Latest news with #NaturalHistoryMuseumofLosAngelesCounty
Miami Herald
02-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Hardcore birders and casual sparrow spotters: Science needs you
LOS ANGELES - Attention would-be warbler watchers and pigeon peepers: Ornithologists at UCLA and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are recruiting volunteers for Project Phoenix, a multiyear citizen science initiative investigating birds' response to wildfire. The team is seeking volunteers in California, Oregon and Washington to collect data from July through November, the duration of the official West Coast fire season. Volunteers need to choose a comfortable, familiar spot - a backyard, a balcony, a favorite local park - and spend 10 minutes there each week noting any bird activity they hear or see. They then enter their observations on the online platform eBird. No bird knowledge or expertise is required, said program director Olivia Sanderfoot, a UCLA ornithologist. Beginners especially are welcome, in fact, as they're more apt to notice common species and behaviors that longtime bird watchers might overlook. "Whether you are an expert birder who has been birding your whole life or you have never thought about birds, you are welcome to join Project Phoenix," Sanderfoot said. "We want this program to be accessible." This is the third consecutive year of the study, which began in 2023 with about 300 volunteers tracking bird behavior over a three-month period. The study aims to understand the effects of wildfire smoke on birds, an understudied component of the ever-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 commit to the whole season or just a few weeks. Researchers will cross-check volunteers' notes against fire and smoke distribution data to look for patterns in animal behavior. For those who struggle to tell a bushtit from a barn owl, the team has assembled resources to help distinguish between common local species and can answer individual questions via email. Volunteers' notes are also reviewed by a team of expert birders before being passed on to researchers, who will follow up with further questions about any highly unusual birds or behavior noted. What may feel like casual observations to a backyard birder are actually valuable data points, Sanderfoot said. From the first two years of project data, scientists have already noticed that the presence of soot particles - a major component of wildfire smoke - changes the probability that certain bird species will be observed in a given area, Sanderfoot said. The reason why isn't yet clear. Are scrub jays showing up in parks where they typically aren't spotted? They may be relocating to avoid sooty skies. Is the action at a backyard feeder getting surprisingly heated? It's possible that birds aggravated by smoke are becoming more territorial. Scientists want to know if birds are actually flying to new locations when air quality declines, or if they are changing their behaviors in ways that make them harder or easier for human bird-watchers to spot. "These are the hypotheses we are hoping to test with the data we collect in 2025," Sanderfoot said. "The more people we have engaged, the more likely that we will have people in place to capture these impacts where they occur. It requires people power." Signups are at The bird-watching is also fun, volunteers said. "I've enjoyed being able to slow down and just stop to observe for 10 minutes," said Carrie Brown-Kornarens, a Los Feliz ceramicist and wildlife enthusiast who has volunteered for Project Phoenix since the study's launch. "Staying in one spot brings the birds to you, and it's a peaceful experience." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hardcore birders and casual sparrow spotters: Science needs you
Attention would-be warbler watchers and pigeon peepers: Ornithologists at UCLA and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are recruiting volunteers for Project Phoenix, a multiyear citizen science initiative investigating birds' response to wildfire. The team is seeking volunteers in California, Oregon and Washington to collect data from July through November, the duration of the official West Coast fire season. Volunteers need to choose a comfortable, familiar spot — a backyard, a balcony, a favorite local park — and spend 10 minutes there each week noting any bird activity they hear or see. They then enter their observations on the online platform eBird. No bird knowledge or expertise is required, said program director Olivia Sanderfoot, a UCLA ornithologist. Beginners especially are welcome, in fact, as they're more apt to notice common species and behaviors that longtime bird watchers might overlook. 'Whether you are an expert birder who has been birding your whole life or you have never thought about birds, you are welcome to join Project Phoenix,' Sanderfoot said. 