Hillarie O'Toole | August 7, 2024

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 “butterfly” 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.

Kellye Rosenheim | September 16, 2024

Yellow-Crowned Night Herons can be found in every borough and are important indicators of the health of New York Harbor.

Carol Peace Robins | September 16, 2024

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.

The NYC Bird Alliance community is deeply saddened by the loss of longtime member, supporter, and friend Lenore Swenson, who passed away on June 18, 2024. 

Olivia Liang | June 21, 2024

While some see New York as a collection of skyscrapers and concrete, in truth it is a biodiversity hotspot with growing, vital green space.

Andrew Maas, Director of Marketing and Communications | June 21, 2024

As I sit at my desk during a work-from-home day, I hear the unmistakable call—"klee klee klee!" 

Mike Yuan, NYC Bird Alliance Board President | June 21, 2024

As I embark on my term as president of the board of directors, I think back on the organization’s presence in my life for the past 15 years.

Linda Ewing | June 21, 2024

Birds may be everywhere, but birders are not. An uneven distribution of bird observations underlies what Brooklyn birder Nick Dawson is calling his “little year.”

Carol Peace Robins | June 21, 2024

British naturalist Stephen Moss’s 10 Birds that Changed the World doesn’t assert that the birds themselves actually changed the world. Rather, it depicts how human interaction with them changed the course of history—often to the pronounced detriment of the birds.

Karen Benfield, NYC Bird Alliance Board President | March 6, 2024 

With spring comes growth and renewal in our City’s 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.

Sara Kross, PhD, Katherine Chen (NYC Bird Alliance Community Science and Outreach Manager), and Benjamin Van Doren, PhD | March 6, 2024 

Migration is a particularly dangerous journey, and it’s 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 weather’s impact can make solutions more effective.

Don Riepe | March 6, 2024 

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. 

Carol Peace Robins | March 5, 2024 

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. 

Olivia Liang | December 4, 2023

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 City’s wild birds. 

Hillarie O'Toole | November 8, 2023
Publications Committee Member Hillarie O'Toole recaps a festive and sustainable night for the City's birds and habitats at the 2023 Fall Roost benefit, which moved across the river to Brooklyn to honor 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge for its commitment to sustainability and bird-friendly design, and Jeff Kimball for his immense contributions to NYC Bird Alliance. 

It is with sadness NYC Bird Alliance reports the passing of Betty Hamilton on September 14, 2023, at the age of 99. Betty was a friend, colleague, and active leader with NYC Bird Alliance from the very beginning. We are pleased to share these remembrances of Betty from NYC Bird Alliance’s past organizational leaders. 

Don Riepe | September 19, 2023
Thrushes are perhaps the most beautiful songsters of the northeast woods, and the song of the Wood Thrush is memorable and haunting for both birders and poets. Learn more about the Wood Thrush's ethereal, flute-like song, and more about this bird in our latest species profile.  

Suzanne Charlé | September 19, 2023
Whether you're a newbie or veteran birder, Heather Wolf's Find More Birds: 111 Surprising Ways to Spot Birds Wherever You Are offers a whole world of clues, tips, and tricks. 

Carol Peace Robins | September 19, 2023
Brooklyn Arcadia: Art, History, and Nature at Majestic Green-Wood by Andrew Garn is not just a bird book, but a celebration of a National Historic Landmark.

Suzanne Charlé | September 19, 2023
In late 2021, NYC Bird Alliance and the Lights Out Coalition celebrated the passage of Lights Out bills Int. 274 and 271, requiring City-owned and -managed buildings to turn off non-essential outdoor lights at night during peak avian migration periods. NYC Bird Alliance and its partners are encouraging the New York City Council to consider expanding the “Lights Out” program to privately owned commercial and industrial buildings, as well as other buildings such as U.S. post offices, labs, and outpatient clinics.

Carol Peace Robins | June 1, 2023
NYC Bird Alliance Vice President Christian Cooper shares his passion for birds and chronicles his many adventures in the upcoming book Better Living Through Birding and National Geographic show Extraordinary Birder, both set to debut in June 2023. 

Karen Benfield, NYC Bird Alliance Board President | June 1, 2023
NYC Bird Alliance Board President Karen Benfield explains why the organization's board of directors voted in March 2023 to change the organization's name. Hear from Karen about what the organization learned after its eight-month-long assessment of the Audubon name and why a change needed to be made to better serve its mission and work. The article concludes with over a dozen members of the community sharing their feedback about the organization's decision, both in favor and against it. 

Don Riepe | June 1, 2023
Barn Swallows are one of New York City’s most ubiquitous summer birds, delighting onlookers with their acrobatic aerial displays. Learn all about these interesting birds in our latest species profile by Don Riepe. 

Jessica G. Wilson, Executive Director | June 1, 2023
Executive Director Jessica G. Wilson shares her excitement about the future of NYC Bird Alliance in light of the board's recent decision to change the organization's name, and how she has been inspired by the organization's work to center Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in all of its work across conservation, advocacy, engagement. 

Donna Schulman | March 5, 2023
César A. Castillo, a beloved member of the City's birding community and an adjunct professor of biology and senior laboratory technician at Queen College, passed away from an illness on March 1, 2023. César was a passionate naturalist and a valued member of NYC Bird Alliance's board of directors who generously shared his love of nature with others. We are grateful to be able to share this tribute to César, penned by fellow Queens County Bird Club member Donna L. Schulman.