~News and Upcoming Events~

• Birds Can't Vote, But YOU CAN! Vote on, or before, Nov. 3rd

• Thursday, Nov 5th: PROGRAM - Antarctic Penguins: Past, Present and Future - with Dr. Steve Emslie - Looking forward to seeing you!

• Thursday, December 3rd - "All That Breathes" documentary at the Lamphouse - with cast member Nadeem Shehzad

• Raptor Route Volunteers needed

• Christmas Bird Counts are Coming

• Project Feeder Watch Starts Nov 1st! Join TODAY!

• NEW! Order Birds and Beans Coffee directly from Birds and Beans

• Change of plans - February Photo Share and Party will happen in January! Start thinking about the 10 photos you will share.

Wildlife can’t vote on decisions that affect them, but you can! Your vote has the power to protect public lands, stop harmful operations in our environment, and save species from extinction. With the upcoming election on Nov. 3rd, take a pledge to vote for birds, because they matter!

November Program

Antarctic Penguins: Past, Present and Future

   with Dr. Steve Emslie

Thursday, November 5th, 2026

7:00 PM

Room 201, Shields Building, CSI

ZOOM link:

https://uncw.zoom.us/j/6861706222

NOTE: Dr. Emslie will be speaking to us via ZOOM from North Carolina. We will be watching his presentation in Shields 201 while we eat cookies and sip cider, but you are welcome to tune in from home by using the link above. This program will start promptly at 7:00PM.

In this presentation, Dr. Emslie will provide an overview of penguin ecology in Antarctica with a synopsis of his research and the impacts of climate change that he has witnessed in over 30 years of work there.

Five species of penguins breed in Antarctica but only two are endemic, the Adélie and the Emperor Penguin. Dr. Emslie will describe the ecology and breeding biology of these two species and the threats they are currently undergoing.

The Adélie Penguin, the most abundant species in Antarctica, is also an excellent indicator species for the marine environment, past and present. This species also has the longest fossil record of any seabird in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica that allows stable isotope, ancient DNA, and radiocarbon analyses of well-preserved tissues extending from hundreds to thousands of years old. This record is providing insights on the responses by the Adélie Penguin to climate change in the past, allowing predictions of their responses in the future as we continue to see dramatic changes in the Antarctic environment.

Recent findings in the Ross Sea also will be presented. Dr. Emslie’s research is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and collaboration with a tour ship company, Heritage Expeditions in New Zealand.

Dr. Steve Emslie is a marine ornithologist and professor in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington. He studies not only living seabirds, but also the fossil record of birds and their paleoecology. He first went to Antarctica in 1991 to help with penguin and skua research at King George Island and soon began developing his own research program, especially on the Adélie Penguin. Using a variety of interdisciplinary techniques, Dr. Emslie and his students have been investigating the ecology and diet of these penguins, past and present, and the impact of climate change by sampling well-preserved and often mummified remains from the cold, dry Antarctic environment that range in age from hundreds to thousands of years old. He also has designed and teaches an undergraduate course on Antarctica, ‘Antarctic Ecology, Geology, History, and Policy’ (BIO 367) and with his students has developed K-12 curricula on polar studies that are available on his website, along with blogs from his previous research trips, at www.uncw.edu/penguins.

December Program/Film

All That Breathes

   with film Cast Member and Raptor Rescuer

Nadeem Shehzad

Q & A with Nadeem after the film

Thursday, December 3rd, 2026

7:00 PM

The Lamphouse Theater

Saud and Nadeem

Nadeem Shehzad

Secretary & Co-Founder of Wildlife Rescue

We are excited to welcome Nadeem Shehzad to Twin Falls! Nadeem is one of the stars of the acclaimed documentary All That Breathes, a raptor rescuer, and the co-founder of Wildlife Rescue in New Delhi, India. Along with his brother, Mohammad Saud, he has dedicated years to rescuing and rehabilitating injured birds of prey, especially black kites that share the crowded urban environment of Delhi. Their work has helped thousands of birds (over 40,000 birds to date) survive in a challenging world of pollution, shrinking habitat, and other urban hazards. The film beautifully captures their compassion for wildlife and their belief that every living creature deserves care. We look forward to watching the film and hearing Nadeem share his stories of rescue, conservation, and the remarkable connections between people and the natural world. Don't miss this film. It is free. But after seeing the film and hearing Nadeem's stories, we hope that you will agree to make a donation to support the amazing work that Nadeem and his colleagues do. Raptor Rescue and Research, Inc

All That Breathes Trailer

Review from NPR: This internationally acclaimed film takes us inside the lives of two ordinary-seeming Muslim brothers in Delhi, India, who are actually extraordinary in their dedication to doing good in a city teetering on the edge of apocalypse.

The brothers are named Saud and Nadeem, the former friendly, the latter a little grumpy [We shall see if this is true...]. Along with their somewhat comical sidekick, Salik, they devote themselves to a project they began as kids: protecting Black Kites, glorious, hovering birds of prey that are widely detested as scavenging nuisances. Day after day, ailing and injured kites arrive at their homemade infirmary where the trio nurses them until they're able to fly back into the urban wild.

