Upcoming Events
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Jackson Park Birdwalk
Tue, Nov 17, 7pm
Monthly Meeting, "Let's Get Batty," Reuter Center, UNC Asheville.
Sat, Nov 21, 9am
Black Mountain Birdwalk
Fletcher Park Birdwalk
Sat, Dec 5, 9am
Beaver Lake Birdwalk
Sat, Dec 12, 9am
Jackson Park Birdwalk
Sat, Dec 19, 9am
Black Mountain Birdwalk
Fletcher Park Birdwalk
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EMAS Board Meeting
The next EMAS board meeting will be 7 pm December 1 at the Reuter Center.
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Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary
Many thanks to the following folks who helped out at our BLBS workday in October. Our next workday will be on Saturday, November 21. Meet at the sanctuary at 9 a.m.
Florrie Funk
Jarvis Hudson
Jane and Ed Isbey
Doug Johnston
Terry Lee
Patti Liming
Diane Lombardi
Pat McKee
Esther and Len Pardue
Tom Tribble
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For the latest schedule and any changes:
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I'd like to thank all of  our members for your commitment to Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society and for your support of our programs and initiatives. Ours is a totally volunteer organization and our success comes only with your help. I conclude 2015 by asking you to consider a year-end, tax-deductible donation to EMAS. Our organization doesn't conduct an annual fundraiser to help support the local obligations of the chapter. We do conduct the Birdathon fundraiser but the majority of the donations go to Cerulean Warbler conservation in South America.
EMAS members pay annual membership dues to the National Audubon Society and a small portion of those dues are returned to EMAS. Other than the rebate from National Audubon, we rely solely on the financial support of our members and friends to manage and maintain our chapter's Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, to produce our newsletter, to run the Birdathon, to support initiatives regarding climate change and birds, and to cover our general operating expenses.
If you'd like to help with a year-end contribution, you can do it by mail or online. You can donate by clicking on the "Donate" button on the home page of the EMAS website (http://emasnc.org) or by sending a check to EMAS, PO Box 18711, Asheville, NC 28814.
We are grateful for your support and appreciate all you do to help Elisha Mitchell Audubon accomplish our mission:
To promote an awareness and appreciation of nature, to preserve and protect wildlife and natural ecosystems, and to encourage responsible environmental stewardship
Thanks and Good Birding!
Tom Tribble
President, EMAS
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 "Let's Get Batty"
EMAS General Meeting and Program, Reuter Center, UNCA
November 17, 7pm
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It's the Halloween season,
 so what better time to discuss BATS than now! Making up almost one-fifth of all mammal species worldwide, bats are fascinating in their diversity. North Carolina alone is home to 17 different bat species. Whatever popular misconceptions there are about bats, they are an important ecosystem component, particularly in helping to control insect populations. This program, by two biologists from the
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, will dispel the myths associated with bats, discuss the natural history of North Carolina's unique bat species, and touch on current threats to bats. Join us to learn the truth about bats and to find out how YOU can help bats!
Katherine Caldwell, a certified Associate Wildlife Biologist, is employed as a Mammalogist for NCWRC and has been working with bats for the last five years. Katherine received her B.S. degree at UNCAsheville and has just completed her Master's degree, which focused on bat activity in a managed hardwoods forest in Indiana.
Emilie Travis is a Wildlife Diversity Technician and the NC Bat Acoustic Monitoring Program Coordinator for NCWRC. Emilie earned her B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont and her Master's degree at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where she studied the impact of communication towers on migratory birds. Emilie is also an Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society board member.
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Rare Bird
at Warren Wilson College |
A Sage Thrasher was spotted
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Sage Thrasher Photo by Jim Poling
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at Warren Wilson College at the end of October by Jim Poling and Steve Yurkovich. Jim, who got this great shot of the bird, posted the sighting to the EMAS listserve. This is only the third North Carolina reported sighting of this bird from the western sagebrush plains. Speculation centers on the bird coming eastward with the strong winds from a recent hurricane that blew up from Mexico through Texas and on up the east coast. Congratulations to Jim and the other birders who spotted the thrasher, who hopefully can make his way south before winter. Keep your binoculars handy for other rarities who may have blown into the mountains. If you're not an EMAS listserve subscriber, go to www.emasnc.org to sign up.
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Free Audubon Bird Guide
App Available
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Audubon has released an
 updated version of the
Audubon Bird Guide app and it's now free to bird lovers nationwide. With 821 species profiles, Audubon's award-winning app instantly turns any mobile device into the most trusted field guide in North America. The app features more than 3,200 bird photos, quick bird IDs with filters by shape, region and color, thousands of bird calls, differentiated by region and season, seasonal and migratory range maps and recent local bird sightings through eBird. To download the Audubon Bird Guide, go to:
www.audubon.org/apps
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Beaver Bits
Text and Photos by Vin Stanton
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 American Coots are regulars at Beaver Lake from late fall through early spring. Known also as mud hens, they are members of the Rail family. The American Coot's length is just over 15 inches.
The Autumn  Meadowhawk is a colorful late season
dragonfly found at BLBS. Its length is about 1.2 inches. The males are red and the females are yellowish. Perfect fall colors.
Pictured is a male  Common Green Darner which is roughly 3 inches in length. The Common Green Darner is one of a handful of dragonflies which migrate south in the fall. Its final destination remains a mystery.
 Pictured is a ventral view of a female Cloudless Sulphur. It's seen most often during its southerly migration in late summer and early fall. It's a good-sized butterfly with a wingspan of 2.5 inches.
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