The Urban Bird Call
news & stories from NYC bird alliance
The Audubon Mural Project Continues to Spread Its Wings
category:Â ENGAGEMENT
How the New Green Roof Tax Abatement Program Can Combat Climate Change in NYC
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALADVOCACY
Why does our city get so hot? The Green Roof Tax Abatement is a solution not just for climate change, but for environmental justice.
Tribute in Light 2024 Recap: Ensuring Safe Passage for Birds
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALADVOCACY
Since 2002, NYC Bird Alliance has partnered with the September 11 Memorial & Museum to ensure that the annual Tribute in Light can honor lives while also keeping birds safe. As with every year, in 2024 our scientists monitored the Tribute from sunset to sunrise, shutting off the lights three times to ensure safe passage for migrating birds.
NYC Bird Allianceâs Fall Roost 2024: A Night to Remember in Central Park
category:Â GENERAL
Bird Collisions: The Impact of "One"
The numbers tell a grim story: over one billion birds die each year in the US due to building collisions. But it is through individual stories that we can begin to understand the âbutterflyâ effect that the loss of just one bird can have on the ecological community. Just one White-throated Sparrow's death has an effect on the environment.
Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBON
Yellow-Crowned Night Herons can be found in every borough and are important indicators of the health of New York Harbor.
New Initiative Welcomes More New Yorkers to Enjoy Nature
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBONENGAGEMENTADVOCACY
The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides affordable housing to nearly 12% of all City residents. NYC Bird Alliance, in partnership with the Public Housing Community Fund, has started a pilot program to engage these residents.
Lenore Swenson, 1946-2024: A Remembrance
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBON
New Study Confirms Building Collisions Kill Over One Billion Birds Annually in U.S.
category:Â CONSERVATION
A groundbreaking research study published in PLOS ONE today has uncovered alarming new evidence that building collisions are killing significantly more birds than previously estimatedâwell over one billion annually in the United States alone.
Islands in the SkyâGrowing NYCâs Green Infrastructure
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALURBAN AUDUBON
While some see New York as a collection of skyscrapers and concrete, in truth it is a biodiversity hotspot with growing, vital green space.
American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius)
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALURBAN AUDUBON
As I sit at my desk during a work-from-home day, I hear the unmistakable callâ"klee klee klee!"
President's Perch
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBON
As I embark on my term as president of the board of directors, I think back on the organizationâs presence in my life for the past 15 years.
Birds are Everywhere: A New York City âLittle Yearâ
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBONENGAGEMENTADVOCACY
Birds may be everywhere, but birders are not. An uneven distribution of bird observations underlies what Brooklyn birder Nick Dawson is calling his âlittle year.â
Review: Ten Birds that Changed the World
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBON
British naturalist Stephen Mossâs 10 Birds that Changed the World doesnât assert that the birds themselves actually changed the world. Rather, it depicts how human interaction with them changed the course of historyâoften to the pronounced detriment of the birds.
Riverside Park Conservancy Completes Bird-Friendly Retrofit
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALADVOCACY
In March 2024, Riverside Park Conservancy completed a bird-friendly retrofit of their Peter Jay Sharp Volunteer House, in partnership with a NYC Bird Alliance consultation.
President's Perch: A Proud Farewell from Karen Benfield
category:Â GENERALURBAN AUDUBON
With spring comes growth and renewal in our Cityâs green spaces. As I wind down my four-year term as president, I am awed by the growth and renewal inside our organization as well, and I step down fulfilled by the privilege of being part of such magnificent expansion of urban conservation.
How Can Weather Forecasts Help Us Save Birds?
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALURBAN AUDUBON
Migration is a particularly dangerous journey, and itâs estimated that collisions with windows kill up to one billion birds across North America annually. NYC Bird Alliance scientists and partners have focused on this problem for decades. Now, new research on weatherâs impact can make solutions more effective.
A Tale of Two Egrets
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALURBAN AUDUBONADVOCACY
For most of my life, I lived happily at Broad Channel, Queens, with the birds outside. Until 15 years ago, when the birds started coming inside. As I sat on my dock in 2009 looking out at Jamaica Bay, a beautiful white Great Egret landed at my house and soon, my new friend Egor the egret would stop by nearly every day for a snack.
2023 Christmas Bird Count Soars to New Heights
The 124th Annual Christmas Bird Count, which took place on December 17, 2023, was a historic one for NYC Bird Alliance. Not only did we have a record 400 registered volunteer counters, but for the first time in the Count's history, a green roof was included in the festivities. Carol Peace Robins recounts the historic day at Hudson Yards.
Study Shows How Weather, Migration Intensity Affect Bird Collisions in New York City
category:Â CONSERVATIONENGAGEMENTADVOCACY
Share Your Feedback on Top Five Name Choices
category:Â GENERAL
2023 Harbor Herons Report: A Q&A
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALADVOCACY
NYC Bird Allianceâs annual Harbor Herons Nesting Survey has monitored and protected these birds since 1982. To get a behind-the-scenes look at this yearâs data collection, NYC Bird Alliance sat down with Tod Winston, our Urban Biodiversity Specialist and creator of the 2023 State of the Harbor Herons, and Dr. Shannon Curley, PhD, our Harbor Herons Nesting Survey Coordinator.
Syrinx Spotlight: PSF Volunteer, Photographer & High-School Senior Winston Qin
Winston Qin is a gifted photographer, an aspiring engineer, a lifelong bird enthusiast, a Project Safe Flight volunteer⦠and a high school senior. Meet this exceptional teenager devoted to protecting our Cityâs wild birds.
NYC Bird Alliance's Birdy Holiday Gift Guide
category:Â CONSERVATIONGENERALENGAGEMENT
The holiday season is here and the NYC Bird Alliance staff has put together our best and birdiest list of gift recommendations! We have 15 amazing recommendations that are sure to win over the cheery cardinals, weird ducks, and even the grumpy grackles of your life. Happy holidays and happy birding!
Small Wins. Big Impact.
A Q&A with NYC Bird Allianceâs new Director of Advocacy and Engagement, Saman Mahmood.
featured
- The Audubon Mural Project Continues to Spread Its Wings
- How the New Green Roof Tax Abatement Program Can Combat Climate Change in NYC
- Tribute in Light 2024 Recap: Ensuring Safe Passage for Birds
- NYC Bird Allianceâs Fall Roost 2024: A Night to Remember in Central Park
- Bird Collisions: The Impact of "One"
- Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
- New Initiative Welcomes More New Yorkers to Enjoy Nature
- Lenore Swenson, 1946-2024: A Remembrance
- New Study Confirms Building Collisions Kill Over One Billion Birds Annually in U.S.
- Islands in the SkyâGrowing NYCâs Green Infrastructure
- American Kestrel (Falco Sparverius)
- President's Perch
- Birds are Everywhere: A New York City âLittle Yearâ
- Review: Ten Birds that Changed the World
- Riverside Park Conservancy Completes Bird-Friendly Retrofit
- President's Perch: A Proud Farewell from Karen Benfield
- How Can Weather Forecasts Help Us Save Birds?
- A Tale of Two Egrets
- 2023 Christmas Bird Count Soars to New Heights
- Study Shows How Weather, Migration Intensity Affect Bird Collisions in New York City
- Share Your Feedback on Top Five Name Choices
- 2023 Harbor Herons Report: A Q&A
- Syrinx Spotlight: PSF Volunteer, Photographer & High-School Senior Winston Qin
- NYC Bird Alliance's Birdy Holiday Gift Guide
- Small Wins. Big Impact.