Nostr notes by Idzie

I never scoop birds. I don't hand feed them, and I don't ...

2026-08-22T21:53:24+02:00

I never scoop birds. I don't hand feed them, and I don't touch them: they deserve their space and their freedom, and to only be interfered with in situations of (human caused) danger or (any) injury. And after hemming and hawing, imagining the guy who mows this cleared space under the powerlines coming to mow, and the dog walkers walking their dogs, I decided that this tiny creature really should be moved.

They stared at me, unmoving, until I reached to actually pick them up, at which point they shrieked and dove into the cover underneath my crouching legs. 😭 I picked them up ever so carefully and carried them to a small sumac sapling by the edge of the path, where I left them, looking baffled and outraged in the way of all young fledglings, with plenty of adult goldfinches flying around.

Wasps are too often overlooked as pollinators, but this is one of ...

2026-08-14T00:59:04+02:00

Wasps are too often overlooked as pollinators, but this is one of the many lovely species I often see in my garden (the great black wasp, Sphex pensylvanicus). #insects #wasps

what a lovely photo

2026-08-13T22:59:55+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…qzep
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what a lovely photo

Double the geese, double the fun! #birds #geese ...

2026-08-13T00:00:22+02:00

Double the geese, double the fun! #birds #geese

Heh, sometimes I go on Instagram (yeah I know) and see something ...

2026-08-12T18:35:21+02:00

Heh, sometimes I go on Instagram (yeah I know) and see something unexpected, a reminder of a past life.

From this artist: https://www.instagram.com/gadzooks_bazooka?igsh=YmN3MTdkczNoeHVt&igsi=YmN3MTdkczNoeHVt

This isn't a "good" photo, but I wanted to share this ...

2026-08-10T20:29:30+02:00

This isn't a "good" photo, but I wanted to share this funny interaction I witnessed between members of a crow family I've been seeing often nearby. An adult with a cracker they'd found and a juvenile (identifiable as such by their blue eyes) hopping close to them and staring longingly at the food. The adult was not inclined to share, however. #birding #corvids

Oof the stress, too much stress. I think I'm giving up so I ...

2026-08-08T00:53:54+02:00

Oof the stress, too much stress. I think I'm giving up so I won't be too disappointed when more things inevitably don't work out.

Oh to be a rabbit sitting in the middle of a giant salad. ...

2026-08-07T00:03:47+02:00

Oh to be a rabbit sitting in the middle of a giant salad.

The sky is full of swallows today, many of them so high up I ...

2026-08-05T15:49:03+02:00

The sky is full of swallows today, many of them so high up I couldn't spot them with the naked eye, their fluttering wings and quick glides only visible when I raised my binoculars to view some nearer, heavier bird.

Behaviour has shifted over the past couple of weeks, as breeding season comes to a close. Birds who postured and fought for territory for most of the summer are flocking together. Always social birds like swallows, who breed in colonies, have largely abandoned them as they gather in larger and larger numbers, preparing to move south. Everyone is restless and shifting, showing up in places they haven't all summer, the young often leaving first, as the slow quieting begins.

Online bird ID groups are filled with questions about this bird. ...

2026-08-05T02:11:11+02:00

Online bird ID groups are filled with questions about this bird. What are they? Some kind of sparrow? Learning to recognize them opens up a lot of richness for many people in North America, as you realize that, with a bit of patient watching, these streaky beauties are everywhere.

(ID in alt text)
#birding #birds #blackbirds

I was startled by their appearance, so my camera settings ...

2026-07-30T01:53:34+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…j205
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I was startled by their appearance, so my camera settings weren't what I'd wish for and I missed the focus. But I still thought it was worth sharing this cool bird!

There were so many creatures!! An osprey dropped into the water ...

2026-07-29T16:25:21+02:00

There were so many creatures!! An osprey dropped into the water only 20 feet away from me, a kingfisher darted in and out making their laughing call, a small flock of barn swallows passed overhead. A red-winged blackbird fed their fledgling as they climbed through the bullrushes, and a juvenile robin plucked berries for themselves. A crow family descended onto a tree to have a noisy conversation, and a cedar waxwing landed so close to me that I could see the texture of the feathers around their eye, so close I was afraid to reach for my camera because I didn't want to scare them.

A lampshade, a bell, a feathery coat. A preening egret suggests ...

2026-07-27T18:27:20+02:00

A lampshade, a bell, a feathery coat. A preening egret suggests many shapes. #birds #herons #egrets #birding

An early morning hike in the woods last week. 1. Some mushroom in ...

2026-07-24T22:39:22+02:00

An early morning hike in the woods last week.

1. Some mushroom in the clavaria genus as best I can figure, maybe fairy fingers (Clavaria fragilis)?
2. Purple-flowered raspberry
3. No clue
4. Red baneberry, I think (Actaea rubra)

A silly little baby in the bushes! #birding #warblers #fledglings ...

2026-07-24T22:24:50+02:00

A silly little baby in the bushes! #birding #warblers #fledglings

A striking fellow! The twelve-spotted skimmer, Libellula ...