'We want this program to be accessible.' This is the third consecutive year of the study, which began in 2023 with about 300 volunteers tracking bird behavior over a three-month period. The study aims to understand the effects of wildfire smoke on birds, an understudied component of the ever-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 commit to the whole season or just a few weeks. Researchers will cross-check volunteers' notes against fire and smoke distribution data to look for patterns in animal behavior. For those who struggle to tell a bushtit from a barn owl, the team has assembled resources to help distinguish between common local species and can answer individual questions via email. Volunteers' notes are also reviewed by a team of expert birders before being passed on to researchers, who will follow up with further questions about any highly unusual birds or behavior noted. What may feel like casual observations to a backyard birder are actually valuable data points, Sanderfoot said. From the first two years of project data, scientists have already noticed that the presence of soot particles — a major component of wildfire smoke — changes the probability that certain bird species will be observed in a given area, Sanderfoot said. The reason why isn't yet clear. Are scrub jays showing up in parks where they typically aren't spotted? They may be relocating to avoid sooty skies. Is the action at a backyard feeder getting surprisingly heated? It's possible that birds aggravated by smoke are becoming more territorial. Scientists want to know if birds are actually flying to new locations when air quality declines, or if they are changing their behaviors in ways that make them harder or easier for human bird-watchers to spot. "These are the hypotheses we are hoping to test with the data we collect in 2025," Sanderfoot said. 'The more people we have engaged, the more likely that we will have people in place to capture these impacts where they occur. It requires people power.' Signups are at The bird-watching is also fun, volunteers said. 'I've enjoyed being able to slow down and just stop to observe for 10 minutes,' said Carrie Brown-Kornarens, a Los Feliz ceramicist and wildlife enthusiast who has volunteered for Project Phoenix since the study's launch. 'Staying in one spot brings the birds to you, and it's a peaceful experience.' This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
01-07-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
Hardcore birders and casual sparrow spotters: Science needs you
Attention would-be warbler watchers and pigeon peepers: Ornithologists at UCLA and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County are recruiting volunteers for Project Phoenix, a multiyear citizen science initiative investigating birds' response to wildfire. The team is seeking volunteers in California, Oregon and Washington to collect data from July through November, the duration of the official West Coast fire season. Volunteers need to choose a comfortable, familiar spot — a backyard, a balcony, a favorite local park — and spend 10 minutes there each week noting any bird activity they hear or see. They then enter their observations on the online platform eBird. No bird knowledge or expertise is required, said program director Olivia Sanderfoot, a UCLA ornithologist. Beginners especially are welcome, in fact, as they're more apt to notice common species and behaviors that longtime bird watchers might overlook. 'Whether you are an expert birder who has been birding your whole life or you have never thought about birds, you are welcome to join Project Phoenix,' Sanderfoot said. 'We want this program to be accessible.' This is the third consecutive year of the study, which began in 2023 with about 300 volunteers tracking bird behavior over a three-month period. The study aims to understand the effects of wildfire smoke on birds, an understudied component of the ever-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 commit to the whole season or just a few weeks. Researchers will cross-check volunteers' notes against fire and smoke distribution data to look for patterns in animal behavior. For those who struggle to tell a bushtit from a barn owl, the team has assembled resources to help distinguish between common local species and can answer individual questions via email. Volunteers' notes are also reviewed by a team of expert birders before being passed on to researchers, who will follow up with further questions about any highly unusual birds or behavior noted. What may feel like casual observations to a backyard birder are actually valuable data points, Sanderfoot said. From the first two years of project data, scientists have already noticed that the presence of soot particles — a major component of wildfire smoke — changes the probability that certain bird species will be observed in a given area, Sanderfoot said. The reason why isn't yet clear. Are scrub jays showing up in parks where they typically aren't spotted? They may be relocating to avoid sooty skies. Is the action at a backyard feeder getting surprisingly heated? It's possible that birds aggravated by smoke are becoming more territorial. Scientists want to know if birds are actually flying to new locations when air quality declines, or if they are changing their behaviors in ways that make them harder or easier for human bird-watchers to spot. 'These are the hypotheses we are hoping to test with the data we collect in 2025,' Sanderfoot said. 'The more people we have engaged, the more likely that we will have people in place to capture these impacts where they occur. It requires people power.' Signups are at The bird-watching is also fun, volunteers said. 'I've enjoyed being able to slow down and just stop to observe for 10 minutes,' said Carrie Brown-Kornarens, a Los Feliz ceramicist and wildlife enthusiast who has volunteered for Project Phoenix since the study's launch. 'Staying in one spot brings the birds to you, and it's a peaceful experience.'
Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
26 awe-inspiring gardens in Southern California you must visit at least once
The gardens around the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County in Exposition Park are a triple treat — especially during the milder temperatures of spring and fall. At the entrance a living wall of giant sandstone splinters curves into the garden, acting as fence and planter. The top is filled with succulents, Mediterranean-climate plants and many California native flowers, perennials and shrubs, and the sides are laced with more plants sprouting from the rocks, providing homes to insects and lizards. The 3.5 acre garden opened in 2013, and one of its primary goals was to provide habitat for urban wildlife, especially birds and pollinators. The Sarah Meeker Jensen Pond is alive with thirsty birds, dragonflies and even Arroyo chub, the little native fish that once thrived in the Los Angeles River. There's also a small 'urban waterfall,' and a broad shallow creek where children can wade on hot days and a wildlife viewing platform for birds and other creatures, dotted with feeders, bee 'hotels' and plenty of nectar providing flowers. Further in, you'll find the Erika J. Glazer Family Edible Garden, where beautifully tended raised beds grow a large assortment of delicious-looking produce. If your children (or you) aren't sure where vegetables come from, here's a chance to discover up close how plant food is grown. The museum offers guided tours of the garden (free with museum admission) from 11 a.m. to noon most Saturdays and Sundays, and there's a 'Get Dirty Garden,' where children can balance on a path of logs and tree stumps, search for insects in compost piles and explore a house made from willow branches. Finally, next door to the nature gardens outside the California Science Center is the the Exposition Park Rose Garden, billed as the country's largest when it opened in 1927, according to a PBS report. It opened with more than 100 species of roses and by 1949, reportedly boasted 150 species and some 15,000 roses in all. It's still an awe-inspiring sight, but you'll want to visit after April when the roses start blooming, because the pruning in the winter leaves the bushes bare. Admission: Visitors can tour the Nature Gardens with a ticket to the Natural History Museum; $18, or $14 for seniors 62+ and students with ID, ages 13-17, $7 for ages 3-12 and free for members and children under 2. Los Angeles County residents can also visit the museum for free Mondays through Fridays between 3 and 5 p.m. Admission to the Exposition Park Rose Garden is free. Hours: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except the first Tuesday of every month, Jan. 1, July 4, Thanksgiving day and Dec. 25. Exposition Park. Rose Garden is open daily, 8:30 a.m. to dusk. Food: You can purchase food at the Natural History Museum and the California Science Center next door. Other: Restrooms are available at the museum. The gardens are wheelchair-accessible and visitors can borrow wheelchairs from the museum on a first-come, first-served basis.
Time of India
07-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Rare butterflies documented in city nature challenge
Panaji: TOI Rare butterfly species — the Aberrant Oakblue and Banded Royal — were among the standout finds in Goa during the City Nature Challenge (CNC), 2025, that was held last week. The Banded Royal, known for its elusive behaviour and forest habitat, and the shimmering Aberrant Oakblue, a seldom-seen species, were both documented by observer Devesh Naik, who also emerged as one of Goa's top contributors in the event.'The sightings of these exciting additions to Goa's butterfly records are reminders of the hidden wonders that still await discovery in Goa,' said Aditya Kakodkar, state coordinator – Goa for WWF-India. 'The documentation of such biodiversity is very important because without data we cannot fathom the amount of biodiversity or its destruction,' he toldThe CNC encourages participants to observe and document biodiversity by capturing photos of living organisms in their surroundings and uploading them via the 'iNaturalist' app. Given Goa's compact size, the entire state was counted as a single city for the proved to be a haven for biodiversity, emerging among the top performers in the global biodiversity documentation event that ran from April 25 to 28. A total of 20,265 nature observations and 1,927 species were recorded as Goa ranked fourth in India for most observations and fifth for most hundred and fifty-five Goan participants joined the effort, contributing to a vibrant mosaic of flora and fauna that included birds, butterflies, insects, and plants. Leading the charge was Suhani Sahani with 2,224 observations, followed closely by Devesh Naik with 2,167 and Ankush Sahani with 1,740. In terms of species diversity, Devesh Naik again led the charts with 481 unique species, followed by Vithal Naik (405) and Anvay Chati (332).'We need to encourage more people to document the biodiversity of Goa and city nature walks are a great way to do that,' Kakodkar event was coordinated by zoologists Ankush Sahani and Vaishnavi Rajesh Naik, with support from Lisha Da Costa, senior programme officer with WWF-India, who managed the initiative CNC, originally launched by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences, has evolved into a global initiative where cities compete to record the highest number of species and observations. This year, Hyderabad led the Indian cities with a record 33,989 observations, while Nanakmatta in Uttarakhand topped the species count with 2,574.
