A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM

We are in the home stretch for Project Phoenix 2023, with just 6 days left in data collection. We are so grateful to our 300+ volunteers – our research would not be possible without you!

Project Phoenix 2024 will kick off next summer. Stay tuned for exciting updates about next year’s program!

In the meantime, please keep an eye on your inbox for our post-data collection survey. Folks who fill out our survey will receive one-of-a-kind Project Phoenix stickers and tickets to an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Ornithology Department at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Happy Birding! Let’s make this last week count.

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

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Christy Ascencio

Christy’s birding journey began about two years ago, when she and her family moved from a first-floor apartment to a second-floor apartment. For her balcony, she bought both a hummingbird feeder and a seed feeder, and she was soon mesmerized by the wide variety of birds that visited. She now had the perfect place to watch birds! This inspired her to download the Merlin app and spend hours identifying the birds on her balcony. She now loves to spend early Saturday mornings on her balcony while everyone else sleeps, just her, her phone, and the birds. When Christy heard about Project Phoenix, she was very excited to join and begin her surveys. She believes that it is incredibly important to learn about local wildlife and spend time connecting to nature. She loved that Project Phoenix allowed her to do that while helping researchers learn more about the impacts of wildfires on our feathered neighbors.

Christy sent in some photos of birds visiting her patio – and appreciating her Halloween decor!

You can connect with Christy on Instagram @harleychris77.

Thank you so much for your contributions to Project Phoenix, Christy!

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

IN THE NEWS: COLORS x STUDIOS

Lisa Kwon, Project Phoenix volunteer and writer extraordinaire, recently featured Project Phoenix in an editorial for COLORS.

The reds, oranges, and yellows of COLORS magazine’s PALETTE 1 reminded Lisa of wildfires and inspired her to write a piece about Project Phoenix. Lisa drew on her passion for birdwatching to craft a beautiful narrative featuring interviews with Project Phoenix team members Dr. Olivia Sanderfoot and Dr. Morgan Tingley and Project Phoenix volunteer Boaz Solorio. Her article serves as a reminder of the ways in which we can take care of nature and the ways in which it takes care of us.

Click here to read Lisa’s article.

All of the gorgeous photos for the article were taken by talented local photographer Rio Asch Phoenix.

BIRDS OF THE WEEK: American Crow and Common Raven

by Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

American Crows and Common Ravens are perhaps the most iconic birds in the Corvid family. These all-black birds are both commonly featured in decorations for Halloween – the “caws” of crows are used in media in creepy soundscapes, and ravens are perhaps best known for their starring role in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven.

Because these birds look similar, it can be tricky at first to tell them apart, so we’ve gathered some advice from corvid expert Dr. Kaeli Swift to help distinguish these species.

• Size: Ravens are much larger than crows. Dr. Swift writes, “If you’re at higher elevation or in a more rural or coastal area and find yourself thinking, ‘that’s the biggest #$%^&*# crow I’ve ever seen!’, you’re probably looking at a raven.”

• Sound: Ravens have throaty-deep croaks, but crows have higher-pitched caws.

• Tail Shape: Ravens have diamond-shaped tails, visible when they fly, Crow tails are square-shaped.

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” – scary! American Crows are known for their intelligence: they will follow other birds to find their nests, steal food, and even use tools! Crows also have some extraordinary behaviors, even gathering around their dead. Click here to read more about Dr. Swift’s studies of crow funerals.

Common Ravens are found in the western U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Similar to American Crows, they are also incredibly intelligent – for example, they have been observed working in pairs, one distracting an incubating bird while the other raids the nest. Ravens have a similar diet to American Crows. They eat a wide range of foods, including grains, berries, and nestlings. Ravens are also very playful and can be seen performing aerial aerobatics – diving, rolling, and dropping and catching objects are just some of the antics you might observe!

FROM OUR PARTNERS: It’s Owl-o-ween!

UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden: Trails and Treats

Join the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden on Friday, October 27th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for candy, photo ops, merch, music, a plant sale, and themed trails! RSVP here.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Boney Island and the Spider Pavilion

From October 28th to 31st, the Natural History Museum will transform its Nature Gardens into a light-up Halloween treat for all ages! The event will feature artistic performances, real fossils, live animal presentations, and trick-or-treating! Get your tickets today.

The Spider Pavilion will run until November 26th. Stop by to get an up-close look at spiders and their webs! Click here for ticketing.

FEATURE STORY: Monitoring Your Local Air Quality

by Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

As fire season continues, you may receive an air quality alert. But, what do these air quality alerts mean? Air quality is determined by the concentration of pollutants present in the air at a specific location. Exposure to air pollution can negatively impact our health, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. Air quality alerts help our communities take action to protect ourselves from air pollution.

AirNow (airnow.gov) is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “one-stop shop” for air quality data. This website allows users to look up the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) for their ZIP code, city, or state. The AQI ranges from 0 to 500 – the higher the AQI value is, the greater the concentration of harmful air pollutants. The AQI is conveniently organized into categories that correspond to a level of risk, indicated by colors. Green indicates that air quality is healthy, whereas purple indicates that air pollution threatens the health and safety of all groups. AirNow also provides information on what steps to take at each AQI level to protect yourself and others, such as resting more and moving physical activity indoors. Maps of AQI are also available through the Apple weather app.

OpenAQ (openaq.org), a partner of Project Phoenix, is a non-profit that amalgamates air quality data from reference monitors and low-cost air sensors around the world into an interactive global map. Users can explore several different pollutants and specify which sources of data to display. The map is color-coded so that darker colors signal higher levels of the selected pollutant.

Next year, Project Phoenix will be rolling out a new air quality monitoring tool on our website specifically for our volunteers. Stay tuned!

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.