It’s important to stay alert along the lakefront for many reasons, but one reason you may not suspect is local birds.
If you’ve been attacked by a bird along the lakefront, you’re not alone; red-winged blackbirds have been known to dive-bomb Chicagoans in the summer in an act to defend their nests.
John Bates, Field Museum ornithologist and curator of birds, said outbursts from the birds can include being hit by the birds' feet or even occasionally their bill. These outbursts are the result of defensive behavior during the breeding season.
"They tend to hit and then veer off and hope that will actually drive you away," Bates said. "And I think what they found out over time is that with humans, at least, it's pretty effective."
Since the birds have less real predators in the city than they would in the wild, urban areas are a more attractive place for birds to nest and raise their chicks. Chicago is not the only city where these defensive birds migrate for breeding season, but the lakefront areas provide prime green hedgerow for the red-winged blackbird’s breeding territories.
“Chicago is actually really blessed with a lot of nice green space interspersed across the city,” Bates said. “And that comes with a little bit of a price in the sense that you’ve got these red-winged blackbirds using it as breeding territories and every once in a while, telling you that they don’t want you near their nest site.”
There is good news, however, for those who frequent the lakefront. The birds are strictly seasonal - arriving in early spring and leaving by fall - so pedestrians only need to be on alert for the blackbirds for another month or so.
Local
"As it gets colder in September, they'll move south and spend the winter in big flocks down in farmland in Louisiana and Texas and places like that," Bates said.
Until then, it is advised that pedestrians along the lakefront areas stay alert for the birds.
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