Project Phoenix Weekly Newsletter

October 2, 2025

Dear Project Phoenix community,

It is officially October!

I have been enjoying hearing all the stories about cool birds you’ve seen or heard during your surveys. It’s great to know that so many of us share a deep appreciation for birds and nature, and I love that we are all able to contribute to conservation research through our project.

A quick note about submitting your surveys: we have noticed a few surveys have “#PhoenixProject” instead of the correct “#ProjectPhoenix” tag included in the checklist comments. Rest assured, even if you make this mistake, we will still be able to find your surveys in the eBird database – no worries. But, you can always go back and edit the checklist comments, and if you have a chance to do so, that would be great! Please note that we do try to find all variations of the tag that folks might include, and we also do our best to account for spelling errors. As long as you’ve included some version of the tag in the checklist comments with a hashtag (#), we will be able to find your surveys.

We hope you will participate in our upcoming October Big Day celebrations! Scroll down for more details. In the meantime, happy birding. :)

Sincerely,

Yuka

Yuka Wu | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

BIRD OF THE WEEK:

Bewick’s Wren

This small bird makes a big impression! With its long tail and striking white “eyebrows,” the Bewick’s Wren is a treat for any birder to spot. These little songbirds have a diverse repertoire of songs that are used to defend their territory and attract mates. Raspy notes are used to “scold” intruders on their territory! Male Bewick’s Wrens build their unique song vocabulary in their first and second months of life, adapting notes and syllables from their father’s signature song.

Bewick’s Wrens make their homes in open woodlands, chaparral, and suburban plantings across the western United States. A monogamous breeding pair will build their nest on a ledge or in a cavity. The nest is usually constructed over a week or two. Plant fibers are used to construct the base, and spider egg casings, feathers, wool, and snakeskin are used to create a soft interior lining.

Bewick’s Wrens enjoy snacking on all life stages of insects, feasting on eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults. They can be found hanging upside down on trees to grab their prey. Their diet in the winter expands to include fruits, seeds, and other plant matter, and adult wrens will sometimes consume mud or small pebbles, either for nutrients or to help digest their food.

Special Event:

Global Bird Weekend &

October Big Day

October Big Day and Global Bird Weekend are nearly here! These exciting events are some of the biggest birding events of the year, open to anyone in the world! October Big Day will take place on Saturday, October 11th, which is also World Migratory Bird Day and part of Global Bird Weekend (from Friday, October 10 to Sunday, October 12). All you have to do to participate in October Big Day is go birding and submit an eBird checklist with your observations between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, October 11th. If you aren’t able to go birding on Saturday, you can still participate in Global Bird Weekend by birding on Friday or Sunday.

We are very eager to engage the Project Phoenix community in these global birding events and discover how many individual birds and species we can collectively observe in a single weekend throughout California, Washington, and Oregon. You are welcome to go birding individually or as a group. In fact, we have walks scheduled in Pasadena, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Sign up below:

Pasadena (10/12) at Lower Arroyo Park, 7:30 to 11 a.m.

Los Angeles (10/11) at the old zoo in Griffith Park, 8 to 10 a.m. We are looking for a co-leader for the bird walk in Los Angeles; if you are interested, please email us.

Seattle: More info coming next week. Birds Connect Seattle will also be hosting a Bird and Photography for Young Adults under 40 event that day.

Events Calendar

Warbler Workshop

As we enter fall migration season, you might start to see several new species of birds in your neighborhoods, including warblers! In this bird workshop, we will go over how to identify some common warbler species you might encounter. This workshop will take place on Zoom on Saturday, October 4th at 5 p.m. Sign up here.

Volunteer Spotlight

Elisa Pittner

Elisa has been a volunteer for Project Phoenix since 2023 (the start of this project!) when she fell in love with birding. During this time, she was pressured to cut down three majestic Aleppo pines by her home where she regularly observed birds living and interacting, and she took it upon herself to fight back to protect these trees and the birds who called them home. She succeeded, with the support of a licensed arborist.

Elisa enjoys spending time outdoors, from birding to walks around Los Angeles. Her favorite birds include cormorants and Great Blue Herons. She wishes to turn birding as a hobby into actual conservation, and says that Project Phoenix brought back hope that we can save our environment and the birds in it. As an architect, Elisa champions bird-friendly glazing and full cutoff light fixtures.

You can connect with Elisa on LinkedIn.