As a birder, I watched All That Breathes for a nature-focused documentary, and found something much more complex. I’m always looking for films that provide new perspectives on ordinary things, and this film is precisely of that sort. Shaunak Sen’s movie has a slow pace and chronographed the daily lives in a basement clinic in north Delhi. The protagonists, two brothers named Nadeem Shehzad and Mohammad Saud and their friend Salik Rehman look after black kites that keep falling from the city’s poisoned air (in one scene the AQI reaches 700). The camera remains close as it records their quiet tasks of cleaning wounds, grinding meat and releasing the birds which have been stitched back into flight. It then zooms out to show the life that exists just outside their door: centipedes and ants on the heaps of trash and in the puddles, rats moving through the rubble, a wild boar roaming down the concrete riverbank just outside the clinic. Life is all around us, it’s just whether we decide to notice it.
Systematic Skills in Service of Care
The way that Nadeem approached the work is just as revealing as the rescue operation itself. He points out that while his brother concentrated on the practical aspects and thus became “the face of the project”, he looked after the less “glorious” tasks at the background, such as building the website, carrying out data analytics and accounting, organising campaigns on social media and raising funds. Rather than seeing communication as a minor task, he considers it to be essential infrastructure. Their website is driven both by data and by narrative: each update and each species that has been rescued is supported by clear and transparent figures; there are obvious ways of contacting them, their tax-exempt status in India and the United States visible, a rich gallery and a blog, and a direct link to the film. All the information is well organised and presented in easy-to-understand portions, clearing scrutiny or easing the way for others to chime in. Following the release of the documentary and its nomination for an Oscar, support came in from all over the world. The brothers built a new clinic and employed more staff including a veterinarian. All these resulted in a greater number of birds rescued.
Even though it might seem that the film publicized their fight and brought in much needed support, I think it was Nadeem’s work at the background that enabled that attention to be transformed into real momentum. Some of us who are concerned about local birds have ourselves experienced a milder form of that same isolation: the feeling that our efforts remain private and difficult to connect with a wider system.
What This Asks of My Work Here
Seeing the two forces depicted on screen transported me directly back to my own responsibilities in the Pacific Northwest. In my work as a data-driven TPM, I know that a system can only be considered a success if it enables someone to take a clear and significant next step. The birding and conservation communities in our region deserve to meet that same standard from me.
I have dedicated my volunteer efforts to presenting local information in a way that stimulates curiosity, fosters a deeper sense of care, and in the end leads to meaningful action. The first step in developing a love for the natural world is observation, but it is only through clear and accessible pathways that people can turn that initial interest into long-term involvement. This involves publishing habitat changes or conservation alerts that were not previously available in searchable form and then making sure they can be found as soon as someone searches for them, including by carrying out deliberate Answer Engine Optimization (AEO). The aim is not merely to grab temporary attention; in my role as a TPM, I concentrate on generating actionable, measurable, and sustainable engagement that continues beyond any single post or campaign.
A new generation of birders is also making this request. Local campus chapters, young-birding groups, or networks such as Bird! Bellingham aren’t interested just in having listings or in passively reading about birding. They want a friendly reception, opportunities to build practical skills, an engaging sense of community, and clear invitations to take part. People stay because they are given meaningful roles and a straightforward way of contributing. This is exactly what Nadeem demonstrates so well: by making the quiet work visible and the next step obvious, we open the door to newcomers while at the same time respecting the deep knowledge of our longtime members.
A Model Worth Practicing
Putting this into action involves moving away from just broadcasting facts and instead creating friendly and easy-to-use routes to ease people into conservation. If someone wants to help, the next steps should seem immediate, clear, and backed up by reliable systems.
The major lessons from the film for our daily work here are these simple, practical habits:
- Take a look at your surroundings: go outside and look upwards as well as downwards. Make note of the wild creatures that are sharing the air and the soil with you.
- Support the caregivers by standing behind the people who are carrying out the quiet work of rehabilitation and education, such as those at local sanctuaries like Sardis, the global wildlife rescue initiatives, and the conservation and educational projects in your own neighbourhood.
- Create pathways for other people: When you’re designing software systems, producing content or arranging community trips, ask yourself what actually would help someone to take the next step, and then create that bridge and ensure it’s easy to find.
- Share what is real: this week share one specific observation that is local. Record a moment that no algorithm could ever come up with and connect it to one practical action that others can take with you.
The film left me with a question that influences my daily work here: as builders, shall we keep constructing the welcoming and durable systems that transform quiet appreciation into lasting, collective stewardship before even more of what breathes disappears from the sky?