Hello, bird enthusiasts!

Nearly 2,000 volunteers have signed up to help us monitor birds during the 2025 fire season. From L.A. to Seattle, in backyards, school yards, beaches, farms, and city streets, Project Phoenix community scientists are collecting critical data on bird occurrence and abundance. We will use this data to answer key questions on the effects of wildfire smoke on bird behavior and species distributions and identify steps we can all take to help our feathered friends thrive in a smokier world.

For our research to be successful, it’s on all of us to ensure we are collecting high quality data. Thankfully, eBird benefits from a network of volunteer local reviewers – expert birders who review all reports of rare or unusual birds. Recently, reviewers have let us know that some checklists submitted to eBird as part of Project Phoenix include reports of rare birds. While it is certainly possible folks are seeing or hearing rare birds during their surveys, we encourage our volunteers to be cautious when reporting unusual birds – particularly when using Merlin Bird ID.

Project Phoenix also supports many opportunities to learn more about species ID:

• If you are new to eBird, we strongly recommend taking eBird Essentials, a free, self-paced online course that will get you up to speed on how to submit high quality data.

• Our website provides recommended resources on species ID, as well as tips on how to improve your birding skills. We have also compiled a list of FAQs on species ID, including best practices for using Merlin Bird ID (see below).

• Looking for more help? Our team is available to assist with bird ID – please reach out to us anytime. You can also join us for virtual office hours – send us an email, and we’ll find a time to chat more about the birds at your monitoring site. Birds Connect Seattle is also offering an online Intro to Urban Birds workshop on September 10th at 7:00 p.m., free for all Project Phoenix volunteers! Learn more and sign up here.

• Finally, you may also wish to consult the wider birding community! Upload photos of the birds you see to iNaturalist – a global participatory science platform – and local naturalists will help you identify them. Your observations will then be used to power exciting ecology research all over the world. Or, consider posting a question in the “What’s this Bird? - American Birding Association (ABA)” Facebook group, which is dedicated to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for bird ID.

Happy birding, and thanks for all you do for our feathered friends!

~ Olivia

Olivia Sanderfoot, Ph.D. | Program Director, Project Phoenix

Best Practices for

Using Merlin Bird ID

Merlin Bird ID is a useful tool for beginner and expert birders alike. This app helps you identify birds you observe by sight and/or sound.

Spot a bird? Just answer five simple questions about the bird, and Merlin will generate a list of species that match your description.

Want to know which birds are calling or singing? Start recording, and Merlin will suggest species that match those vocalizations in real time.

Merlin is a great resource to consult on the go and works very well for most common birds, which are the focus of Project Phoenix. However, like all predictive models, Merlin is not perfect, and birders should be mindful when reporting rare birds.

We recommend the following best practices when using Merlin Sound ID:

—> Turn your location services on. Merlin will not work well if the app doesn’t know where you are and which species are likely to be near you!

—> If Merlin suggests species you have previously observed at your monitoring site, or you know the call or song, go ahead and report that species.

—> If Merlin suggests a species that is new to you, particularly if it is rare, try to confirm the species visually. And remember, you can always report larger taxonomic groups on your checklists if you're not sure (e.g., "finch species" or "hummingbird species").

Check out our website for more FAQs and resources on species ID!

BIRD OF THE WEEK: American Crow

American Crows are commonly found across the lower 48 states. They are often observed roosting in large numbers and, yes, a group of crows is known as a “murder” - but we promise these birds aren’t scary! American Crows are known for their intelligence: they will follow other birds to find their nests, steal food, and even use tools! Captive crows have been taught to speak, and crows in the wild can exhibit some fascinating behaviors as well. Dr. Kaeli Swift is a corvid expert based in the Seattle area. She shares lots of cool facts about crows and other corvids on her website. She details her studies of crow funerals, writes about the crow family structure, and has great tips for telling American Crows and Common Ravens apart!

NEXT WEEK: VIRTUAL SEMINAR

Out of the Fire, Into the Smoke: How wildfire smoke impacts birds with Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot

Join Project Phoenix and Birds Connect Seattle on Wednesday, August 6th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for an evening seminar with Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot, Program Director here at Project Phoenix. Olivia be giving a talk all about how wildfire smoke impacts birds. She will share what we know so far about the effects of smoke on avian physiology, behavior, and reproductive success and highlight opportunities for you to get involved in critical research on this urgent conservation topic. If you are interested in tuning into this talk, please register. The event is open to members of the public and there is no fee to participate.

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.

We love to hear from our volunteers! What motivated you to join Project Phoenix? Click here to share your story as a volunteer spotlight.