Although the guys have moments of fun – they play indoor cricket – theirs is an endless, largely thankless task. We watch them do everything from fishing wounded birds out of sewagey rivers to talking butchers into selling them cheap meat to grind up as feed; they keep applying for funding that never seems to come. Making things trickier, they do this in a city charged with sectarian violence. During the filming, angry mobs kill Muslims and burn buildings in a neighborhood about a mile from their home, filling the already smoggy air with a miasma of dread.

But the movie is not grim. The film captures life in its richest and most humane sense, showing us the lives of regular people, not celebrated artists or politicians. It allows the us to make connections for ourselves. There's no narrator or text telling us what to think as we watch the intersection of three ecosystems – the nature, society, and family.

The film bursts with humanity. In an age when we're constantly reminded of all that's bad, All That Breathes celebrates good things that are easy to forget: the wonder of life, the virtues of compassion and the human capacity to make the world better.

Birds and Beans Coffee - The Most Sustainable Coffee You can Buy!

Order Birds & Beans Coffee

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

We have made some changes! You can now order directly from Birds and Beans and get coffee delivered to your front door. This change means fewer headaches for all involved with PFA coffee sales. We are better bird watchers than marketers and sales and delivery people!



By choosing to purchase Smithsonian certified bird-friendly coffee, you are supporting bird conservation and family farmers throughout the Americas. Organic and Fair Trade, this coffee is grown under a shade canopy of native trees, shrubs, and plants that provide critical refuge for migratory and local birds as well as the rich flora and fauna of the tropical forest. In short, this great tasting coffee rewards in the cup and helps ensure that the birds we all love return every spring.

Project FeederWatch

New Season Starts November 1st!

The FeederWatch season begins Sunday, November 1. If you haven't signed up yet, join today! Project FeederWatch turns your love of feeding birds into scientific discoveries. FeederWatch is a November-April survey of birds that visit backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. You don’t even need a feeder! All you need is an area with plantings, habitat, water, or food that attracts birds. The schedule is completely flexible. Count your birds for as long as you like on days of your choosing, then enter your counts online. Your counts allow you to track what is happening to birds around your home and to contribute to a continental data-set of bird distribution and abundance. Click on the link above to learn more and to join!

Christmas Bird Counts are Coming!

Join a Team!

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is an annual bird census powered by volunteers that takes place between December 14 and January 5 each year. The CBC is the world’s largest and longest-running community science data collection project. This marks the 52nd year of Prairie Falcon Audubon’s participation as a local chapter of National Audubon Society which has been coordinating the CBC for 127 years. Prairie Falcon Audubon conducts 5 different counts on five different days (see below). You are welcome to participate in one, or more (or all) counts. Each survey involves a little walking, some driving, or maybe watching a feeder from your home within the designated 15 mile wide count circle.

Participation is free and open to bird enthusiasts of any level. Call a count coordinator to join a team.

Jarbidge, Nevada

(Since 12/2002)

December 17th

CONTACT: Karl Ruprecht

ruprechtjk@hotmail.com

208-749-1395

Very remote count, but very beautiful. Extensive riparian habitat with lots of Juniper as well as sage steppe uplands. Access to many areas depends on amount of snow. Often see Greater Sage Grouse on this count.

Twin Falls

(Since 12/1980)

Saturday, December 19^th

CONTACT: Pat Weber

birder1932@gmail.com

208-316-5702

Observation times: sunup to sundown. Owling the previous night by arrangement. Tally rally at home of Jeff Ruprecht, 841 Rim View Lane East, Twin Falls, ID 83301 at 6:00 PM. Soup and bread furnished. Please bring a small food item to share.

Hagerman

(Since 12/1974)

Saturday, December 20^th

CONTACT: Sarah Harris

idabirder@gmail.com

208-731-5727

The Hagerman Valley Count will begin at 8:00 AM at the Highway #30 Rest Area just west of the WMA. We will undoubtedly see 80 – 90 species, a rarity or two, and thousands of individual birds (mostly waterfowl). Our count circle includes a 15 mile stretch of the Snake River, portions of Malad Gorge, Billingsley Cr., Riley Cr., and the Hagerman Wildlife Management Area. At 5:30 PM we will gather at Karl and Jennifer Ruprecht’s home overlooking the Hagerman WMA, to eat, warm up, and compile our observations.

Buhl

(Since 12/2006)

Friday, January 1^st, 2027

CONTACT: Bill Bridges

bridgesbill34@yahoo.com

208-293-2426

Count encompasses community of Buhl and Castleford, Idaho; Balanced Rock Park and Kanaka Rapids. Riparian, sagebrush steppe, rural, and suburban habitats.

Jim Sage

(Since 12/2005)

Saturday, Jan 2^nd, 2027

CONTACT: Sophia Bates

sophia_bates20@partner.nps.gov

208-824-5901

208-749-0560

The Jim Sage Mountain count is predominantly inaccessible by vehicle, although much of the count will take place along county and BLM roads. Participants will meet at the City of Rocks National Reserve visitor center for carpooling. Bring food, drink and warm clothing. Birding will conclude at 4:30 PM and a tally will be conducted at the visitor center.