The Urban Birding Festival

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The Urban Birding Festival

The Urban Birding Festival is based in Chicago, IL. This year the dates are September 14-15

The inaugural Urban Birding Festival will be held in and around Chicago on September 14-15, 2024—highlighting the extraordinary bird diversity present in the area with over 400 recorded species in the Chicago region. In Chicago and at the Urban Birding Festival, you will find that birding is not synonymous with remote, picturesque natural landscapes but rather with the urban environment. From Pere

grine Falcons dominating the skyscraper canyons of the loop, to our beloved Rock Pigeons found roaming the concrete jungle, to the Connecticut Warblers stopping along the lakefront bike path, and the American Redstarts foraging across our city park and county forest systems, here the city provides a unique birding experience like no other. The Urban Birding Festival aims to connect people and birds anywhere and everywhere while highlighting the conservation work across the region providing essential bird habitat. The festival will stretch across the Chicagoland area and see festival goers visit the finest birding locations the region has to offer with the center of our convening located at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

04/15/2026

Winter is behind us now, and spring migration is well underway. The piping plovers have arrived, and with them, summer can’t be too far. After that, the Urban Birding Festival returns to Peggy Notebaert. Are you ready?

Save the date! September 18-20, 2026

Let’s look back for a moment--to a bird walk from last year in McKinley Park with of and of . Recordings and additional voice over by of .

The Urban Birding Festival is a celebration of avian wildlife within the city of Chicago and neighboring areas, offering unique opportunities for birdwatchers of all experience levels to learn and connect with birds and their habitats in unexpected ways.

A committee of birding groups organize the festival, including representatives from .bipoc.birders, , , , , and .

02/19/2026

🦉📣 Save the Date! 🗓️

The Urban Birding Festival is set for September 18th through the 20th, in 2026! We will be back once again at the Peggy Noteabart Nature Museum. Stay tuned for updates on our keynote, speaker, presenters and and more!

Magnolia Warbler at LaBagh Woods by .noll.photography, 1st place winner in the Urban Aviary category for the 2025 Chicago Bird Photography Contest.

Save the Date announcement and Urban Birding Festival logo designed by .

The Urban Birding Festival is organized by a committee of birding groups, including representatives from .bipoc.birders, , , , , and .

09/14/2025

Come get your book(s) signed today in the Vendor Marketplace!

Rosemary will be right next to the Skunk Cabbage Books booth this afternoon (approximately 1:30-3), signing books. You can bring your own or purchase them at the booth. The vendor marketplace is located at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum--the festival headquarters.

09/12/2025

Come see us this weekend in Chicago at the Urban Birding Festival! 15% off all optics!

09/10/2025

Registration is now closed.

We will have walk-up registration on site at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum from 10-4 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Most of our trips have filled up, but you can still join us at the festival for speakers and the vendor marketplace at the Nature Museum, and any trips that still have last-minute availability.

09/09/2025

Thank you to our Metropolitan Sponsors! All our sponsors make the festival possible! You can visit most of them in the Vendor Marketplace at Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum on Saturday and Sunday! You can also visit their sites below to learn more about them.

🦅 American Birding Association - aba.org/american-birding-association/
🦆 Vortex Optics - https://vortexoptics.com/
🌿 Possibility Place Nursery - https://possibilityplace.com/
🦢 Kowa - https://www.kowaoptic.com/
🐦 Wild Birds Unlimited Arlington Heights & Glenview - https://arlingtonheights.wbu.com/
🦃 Swarovski Optik - https://www.swarovskioptik.com/int/en/birding

09/08/2025

Thank you so much to all our Apex Sponsors! Without sponsors, the festival just wouldn't be possible. You can visit most of them at the festival marketplace, or click on their websites below to learn more.

🌱 Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum - http://naturemuseum.org/nightout
🦆 Audubon Great Lakes - http://gl.audubon.org/
📷 FeatherSnap - https://www.feathersnapcam.com/
🦅 Illinois Audubon Society - https://illinoisaudubon.org/
🌎 Red Hill Birding - https://www.redhillbirding.com/
🐦 Erva - https://ervadirect.com/
🌳 Forest Preserves of Cook County - http://fpdcc.com/birding
🦃 Cornell Lab of Ornithology - https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/

09/04/2025

Don't wait if you're still thinking about registering for the festival!
🐦Online Registration will close Sunday night - September 7th!
🍽️Last chance to register for the keynote dinner is tomorrow - September 5th by noon!

https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/

08/26/2025

Michael Retter, author of the ABA Field Guide to Birds of Illinois, will be joining us at the Friday night Birds & Brews to sign copies of his book. He is the Editor of North American Birds, and serves as Special Issues Editor for Birding magazine.

08/22/2025

Have you seen who our keynote speaker is this year!? Rosemary Mosco, author of informative and funny books, as well as the wildly popular Bird and Moon comics.

Seats at the Keynote Dinner are almost full! So if you haven't registered yet for the festival, do it today! https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/

08/21/2025

Visit us at the festival headquarters at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for your 2025 festival swag!

Address

2210 W Pershing Rd
McKinley Park, IL
PARTS OF 60608 AND 60609

Website

https://www.theurbanbirdingfestival.org/

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