This month, our Bird-Friendly Communities (BFC) initiative celebrates THREE YEARS of growth leading to long-term conservation success!

Uniting over a common passion – to help birds thrive in our cities and towns – Audubon, our BFC partners, and thousands of citizens have created projects that are making a difference for specific North Carolina birds.

Partnerships Build A History of Success

Three years ago, Audubon NC convened a Bird-Friendly Communities implementation team that brought together people from across the state - including chapter leaders, business owners, state agency employees and individuals – to work together to help birds in cities and towns.  By collaborating and sharing expertise in green growth, landscape architecture, native plant work, backyard habitat programs, academic research, communications, and environmental education, the group began achieving goals and bringing down barriers to implementation.

The BFC program began with these 20 people and a goal to make our cities and towns a friendlier environment for birds. Guided by three bird-friendly goals, the group laid the foundation for success uniting communities and everyday people in bird conservation on a local and achievable level.

See what has been accomplished in the first three years of Bird-Friendly Communities:

• 12,000+ North Carolinians received our regional Native Plants for Birds brochures, distributed by all 10 local chapters and more than 30 partners statewide.
• 10,000 nest boxes for Brown-headed Nuthatches were installed from the piedmont to the coast.
• A compendium of 400 bird-friendly native plants was created for all of NC  with everything anyone needs to know to successfully grow them.
• 100+ programs were delivered to community groups educating residents on the benefits of bird-friendly native plants.
• 60+ nurseries and garden centers joined in to sell specific bird-friendly native plants helping to create the supply for increasing demand. This is our Bird-Friendly Native Plants of the Year program.
• 52 different bird species were counted as victims of window collisions in the downtown areas of Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Raleigh. The data collected helped successfully convince more building managers to put “Lights Out” for birds during critical migration times.
• 41 architects were trained on bird-friendly building design in the first year of our American Institute of Architects continuing education course.
• 16 landscape architects were trained on bird-friendly landscape design in the first year of our continuing education course.
• 15  faith communities created bird-friendly habitats on their grounds.
• A Bird of the Year program showcased a different priority species each year that shares our urban environment along with actions that citizens can take to help them: the Brown-headed Nuthatch, Wood Thrush and Chimney Swift.
• 2 city councils and 1 county commission said YES to helping birds in a big way: YES to Lights Out in Raleigh and YES to bird-friendly native plants in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
• The first ever verification of a Wood Thrush migration from Belize to Forsyth County was discovered through a new tracking program.

Audubon North Carolina sends a special thank you to everyone who has made this program such a success already. Click here to learn more about the Bird-Friendly Communities program and to join in. We still have a lot to do!

Audubon North Carolina’s Bird-Friendly Communities initiative is a partnership program involving more than 20 organizations whose mission is to create a more bird-friendly North Carolina focusing on cities and towns.  This vision statement guides the goals and projects of the group: “Bird-friendly communities give birds the opportunity to succeed by providing connected habitat dominated by native plants, minimizing threats posed by the built environment, and engaging people of all ages and backgrounds in stewardship of nature.”