Bird collisions continue to pose a significant threat in the Anthropocene, particularly along migration corridors like those in Chicago. This issue garnered widespread attention in October 2023, when nearly 1,000 birds struck the windows of McCormick Place in a single night. This devastating event, documented by the Field Museum, sparked a broad initiative aimed at raising awareness and protecting migratory songbirds through community engagement and window safety.

Since then, artist Holly Greenberg has led the project "Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene," a crowdsourced art initiative intended to represent each of the 10,836 birds that were killed by window strikes in Chicago that year. The project includes fabric replicas made from upcycled or donated materials, which will be arranged in a carpet that stretches as long as a football field. Visitors will have the opportunity to look up their own creations through an interactive interface.

Greenberg’s pop-up workshops, held in July and again in August at the Park Forest Public Library in collaboration with Park Forest Sustainability Coordinator Carrie Malfeo, invited residents to participate in bird-making and learn simple, affordable ways to reduce collisions at home and in business windows.

Malfeo emphasized that collisions can occur even in suburban areas, not just along Lake Michigan’s shoreline. Birds migrating, often at night, may mistake reflections of vegetation in windows for their natural habitat. Her straightforward advice is, “Walk around your building and look for reflected trees or plants in your windows.” If you’ve ever heard a bird hit your glass, it’s time to take action.

The workshops showcased two effective, low-cost treatments: applying white acrylic dots to the outside of window glass in a two-inch grid, or hanging vertical strings or ropes from the top of the glass at two-inch intervals. Both of these methods help birds recognize the glass barrier.

Malfeo also noted the project’s sustainable approach—crafting birds using scraps, cardboard, and common household materials. This fosters broader community involvement without incurring additional costs.

Through the Park Forest workshops, residents teamed up with people from around the world to create fabric bird replicas for the project while learning simple steps to make their windows safer for migrating birds. The initiative reflects a dual mission: honoring the lives of the thousands of birds lost to collisions each year, while empowering communities to help prevent future strikes—one window, one dot, and one handmade bird at a time.