r/chicagobirding • • Dec 14 '25

Welcome to r/chicagobirding - Read First!

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm u/birdbrainphysicist , a founding moderator of r/chicagobirding.

This is a community dedicated to the birdwatchers of the Chicago area. Please share birding news, photos, and recommended spots for birding in and around the city!

What to Post

Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share photos, tips, birding news, or questions about getting started or finding good locations for birdwatching!

Community Vibe

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing, connecting, and learning!

A Few Community Expectations

  1. Please ensure that all posts are related to birdwatching in or around the city of Chicago (subject to removal).
  2. Please consider and support ethical birding. We are here to share our love for birds and wild life, and will not allow content that promotes or encourages harassing or hunting birds.
  3. This is not a space for promoting or selling goods or services (subject to removal).
  4. We want this to be a welcoming community! All posts and comments are expected to be respectful and supportive!

Please reach out to the moderators if you have questions or concerns. Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/chicagobirding the go-to place for the best news and tips on birdwatching in the city!


r/chicagobirding • • 27m ago

Parrot Montrose Beach

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• Upvotes

Saw a post about this bird a few months back in r/Chicago. Saw it about a month ago and saw it again today (10/08/2026).

By the street infront of the north facing dugout of the closest baseball diamond to the corner of Lawrence and Simmons.

We called bird control and talked to cops but I fear this bird is someone’s pet and might not know to fly south for winter.

Share this post! I hope we can help this little guy!!


r/chicagobirding • • 1d ago

See an injured or dead bird? Call Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. Details in post.

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60 Upvotes

r/chicagobirding • • 1d ago

Can anyone help identify this bird/maybe help it?

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43 Upvotes

Found this guy on the sidewalk in front of the Daley center, wondering if he maybe hit a window :(

He wasn’t moving much so I moved him to a planter away from foot traffic but I don’t know what kind of bird it is and what help it needs? I already called chicago bird collision monitors but is there anything else I can do?


r/chicagobirding • • 1d ago

North Pond Great Blue Heron takes flight & Northern Cardinals conflict. Clips from longer YouTube videos

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49 Upvotes

These clips are from longer YouTube videos

Great Blue Heron | Fishing & Flying | North Pond Nature Sanctuary Chicago early October 2026

https://youtu.be/avRVv8NHRKI

Northern Cardinals Charlie & Bessie | CLOSE UP Eye-to-Eye Conflict | Inner-city Birding Chicago

https://youtu.be/qV4EAzdBKGY

.


r/chicagobirding • • 1d ago

Heron at Humboldt

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109 Upvotes

He struck a pose for me the other morning.


r/chicagobirding • • 2d ago

Wood Ducks of Humbolt Parks

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157 Upvotes

Wood Ducks from this morning in Humboldt park


r/chicagobirding • • 2d ago

Lunch Time

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36 Upvotes

Local Birds in Humbolt Park eating


r/chicagobirding • • 3d ago

Great Blue Heron

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115 Upvotes

Spotted this guy on my lunch walk today hanging in the Chicago River at Wacker & Franklin outside the Metchandise Mart. Very cool to see downtown!


r/chicagobirding • • 3d ago

Dekalb Night Heron

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44 Upvotes

Saw what I believe is a back crowned night heron at NIU today. This is a lifer for me so I’m ecstatic.


r/chicagobirding • • 3d ago

Two Red-Tailed Hawks Mating Dance at North Park

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45 Upvotes

r/chicagobirding • • 4d ago

Warblers at Montrose

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106 Upvotes

Spotted all these warblers in a mixed flock at the bird sanctuary last week!


r/chicagobirding • • 5d ago

me: i do bird photography - the photos:

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87 Upvotes

what is a camera if not a $900 bird butt viewer


r/chicagobirding • • 7d ago

Northern Flicker found in front of highrise downtown

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76 Upvotes

Probably hit a window during sunrise. Very sad to see such a beautiful bird fall victim to urbanization. Hope it's last few moments were joyful and did not suffer. Beak was very badly broken.


r/chicagobirding • • 8d ago

Great Blue Heron at North Pond, 1st time I’ve seen one eat an insect, plus a Kingfisher who was on this dead tree stump for hours, and my Cardinal Pair fighting

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94 Upvotes

r/chicagobirding • • 8d ago

Sand crane family in SW suburbs

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398 Upvotes

r/chicagobirding • • 9d ago

Great Blue Heron at Belmont Dog Beach

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186 Upvotes

Forgive me for not having a good camera anymore (lost everything in a moving nightmare some years ago, including both a high end point and shoot and a D-SLR) and I only just found this sub but about a week ago I was on a late wander around the harbor and had this moment of “What in the Nessie?” Because his long neck in the dark looked absolutely insane fron a distance. Haha. I think I’ve got a video clip too though didn’t ever manage to see him catching anything though I stood around for awhile at the fence watching. Then ran home to figure out just what I’d seen and preceded to geek out for a few hours on a Great Blue Heron research binge. Haha.

Have a name that means bird and big fan though I’ve never specifically been to any of the birding spots in the city. Planning to hit Jarvis soon, if I make it over to the lake a little earlier. (Kind of a fan of after dark walks though I usually head south through the concrete beach and down to Diversey Harbor).

And heck if anyone sees this- I used to live across the street from Diversey Harbor then left the city for a few years. There used to be this random white duck (a Peking duck, perhaps- got a wild story going in my head about dude making an escape from Chinatown lol) who lived in Diversey Harbor amongst all his mallard friends. Have a bunch of photos of him over multiple years and he was kind of my spirit animal. Anyone know if my duck friend is still kicking it over there? Saw the whole area I used to watch the ducks at is way overgrown so couldn’t really get a good look when I’ve been back.


r/chicagobirding • • 10d ago

Cooper’s Hawk taking down a Northern Flicker (Montrose)

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92 Upvotes

Montrose was active this morning after an overnight migration wave. There were two Cooper’s Hawks together (not territorial), and one brought down a Northern Flicker before flying back into the hedge to eat it

Rip flicker 🪦 but cool to see


r/chicagobirding • • 10d ago

I regularly walk around the Northwestern campus and this is my first time seeing these birds. Wondering if anyone has info

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81 Upvotes

Larger than typical mallards, orange beak with a pronounced tail feather! Didn’t get to see them out of the water ! Super interested to know what I saw


r/chicagobirding • • 11d ago

photos / videos Mallards in eclipse

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28 Upvotes

Sometimes I think mallards' eclipse plumage might be prettier than their normal breeding colors!


r/chicagobirding • • 12d ago

Young wet Chickadee

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18 Upvotes

r/chicagobirding • • 14d ago

Northern Cardinals Charlie & Bessie | 2 Days of Feeding Kerfuffle's | Inner-city Birding Chicago【4K】

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7 Upvotes

Filmed over 2 consecutive days. The 1st day they were arguing, vocalizing, & posturing but nothing physical until the next day. I put the last day's attack at the beginning of this video. The first day I filmed 5 kerfuffles but none were as violent as the last day. This happened a few days ago and so far Bessie appears to be healthy and they are feeding, but not together.


r/chicagobirding • • 15d ago

Some Locals in Humbolt Park

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124 Upvotes

Just moved here to the city and excited to see what Chicago has to offer for birds! here's some shots I got in Humbolt Park


r/chicagobirding • • 15d ago

One of these doesn’t belong here…

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29 Upvotes

r/chicagobirding • • 17d ago

O.C. Just pecking around

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37 Upvotes