A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM

Wildfires along the West Coast have burned over 900,000 acres in California, Oregon, and Washington so far this year. This fire season has already outpaced the 2023 fire season which collectively burned around 650,000 acres over the three states. Your monitoring of birds this year is more important than ever. We encourage you to share this project with your community, friends, and family. The more volunteers we have collecting data means more information for us to learn how wildfire impacts the birds we love so much. Although we launched officially on July 1, new participants can start collecting data for us on any day of any week.

We also want to encourage you to protect yourself while birding if there is smoke present. This can include checking the AQI before heading out, wearing a mask if needed (email us at projectphoenix.socal@gmail.com for free N95 masks, if needed), or choosing a more protected monitoring site. I also would like to encourage you to explore wildfire safety and preparedness resources from California, Oregon, and Washington. Thank you all for your dedication to Project Phoenix!

Wishing you all safe and happy birding!

Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

BIRD OF THE WEEK: House Sparrow

by Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

House Sparrows are found in neighborhoods, urban areas, farms, and other places close to people. They are often found at backyard bird feeders, or eating other grains, seeds, or discarded food. However, in the summer, to feed their young House Sparrows will hunt insects, grabbing them in the air or hunting by light sources at dusk!

Male House Sparrows will use their calls to attract a mate or announce that they have a nest. Female House Sparrows will typically only use this call if they have lost their mate and need to attract a new one. Male House Sparrows can be identified by their dark brown wings, gray crowns, and black bibs. Female House Sparrows are recognizable for their overall brown coloring with a gray/brown underside. House Sparrows are common study species for science; due to their common occurrence and proximity to humans, House Sparrows are considered a model organism for avian studies, with over 5,000 studies published on House Sparrows to date!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: What is this?

Our Volunteer Spotlight is dedicated to celebrating all the wonderful volunteers who make Project Phoenix possible!

We’d love to share your story. Consider telling us more about your journey to Project Phoenix by filling out the form at the bottom of our volunteers page.

We encourage our volunteers to let us know why they’re excited about Project Phoenix, but we’re keen on learning more about you, too! Here are some questions to think about:

• When did you first become interested in birding?

• What is your favorite place to explore, or just be outside?

• Do you have a favorite bird (or more than one)?

• Tell us about a memorable birding experience.

• What are you hoping to learn from participating in Project Phoenix?

We’d also love to celebrate your nature photography, artwork, writing, and other creative endeavors. Feel free to send us examples of your art and photos of your birding adventures to projectphoenix.socal@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

FEATURE STORY: Nature Walk DIY

by Caitlin O’Neil | Communications Lead, Project Phoenix

It can be hard to keep little ones (and sometimes ourselves) focused and present during a nature walk. A little bit of arts and crafts can help to remedy that. Below, you can find a DIY craft to try on your next adventure!

Make a nature bracelet!

Supplies:

• sheet of paper

• scissors

• double-sided tape

Using a sheet of paper, cut a strip of paper 8 - 10 inches long and however wide you’d like your bracelet to be. Apply double-sided tape to one side of the strip of paper, you may need to use multiple strips of tape, depending on the width of your bracelet. Attach the paper to your wrist with the tape facing outwards with a piece of double-sided tape.

As you go on your walk, see what items you can find and attach to your bracelet! These can include leaves, flowers, berries, etc. When collecting items, make sure that you can collect species in that area. Avoid collecting in protected areas like national parks, wildlife refugees, and beaches. The best finds can be the ones already found on the ground in a yard or along a sidewalk, like the flowers pictured above! Need help identifying the plants you find on your walk? Check out iNaturalist to see the species in your neighborhood!

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.