Hello!

My name is Dr. Allison Shultz, and I am Associate Curator of Ornithology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) and part of the team behind Project Phoenix. We are so excited for our third year of this wonderful and impactful program.

We are delighted to share that we have signed up more than 1,350 volunteers this year – an incredible start! If you are a continuing Project Phoenix community scientist, we are really excited to have you back – thank you for once again volunteering your precious time! If you are new, welcome – without you, this project would not be possible! The data we are collecting is helping us make critical insights into how we can protect our feathered friends through smoke events and other environmental disturbances.  

Please share our project with anyone you know who might be interested in helping – no matter their background or their knowledge of birds, they can still be part of the team. Check out our website for resources on eBird and species identification.

Thank you again for your time, on behalf of our team and the birds we all love! 

Sincerely,

Allison

Allison J. Shultz, Ph.D. | Associate Curator of Ornithology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

BIRD OF THE WEEK: Western Tanager

Our first Bird of the Week is one you might recognize from our gorgeous logo (designed by Mason Avelar) – the Western Tanager! This fiery little songbird resides in evergreen forests along the western coast of the United States, from California all the way up through Canada. 

Males of this species, like the one pictured above, have a gorgeous red pigment brushed across their faces. This red coloration is common within the Cardinalidae family. Usually, birds obtain this red color by consuming plant material containing carotenoids. However, the Western Tanager gets its color from a rare pigment called rhodoxanthin! Rhodoxanthin is found in conifer buds, and Western Tanagers ingest it when consuming insects that feed on these conifers.

While Western Tanagers may enjoy the sunny SoCal coast year-round, these birds do quite a bit of traveling, migrating farther north than any other tanager species, up to 60° in latitude along Canada’s west coast! (That’s all the way up by the Gulf of Alaska!)

IN THE NEWS

The Los Angeles Times: Hardcore birders and casual sparrow spotters: Science needs you (July 1, 2025)

KNX News: Volunteers needed to study the effects of wildfire smoke on birds (July 1, 2025)

LAist: This UCLA research project needs your help studying birds after wildfires (July 6, 2025)

MEET OUR PARTNERS

Birding with San Fernando Valley Audubon Society

Join a bird walk with the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society on Saturday, July 26th at Hansen Dam! More than 280 species of birds have been spotted at Hansen Dam, a spot that also holds the record for greatest number of species seen in a day in the San Fernando Valley – 120! Learn more about the event here.

Neighborhood Bird Outings with Birds Connect Seattle

Birds Connect Seattle is hosting a series of accessible, family-friendly bird walks in neighborhoods across Seattle this summer. From Green Lake to Ballard to the waters of the Puget Sound, these birding outings are a great way to get to know the diversity of birds in the Pacific Northwest and meet fellow birders. Learn more here.

Virtual Office Hours

Do you have a question about our survey protocol? Are you struggling to use eBird? Feeling a little lost on species ID? Come chat with us! Our team hosts virtual office hours upon request. Just send us an email at projectphoenix.socal@gmail.com, and we’ll set up a time to chat on Zoom.

Last Call: Sticker Giveaway

Help us spread the word about Project Phoenix 2025! Invite a friend, colleague, or family member to join Project Phoenix 2025, and we’ll send you custom-made Project Phoenix stickers! It’s that simple. Click here to enter your name in the sticker giveaway. Our giveaway will close on Tuesday, July 15.

If you are on social media, please consider sharing Project Phoenix with your friends and followers. Check out our social media toolkit to get started.

Thanks for helping us make Project Phoenix 2025 our biggest year yet!

ICYMI: Project Phoenix Trailer

Last week we shared a link to our new trailer celebrating Project Phoenix. Unfortunately, the link was broken, so we wanted to make sure to share this one more time. It turns out we can’t embed YouTube videos into these newsletters. But, to watch the video, all you have to do is go to the Project Phoenix homepage!

Shout out to local filmmaker Alec Lyons of Blank Space studios for producing such a wonderful short!