For the second year in a row, the now 2-year-old Urban Birding Festival was a hit with birders from within and outside the Chicagoland area. It was an incredible opportunity to appreciate urban bird life, make new connections, and spot some lifers!

Rosemary Mosco is a multi-hyphenate who pairs serious science with humor. She is known, in part, for her webcomic, Bird and Moon, where each comic strip brilliantly utilizes jokes to teach about nature. Her latest book, The Birding Dictionary, focuses on birding terms and the witty definitions really stick in your mind. And if you ever had any questions about pigeons flit through your head as you watched these birds strut past you – or even if you hadn’t – you need to read the heavily researched yet accessible A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird.

The results are in for the 2025 Chicago Bird Photography Contest! This contest, held jointly by the Chicago Park District, Chicago Ornithological Society, and Chicago Bird Alliance, ran from March 15th to August 1st and featured six categories. The submissions were very impressive and it was difficult to whittle it down to one winner and three runners up.

Every year baby birds take their first flight, first nibbles, and first steps out of the nest. But not all chicks reach their milestones at the same time.