A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM

August 1st officially marks 1 month of data collection for Project Phoenix 2024! We want to thank you all so much for your participation in this project - our research is only possible due to the dedication of volunteers like you.

To celebrate 1 month of data collection, we will be holding a raffle - both on our Instagram and over email (for folks who do not have social media.) 5 lucky winners will be selected at random to recieve Project Phoenix stickers. To enter, send us a photo of you doing your survey to our email (projectphoenix.socal@gmail.com) or tag us in a story or post on Instagram! The raffle will close on Friday, August 9th at 5:00 pm PST.

Best of luck and thank you for volunteering with us!

Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

BIRD OF THE WEEK: Anna’s Hummingbird

by Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

Anna’s Hummingbirds are one of the most common hummingbirds along the Pacific Coast. Their range has significantly expanded from their original breeding ranges in Baja and southern California, largely due to the planting of flowering trees and provision of hummingbird feeders that have increased supply of nectar. Today, their range stretches up into Canada, encompassing Washington and Oregon as well.

Male Anna’s Hummingbirds can be identified by the bright pink to magenta feathers along their throat and crown. These colorful feathers are known as a gorget, named after a piece of armor that covers the throat. Female and immature male Anna’s Hummingbirds have a very small gorget of pink feathers, which is rare among hummingbirds - in most species the females lack one completely. You can find these stunning birds hovering from flower to flower, sipping nectar and eating insects. If you are lucky, during breeding season, you may also spot them or diving in the air to court a mate.

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

FROM THE FIELD: Mary Stoddard’s Lab

by Sophia Kiker | Team Designer, Project Phoenix

One of our team members, Sophia Kiker, had an amazing opportunity to meet with Mary Stoddard, PhD, an ecology and evolutionary biology (EEB) associate professor at Princeton University. Dr. Stoddard researches avian color vision, plumage evolution, as well as camouflage, mimicry, and individual recognition. She is currently investigating the relationship between the structural and functional expressions of phenotypes in eggshells. Dr. Stoddard works closely with Benedict Hogan, PhD –a postdoctoral research associate in EEB and a lead author in their 2018 study researching the courtship display of hummingbirds. Dr. Stoddard and Dr. Hogan used video and audio recordings of Broad-tailed Hummingbird dives to pinpoint exactly when the male hummingbird produces noises (with his tail feathers) during these dives. They accomplished this by using software to track both the speed and trajectory of the hummingbird with the audio recordings. Then, they combined “photographs with a model of hummingbird color vision and details of the U-shaped flight path, [and] the researchers were able to estimate a female ‘bird’s eye view’ of the male’s iridescent throat feathers” (High Meadows Environmental Institute). Thus, Dr. Stoddard and Dr. Hogan’s research on the Broad-tailed Hummingbird gives us insight into how the dive process combines speed with both auditory and visual cues to produce a dazzling “in-your-face” courting display.

FEATURE STORY: Making Windows Bird Safe

by Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

For urban birds, one of the greatest dangers they face is one you might never suspect - windows. Seemingly innocuous to us, windows pose a great danger to birds because they appear to be an empty space that they can fly through. Windows that reflect foliage are also harmful, as birds assume that they can continue to fly into the foliage. This leads to millions of window collisions each year, and results in hundreds of millions of birds dying each year.

While this devastating problem can seem overwhelming, there are simple and easy window treatments that can make your windows safer for birds by helping to prevent collisions. Putting up decals, stickers, and tape, or using paint on the outside of your windows can help birds to see windows. These markings need to be spaced close to one another (2 inches apart) for birds to view windows as a solid object. Ribbons and strings that hang outside of your windows can also prevent collisions, along with window films (like one-way transparent films or textured films). For more examples of and information on bird-safe windows, check out these resources from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, The Fatal Light Awareness Program, FeatherFriendly, and this Op-ed co-authored by our Program Director, Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot.

FROM OUR PARTNERS: August Events

Audubon Center at Debs Park:

• Community Bird Sit - August 17th (8:15 am)

• Community Movie Night - August 23rd (6:00 pm)

LA Birders:

• Webinars - August 13th, 20th

Morro Coast Audubon Society:

• Field Trips - August 11th, 20th

North East Trees:

• Nursery Volunteer Action Day - August 3rd (9:00 am - 12:00 pm)

• Seedy Sunday - August 4th (9:00 am - 12:00 pm)

Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy:

• Guided Nature Walk - August 3rd, 17th (10:30 am)

• Outdoor Volunteer Day - August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 31st

San Diego Audubon Society:

• Birding Outings - August 13th, 17th

UCLA Botanical Garden:

• Garden Tour - August 3rd (10:00 am)

• Twilight Stroll in the Garden - August 15th (5:00 pm)

UCLA Stunt Ranch Reserve:

• Guided Hike (RSVP required) - August 4th (8:00 am - 11:00 am)

Thank you to all our partners and supporting organizations!

Project Phoenix is grateful to our partners and all the supporting organizations who help our program soar. Visit our partners page to learn more about the incredible work of these non-profit organizations – from science to conservation to outdoor recreation, these orgs are dedicated to protecting our environment for people and the birds we love.