ALEX TEY

journalist and photographer

Alexandra Tey

Alexandra Tey is a writer in New York City exploring the relationships between humans and their environments. She is also a skilled editor, fact-checker, and photographer with interests in conservation science and urban design.

Alex's reporting on the intersections of nature and society has appeared in outlets like Hell Gate, Curbed, and the New York Times. A story Alex wrote for Slate investigating the cultural and ecological dimensions of a ubiquitous street tree was selected by JSTOR Daily as a top recommendation of 2024.

At New York University, Alex served as the editor-in-chief of the Washington Square News student newspaper after several other editorial roles at the publication. During her tenure, WSN was recognized with several national awards, including an Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award for excellence in digital journalism. Alex graduated from NYU in December 2024 with degrees in journalism and environmental studies.

A lifelong birdwatcher, Alex writes the newsletter Rare Bird on Substack and has photographed avian-themed apparel for the popular brand Bird Collective. She is working on a book about the Saltmarsh Sparrow.

 

words

 
 
 
 

May 10, 2024 — The New York Times

Bird Flu Is Already Here. Just Look at the Millions Killed.

We don’t yet know if H5N1 bird flu will spill over from animals to infect a large number of humans. But already it has wrought devastation upon so many lives.

 
 

April 30, 2024 — Curbed

The Showdown at NYU Over Public Space

Barricading Gould Plaza wasn’t NYU’s first move to head off protests. Since October, the school has increasingly, even preemptively, shut down access to its once-open spaces. The university that describes itself as “a campus without walls” is now closer to a fortress.

 
 

March 16, 2024

This Shouldn’t Be New York City’s Most Common Tree

The London planetree is a symbol of European settlement, biodiversity collapse, and Robert Moses.

 
 

April 11, 2025 — Rare Bird

It’s a Bird— It’s a Plane— Oh No

A deep dive into the data behind American aviation’s grisly bird strike problem.

 
 

Sept. 21, 2022 — Audubon

A Global Antenna Network Is the Next Frontier of Migration Science

Motus stations across the landscape pick up ‘pings’ from any radio-tagged birds that fly past. The data, open to everyone, are painting a fuller picture of the journeys the creatures make.

 
 

accolades

2024 JSTOR Daily Best of Suggested Readings

2022 Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker

2022 Associated Collegiate Press Editorial of the Year, third place [shared byline]

2022 Associated Collegiate Press Multimedia Story of the Year podcast, honorable mention

2021-22 Hearst Awards Explanatory Writing competition, 11th place

2021-22 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System Best Public Affairs Program finalist

 

photos

 

Alex is also a photographer with about six years of experience in digital photography. She dabbles in film photography. Below are samples of Alex’s photojournalism, event coverage, landscape photography, and portraiture of people and animals. You can find her posting bird photos on Instagram at @phoebewatching.

Click here to view all of Alex’s published photo credits.

wildlife

mostly birds

people

portraits, concerts, photojournalism

places

landscapes, cities, environments

 
 
 

contact

 

Reach out about writing/editing work, bird questions, sheet music requests, or any other inquiries by filling out the form below! I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

You can send tips to my encrypted Proton Mail email at a [dot] tey [at] pm [dot] me. If you’d rather text or call, email me there to get my Signal number.

I’m on Twitter at @phoebeposting and Bluesky at @birdmotif. I write on Substack at Rare Bird.