“Why can’t I be the MVP of the league?”
Months after Rose asked the question in 2010, he was named the NBA’s youngest MVP at 22. Rose’s query, along with the ensuing honor went beyond basketball. It captured the spirit of his hometown. Chicago, along with its residents, has the audacity to declare that its best self has yet to be revealed. It’s a place that consistently defies expectations and changes the narrative surrounding it.
So when Chicago was singled out as the deadliest city in the country for migratory birds in 2019, I felt that spirit. As an urban ecologist who studies how birds interact with cities, I understand the gravity of the situation. Research from Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology found that birds in Chicago are heavily exposed to light pollution, which can disorient them. In a single fall morning of 2023, nearly 1,000 birds were killed after they collided into McCormick Place Lakeside Center.
There are serious concerns we need to address. I’ve analyzed the numbers and cared for injured birds. I don’t mean to downplay the tragedy. But I also see the moment as an opportunity to change the narrative.
The very reason that Cornell study highlighted our city is because we sit along a major migratory flyway, bringing us an astonishing volume of birds passing through. Often, we think of protecting biodiversity as a distant issue. But every spring and fall, we play a direct role in it as our feathered friends fill the sky above our city.
A study I published earlier this year revealed that metropolitan areas like Chicago play a major role in providing migratory habitat.
What could it look like if the City of the Big Shoulders embraced its role as a passageway for migratory birds? What could it look like if Chicago took the lead on protecting them?
We haven’t realized that vision, but I do catch glimpses of what it could look like.
I see it when I lead bird walks in Humboldt Park and watch people’s astonishment when they spot their first chestnut-sided warbler.
I see it when local birding chats blow up over a rare sighting.
I see it in the eyes of volunteers monitoring the piping plovers at Montrose Beach and in the artists painting portraits of black-crowned night herons at Lincoln Park Zoo.
I saw it when I toured the Chicago Architecture Center’s Flyway City Exhibit, which explores how we can design our city around a vision that is hospitable to migratory birds
Most importantly, I see it in the growing number of Chicagoans who share my resolve to defy expectations and make such a vision a reality.
In the coming weeks, millions of migratory birds will pass through Chicago while we sleep. Many will stop into our city to rest and refuel. There are various ways we can support them and show our best selves like Rose did 15 years ago. Solutions exist, and we can take the lead on implementing them.
At a minimum, we can reduce the light pollution we emit at night and treat windows in our homes and workplaces. These simple steps are surprisingly effective and can reduce collisions by 95%. In our green spaces, we can reduce disturbances by keeping our pets away from bird habitats, including native plantings, beaches and forests.
Systemically, we can advocate for policies like the city’s proposed bird-friendly building ordinance, which would establish bird-friendly design requirements to prevent bird deaths from building collisions.
Most importantly, I encourage fellow Chicagoans to look at the birds and take in the beauty of such an ecological wonder. Even a passing moment with a migratory bird offers perspective on our city’s place — and our own place — in this hemispheric marvel. Over and over, I’ve watched such a moment become a steadfast dedication to protecting birds and the ecosystems they depend on.
Our city can provide the crucial assist for migratory birds if we care to act.
If a lifetime of Bulls fandom has taught me anything, it’s that if Chicago cares about something, the entire world will hear about it.
Miguel “Mikko” Jimenez is an urban ecologist and ornithological adviser to the Windy City Bird Lab. He lives in Avondale.