Birding in Chicagoland: How to Experience and Save our Feathered Friends

In 2024 and 2025, Tarik Shahzad set out on back-to-back Cook County “Big Years:” a personal challenge to identify as many unique species of birds as possible within a calendar year. With a retelling of his adventure, Tarik will impart his learnings on how to dive into the hobby of birding, Chicagoland’s diverse natural spaces, the steep decline of birds in our region, and how we can better protect our avian friends for generations to come. As a member of The Nature Conservancy in Illinois’ government relations team, he will weave in potential policy and advocacy solutions to our worsening biodiversity crisis.
Bring a friend or make a new friend. Green Drinks are open to all.