The Urban Birding Festival is a celebration of avian wildlife within the city of Chicago and neighboring areas, offering a unique opportunities for birdwatchers of all experience levels to learn and connect with birds and their habitats in unexpected ways.
This first annual event brings together a diverse community of bird enthusiasts, from passionate ornithologists to casual admirers, all united by their shared love for birds. Through expert presentations, guided bird outings, educational workshops, and engaging activities, the festival provides a platform for participants to explore the rich tapestry of bird species that call the Chicago area home.
Where
Main hub: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
2430 N Cannon Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
Plus other birdy locations to be announced!
When
Saturday, September 14th: 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday, September 15th: 10 am - 4 pm
Festival Schedule
Organizing Partners & Committee
The inaugural Urban Birding Festival is being organized by a committee of birding groups including representatives from Chicago BIPOC Birders, Chicago Bird Alliance, Chicago Ornithological Society, Feminist Bird Club Chicago, and more.
Jacob Drucker
Josh Engel
J'orge Garcia
Christina Harber
Lillian Holden
Matt Igleski
Walter Kitundu
Erick Masias
Judy Pollock
Adam Sell
Jackie Smith
Zelle Tenorio
Edward Warden
About the birds behind our festival logo
J’orge Garcia is a Chicago-area birder who brings his unique skillset from working to support Chicago's maker community into our great birding community. He first discovered birding after modeling a 3D-printed lens mount to attach vintage lenses to a mirrorless camera. Jorge shared his birding journey online through Twitter as he explored printing postcards and learning about Chicago's avian diversity. Sharing online led Jorge to become increasingly involved in the local birding community.
Using photography and digital design, Jorge creates captivating graphic images that showcase the beauty of local birds. Jorge used techniques like these to teach people how to materialize their ideas in the Chicago Public Library Maker Lab and at the Museum of Science and Industry FabLab using laser cutters, 3D printers, and other digital manufacturing tools. He designed the Chicago BIPOC Birders’ Northern Flicker logo utilizing this technique and has done so again with the Urban Birding Festival Logo. The logo uses bird photos from local birders featuring iconic birds seen across the Chicagoland region as selected by the festival’s planning committee.
J’orge is the Director of the #citybirds project, leads birding at North Park Village Nature Center for Chicago Bird Alliance during migration seasons, serves on the board of the Illinois Ornithological Society, and previously coordinated the Birds in My Neighborhood program at Openlands. Check out his link-site to learn more about his bird projects, and follow him on Twitter (X) as yorickgarcia, his artist name.
Original Photo Credits:
American Redstart - Graham Deese
Rock Pigeon - yorickgarcia (J’orge)
Connecticut Warbler - Matt Zuro
Peregrine Falcon - Josh Engle