On May 3, the Village of Homewood held its third annual Migratory Bird Day at the Izaak Walton Preserve. 

Attendees started the event at 8 a.m. with a bird tour led by Thorn Creek Audubon members, where they walked around the preserve spotting different kinds of birds. 

There were many bird experts among the group who were able to identify birds based on the sounds they were making. Many also used binoculars and special cameras to get a better look. 

“That’s a cat bird,” Thorn Creek Audubon member Judy Johnson said, adding, “they make noises that sound like a meow, and they mimic other birds.” 

The group headed back to the cabin around 9:30 a.m. to attend an educational bird presentation by Homewood Tree Committee member Carolyn Bury. 

According to Bury, Homewood became the Ninth Bird City of Illinois on July 17, 2024.

“In the last century in North America, there’s been a bird decline of 3 billion, or 30%,” Bury said. 

Millions of birds die a year from window collisions, which is why people should take steps to prevent this around their home, she said. 

Bury suggests putting decals on windows at home to minimize birds seeing their reflection and thinking it’s an open space. 

“One trick is to move your bird feeders closer to your house, because they can’t leave there and get up at enough speed to hurt themselves by colliding with the window,” Bury said. 

When window collisions aren’t fatal to the bird, it may still stun or injure them, she said. 

In these cases, the first thing people should do is to check if the bird is still alive. This can be done by wearing a pair of gloves and gently moving their legs to see if they’ll move. If there are signs of life, the bird should be placed in a paper bag or shoebox with holes, and professionals should be contacted, Bury said. 

The Chicagoland Bird Rescue hotline is 773-988-1867. 

Another presentation was held by bird photographer Liz Schissler and Johnson, where they showed a series of slides containing beautiful photos taken by Schissler of various bird species. 

“Now I am a full-fledged birder, and I got into photography just from being super interested as to what was landing in my yard,” Schissler said. 

Bury and other organizer members wrapped up the event at 11 a.m. with a raffle, where a handful of people won either a bird feeder or a mounted bird photo of their choice.

There was also supposed to be a bird matching game and egg painting activity for kids, but none were in attendance this year.