~News and Upcoming Events~

• If you ordered Plants for Pollinators from the Magic Valley Pollinator, you can pick them up this Friday and Saturday between 10 am and 3 pm at Native Roots, 2475 3600 N, Twin Falls

• Saturday, May 10th ~ Field Trip ~ Birding by Ear in Rock Creek Park with Blind Birder Emily Groves! Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day!

• Sign up NOW for the Statewide Milkweed and Monarch Survey!

• Saturday, June 7th ~ Field Trip ~ Birding by Bicycle in Rock Creek Park

• Saturday, June 14th ~ ALL DAY Birding Centennial Marsh Loop

• Saturday, June 28th ~ South Hills Big Day

Celebrate!

World Migratory Bird Day

May 10th Field Trip

~ Birding by Ear ~

Along the Twin Falls Old Town Parkway Trail

with Emily Groves

Come join us at the Winding Trail on Saturday, May 10th for a morning of birding by ear. Participants will meet at the parking lot behind Boise Rigging Supply at 7am. Boise Rigging Supply is located at 573 Addison Ave W. Turn south on Bracken Street to access the parking lot. We will spend between 1.5 and 3 hours on the trail birding, but particularly focusing on identifying birds by their songs and calls. Birds on the trail include, but are not limited to warblers, orioles, tanagers, and grosbeaks, among other common spring migrants.

Emily Groves is a high school senior living in Burley, Idaho. She has been birding for almost 8 years and has lived (and birded) three states. She is blind, so all of her birding has been by ear. She plans to go to Boise State University in the fall, and hopes to study ornithology for her career.

WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD DAY

May 10th, 2025

This year’s theme ~ SHARED SPACES ~ promotes the importance of a healthy coexistence between people and birds by focusing on creating bird-friendly cities and communities.

Bird friendly practices include creating healthy habitats, reducing bird collisions with buildings and glass, reducing pollution, and providing ample food sources for birds. No matter what type of community you live in, YOU can help birds!

• Plant native species of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses: native plants provide food for native birds, pollinators, and other beneficial insects.
• Make your home or other building safer for birds by taking steps to treat your windows to reduce building collisions. Learn how to make your home safer for birds with these Bird Collision Reduction Toolkits!
• Turn off lights between dawn and dusk, especially during fall and spring migration seasons.
• Leave your leaves alone as insects (aka bird food!) rely on the habitat fallen leaves provide, especially over the winter months. Dead leaves also decompose creating compost that can improve soil structure and fertility.
• If you own a rural property, encourage fencerows, un-mowed ditches, and natural areas to help feed and provide habitat for birds.
• If you don't have a yard, set out a balcony or patio pot of native plants to help feed insects that help feed birds.
• Discontinue using pesticides and herbicides, which kill insects and the plants that many birds rely on for food.
• Protect and restore habitats such as woodlands, wetlands, and native meadows where birds live and breed.
• Go birding with Emily Groves! Grab a pair of binoculars and get outside to enjoy the birds in your area. You can even participate in bird monitoring programs like eBird or Christmas Bird Counts.
• Buy a Federal Duck Stamp! By purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp, you’re making a direct impact on the future of America’s wetlands, ensuring they remain healthy and thriving for generations to come. It’s one of the easiest and most effective ways to support wildlife conservation.
• Take pride in the important contribution you are making to birds in your community and tell others about your passion for conservation!

Statewide Milkweed & Monarch Survey

A community scientist driven effort to understand milkweed patch distribution, health, and monarch use in Idaho.

Co-lead by Joel Sauder, Casey McCormack and Tempe Regan

To sign up and get more information

CLICK HERE

Background

The Monarch butterfly is an iconic species. Their migration spans thousands of miles, and it takes 3 generations of monarchs to complete the journey. Historically, there were in excess of 1,000,000 Monarchs in the Western population wintering on the California coast. In recent years, that population has declined to <5,000 individuals. The Eastern population has also undergone large declines. This prompted the proposed listing of all migratory Monarch populations as a Threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. While there are many threats to Monarch populations (i.e. drought, pesticides, winter habitat loss, etc.), loss of summer milkweed habitat is particularly significant as monarch caterpillars are 100% reliant on these plants as their only food source.

In Idaho, the simplest thing we can do to support monarch populations is have healthy, abundant milkweed. In 2016-2017, Idaho Fish & Game conducted the first concerted effort to document and map milkweed across Idaho. This effort documented >2,875 patches of various milkweed species, and over 600 observations of monarch butterflies. In 2022-2024, regional efforts revisited some of these patches. However, to understand the complete picture of monarch habitat in Idaho, we need a statewide effort to assess milkweed patch size, patch persistence over time, and monarch use of those patches. This is where we need the help of committed community scientists.

Project Overview

During the summers of 2025 and 2026, IDFG will be asking volunteers to adopt milkweed patches from 1000 spatially sampled sites across the state and go survey them according to our protocol. A survey entails 1-3 visits to a site from July 1 - August 15. Surveyors will map the patch, count stems, search for monarchs, record patch health metrics, and estimate patch size. All data will be recorded and submitted using a Survey123 app (explained below).

If this project sounds appealing to you, please view the survey protocol by clicking the LINK below and reading pages 1-X for details of what will be asked of you when conducting surveys and collecting data. We will also be hosting a live training webinar that is open to anyone who may be interested in the project.

MILKWEED AND MONARCH PROJECT

State of the Birds 2025

4. Avoid Pesticides

A healthy choice for you, your family, and birds: Consider purchasing organic food. Nearly 70% of produce sold in the U.S. contains pesticides. Don't use pesticides around your home and garden.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

Prairie Falcon Audubon, Inc. fully supports

National Audubon Society's statement on

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

(www.audubon.org/about/equity-diversity-and-inclusion-audubon).

Prairie Falcon Audubon, Inc. believes that everyone has the right to enjoy birds, the outdoors, and a healthy and safe environment. In order to fulfill our mission to educate the general public about birds, bird watching, and preservation/improvement of the environment that birds and bird watchers share, we will work to include everyone, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, age, or disability. We are committed to building an equitable, diverse, anti-racist, accessible, fun, and inclusive organization that supports birds, and the people who watch them, in our community.