A black-crowned night heron, on the Chicago River. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Chicago seems to have a festival for just about everything, from Blues Fest to Donut Fest to Open House Chicago’s annual celebration of the city’s architecture.

Now add birds to that list.

The inaugural Urban Birding Festival is set for Sept. 14-15, with registration opening Saturday. 

The event is designed to highlight the hundreds of species found in the city — from peregrine falcons in the Loop to migratory warblers along the lakefront to year-round occupants of Chicago’s parks and backyards — and all the work being done to create habitat for them. 

The schedule is packed with dozens of field trips, presentations, workshops and socializing events — almost all in Chicago, but also dipping into Cook County Forest Preserves —  planned with both experienced birders and newcomers in mind. Many sessions are free and plenty of others cost just $10.

“Chicago is a global epicenter for birding — nothing beats birding here and that’s due to the vibrant birding community we have here. We are long overdue for a festival to welcome all the new birders like me who began during the pandemic,” said Zelle Tenorio of the Feminist Bird Club Chicago, which is one of the organizing sponsors.

Among the intriguing programs: “Birders Love Cemeteries” at Graceland Cemetery; “Nighthawk Watch at Northerly Island,” a rare evening opportunity; “Birding by Ear in the City,” offering tips on how to ID birds by their sound; and “Birds of a Feather Flock to the Sewage Plant,” a tour of an unexpected haven for birds — the area surrounding the Calumet Water Reclamation Plant.

Organizing partners of the Urban Birding Festival are Chicago Ornithological Society, Chicago Bird Alliance, Feminist Bird Club Chicago, Chicago BIPOC Birders and Red Hill Birding.

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]