sanctuary from Golconda: Take Rt 146 north of Golconda 3.5 miles, turn left onto Bushwack Rd (look for brown binocular sign) Follow Bushwack Rd about 2.2 miles to Sanctuary entrance on the right – watch for signs. Bushwack Rd turns into a gravel road & crosses a low water ford – don’t give up – just keep going and you’ll get there! There will be signs along Rt 146 from both directions, as well as along Bushwack Rd.

The War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary BioBlitz coincides with the Illinois Audubon Chapter Big Day and everyone is encouraged to register here by 5 PM May 12 . The Chapter Big Day is a competition between participating Chapters and Affiliates of the Illinois Audubon Society for the most species of birds observed anywhere in Illinois between midnight and 11:59 PM on May 14, 2022. All participants are required to pre-register for this free event, which is open to members and non-members alike.

The BioBlitz is sponsored by Shawnee Chapter Illinois Audubon Society, Illinois Audubon Society and funded in part by a generous grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.

Shawnee Chapter serves as Stewards of War Bluff Valley Wildlife Sanctuary and holds monthly stewardship days at the sanctuary. Illinois Audubon Society, now in its 125^th year, was the first conservation organization in the state.

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This effort advances a partnership between Illinois Audubon Society, Lake-Cook Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society and Lake Forest Open Lands.

The undeveloped 770 Westleigh Preserve was acquired in 2007 by Lake Forest Open Lands and was adopted as a stewardship site by the Illinois Audubon Society’s Lake-Cook Chapter in early 2020. The site contains woodland, upland, prairie and wetland habitats that combine to offer a high-quality birding site.

“The total cost to restore, monitor and study this preserve is substantial. The partnership with Illinois Audubon Society and the Lake-Cook stewards will be a critical component in achieving our restoration goals at this location,” commented John Sentell, President and CEO, Lake Forest Open Lands Association.

The grant will provide funds to continue a variety of critical habitat restoration activities, including invasive species removal, prescribed burns, native planning and species inventories, that will create quality open space as well as an improved environment for both resident and migrating birds.

“Our stewardship volunteers have already participated in multiple workdays, installed bluebird boxes and a purple martin system to encourage nesting of these species, and initiated a breeding bird survey on the preserve,” said Rena Cohen, President, Lake-Cook Chapter. “It’s an exciting project that is enabling us to make a difference right in our backyard.”

“We feel that this grant is directly in line with our mission to promote restoration of native habitat and increase the awareness and participation of volunteer stewards in these efforts. We applaud our Lake-Cook stewards for taking on this challenge,” stated Jim Herkert, Executive Director, Illinois Audubon Society.

The Community Stewardship Challenge Grant will match up to $7,000 raised at a 3-to-1 ratio, providing up to $21,000 in support from the Foundation. Any funds received beyond the $7,000 will also be used for future stewardship at 770 Westleigh Preserve. The completion of 600 additional hours of volunteer work at the preserve will qualify the project for an additional $6,000 in grant funds.

The mission of the Illinois Audubon Society is to promote the perpetuation and appreciation of native plants and animals and the habitats that support them. The Society is an independent, member supported, not-for-profit, statewide organization. Founded in 1897, the Society is Illinois’ oldest private conservation organization with 2200 members, 18 chapters and 19 affiliate groups. The Illinois Audubon Society has protected more than 5,500 acres by investing $12.5 million to protect land and water throughout Illinois.

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The Illinois Audubon Society 2021 Spring Gathering has been redesigned for 2021 and rescheduled for Saturday, May 1. Everyone is invited to take part in a Chapter Big Day Competition and a Zoom program that evening.

Saturday Evening Zoom Program:

Scott K. Robinson, Ordway Professor of Ecosystem Conservation, will present Balancing Science and Birdwatching: A Personal Journey during a Zoom program from 6-7:00 pm on Saturday, May 1, 2021. Scott’s career in avian ecology has spanned many disciplines, including community ecology, landscape ecology, demography, and behavior. Much of his work has occurred in temperate forests of New England and the Midwest and tropical rainforests in Peru.

As director of the Ordway Lab of Ecosystem Conservation he oversees a large group of graduate students pursuing research in tropical landscapes throughout the world. Scott is an avid birder and has held the ABA North American Big Year record (1976), and was twice a part of a team that set the World Big Day record (1982 and 2018).

Chapter Big Day Competition:

Chapter Big Day is a competition between participating chapters of the Illinois Audubon Society for the most species observed in a 16-hour period (12:00 am to 4:00 pm). Registration is open to members and non-members and both a Chapter and an Individual Big Day Champion will be awarded. Competitors may bird alone or with others anywhere within the boundaries of the State of Illinois.

All participants must register online and choose their Chapter “team.” Each Chapter will have a coordinator who will receive, tally and report their final numbers no later than May 4. Winners will be announced shortly after.

Click here for a complete schedule of events and to register for the evening zoom program and Chapter Big Day Competition.

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The scientific name for the greater white-fronted goose is  Anser albifrons: Anser is Latin for goose, albifrons is Latin for ‘white forehead’ (you can see where it gets its name from these photos).

Field marks for these birds include: grey brown overall, orange beak and feet, and white around the bill and on forehead.

They may travel with the Canada goose, but are smaller in size. They are also called the ‘speckle bellies’ due to the mottled coloration on their bellies. The call is different from that of the Canada goose is sort of a high-pitched laugh.

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