Focus on the Watchmen and Pigeon Peepers of the Potential Warbler: UCLA ornithologist and the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History are recruiting volunteers Phoenix Projecta multi-year citizen science initiative that investigates birds’ response to wildfires.
The team is seeking volunteers in California, Oregon and Washington to collect July to November, the official West Coast fire season deadline.
Volunteers need to choose a comfortable, familiar place – backyard, balcony, a favorite local park – spend 10 minutes a week there and pay attention to any bird activities they hear or see. Then, they enter observations on the online platform ebird.
No bird knowledge or expertise is required, says UCLA ornithologist Olivia Sanderfoot. In fact, beginners are welcome in particular because they are more likely to notice common species and behaviors that long-term observers may ignore.
“Whether you are an expert birdwatcher who has been watching throughout your life or have never thought about birds, you are welcome to join the Phoenix project,” Sanderfoot said. “We want the program to be accessible.”
This is the third year of research, Begins in 2023 In three months, about 300 volunteers followed bird behavior.
The study aims to understand The effects of wildfires on birds, There is insufficient research on the expanding Western fire season. The more data volunteer observers gather, the better ornithologists can understand how fires affect these animals and what steps can be taken to help them.
Participants can be committed to the entire season or just a few weeks. The researchers will cross-examine volunteer annotations of fire and smoke distribution data to find patterns of animal behavior. For those working to talk about the jungle from the Barn Owl, the team has assembled resources to help differentiate common native species and can answer personal questions via email. A team of expert birdwatchers also reviewed the volunteer notes before transferring to the researchers, and the researchers will follow up with further questions about any highly unusual bird species or mentioned behavior.
Sandfoot said casual observations of backyard birders are actually valuable data points.
From the first two years of the project data, scientists have noticed that the presence of soot particles, a major component of wildfire smoke, changes the likelihood of certain birds being observed in a given area, Sanderfoot said. The reason is not yet clear.
Are bushes Jayce usually not found in the park? They may be relocating to avoid smoke. Is the backyard feeder action surprisingly heated? Birds with increased smoke may become more territorial. Scientists want to know whether birds actually fly to new locations when air quality drops, or whether they are changing their behavior, making them harder or easier to spot by human birdwatchers.
“These are hypotheses we hope to test with the data collected in 2025,” Sandfoot said. “The more people we are involved, the more likely we are to capture those effects where that impact occurs. It requires people’s power.”
Register on www.projectphoenix.study.
The volunteers said bird watching was also fun.
“I’m glad to slow down and just stop and watch for 10 minutes,” said Los Feliz potter and wildlife enthusiast Carrie Brown-Kornarens, who volunteered to participate in the Project project since the release of the study. “It’s a peaceful experience to stay in one place and bring the birds to you.”