2026-07-24T00:33:51+02:00

A striking fellow! The twelve-spotted skimmer, Libellula pulchella. #dragonflies #insects #insectphotography

Sometimes a plant sprouts an unusual flower. #dragonflies ...

2026-07-20T23:10:45+02:00

Sometimes a plant sprouts an unusual flower. #dragonflies #insects #insectphotography

#silentsunday #insects #butterflies ...

2026-07-19T21:36:35+02:00

#silentsunday #insects #butterflies

Lots of people have a thing against flies, but no one can tell me ...

2026-07-19T21:26:47+02:00

Lots of people have a thing against flies, but no one can tell me that this goth one, an adorned bee fly (Exoprosopa decora), isn't cool. #insects #flies #insectphotography

A blue dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis. Yet another example of a ...

2026-07-17T23:25:59+02:00

A blue dasher, Pachydiplax longipennis. Yet another example of a species named for the colouration of males rather than females. #insects #dragonflies #insectphotography

Just a fun little guy (red mikweed beetle, Tetraopes ...

2026-07-17T23:12:11+02:00

Just a fun little guy (red mikweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus). #insects #beetles #insectphotography

Nostr event nevent1qqs9vyrnrwpt9xa8y8ruvewdf9hu8d7y8wwsq7gz5pf7tdkmulxfs2czyq2znhewwkaxetja0ehlxuzxjkp7wh5pqtzwkrl7xykfn70t38nj7v67y8k

2026-07-11T14:23:07+02:00

What's your favourite kind of wetlands?

When I was a kid I thought that the sound of cicadas was the ...

2026-07-10T14:28:15+02:00

When I was a kid I thought that the sound of cicadas was the sound the power lines made when overheated by the summer sun. I have a friend whose childhood belief was that it was the sound of the sun itself.

Which is all just to say that the cicadas have started singing.

I've wanted to see black terns since I first learned of their ...

2026-07-06T19:32:41+02:00

I've wanted to see black terns since I first learned of their existence, and yesterday I finally did! They're not rare where I live, but neither are they common, and I just hadn't managed to go on any small adventures to look for them at the places they often turn up at (yes that was a pun).

They're smaller than the terns I've seen before (common and caspian), but share the same fluttery flight, the same sudden dives. Terns are magical birds, I just love watching them. #birding #terns

July 3rd: 126. Nashville warbler July 5th: 127. Black tern ...

2026-07-06T01:54:55+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…m4su
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July 3rd:

126. Nashville warbler

July 5th:

127. Black tern (lifer!!)
128. Rough-winged swallow

If you've ever wondered what a fledgling red-winged blackbird ...

2026-07-04T19:19:13+02:00

If you've ever wondered what a fledgling red-winged blackbird looks like, I've got you covered!

Baby watches their reflection. #birding #blackbirds #fledglings ...

2026-07-02T00:41:09+02:00

Baby watches their reflection. #birding #blackbirds #fledglings

A bicolored striped sweat bee (I think), Agapostemon virescens. ...

2026-07-02T00:25:32+02:00

A bicolored striped sweat bee (I think), Agapostemon virescens. These chicory flowers were just covered in them! I've most often seen this kind of bee on introduced plant species (chicory, cornflowers), and I want to figure out what native flowers they like, so I can plant them in the future. #bees #pollinators

A powdered dancer, Argia moesta, resting by the lakeside. ...

2026-07-01T02:52:59+02:00

A powdered dancer, Argia moesta, resting by the lakeside. #insectphotography #damselflies

#silentsunday #mushtodon ...

2026-06-28T23:50:12+02:00

#silentsunday #mushtodon

Just LOOK at that mane! #insectphotography #moths ...

2026-06-27T20:31:25+02:00

Just LOOK at that mane! #insectphotography #moths

Just look at how cute this little fuzzy creature is! A mining ...

2026-06-27T01:30:12+02:00

Just look at how cute this little fuzzy creature is! A mining bee, I think. #insectphotography #bees #pollinators

I've been seeing lots of twelve-spotted skimmers around. ...

2026-06-25T19:39:23+02:00

I've been seeing lots of twelve-spotted skimmers around. #insectphotography #dragonflies

I saw this dragonfly and, thinking myself clever, thought ...

2026-06-19T01:10:49+02:00

I saw this dragonfly and, thinking myself clever, thought "ah! I know those wing markings, that's a (female) common whitetail" but no! When looking them up at home, I found out that this is actually a twelve-spotted skimmer, Libellula pulchella, either a female or a naiad but I don't know enough to tell the difference. Turns out dragonflies come in confusing plumage as well! And now I know how to tell them apart. #dragonflies #insectphotography

The most fiercely stylish little bird around. #birds #birding ...

2026-06-12T01:48:38+02:00

The most fiercely stylish little bird around. #birds #birding #waxwings

Butterflies seem so strange and otherworldly to me, yet they ...

2026-06-09T17:45:25+02:00

Butterflies seem so strange and otherworldly to me, yet they could not be more of this world, their existence predating humans by tens of millions of years. #butterflies

Fledgling robin cosplaying as a killdeer. #birds #birding ...

2026-06-09T14:50:09+02:00

Fledgling robin cosplaying as a killdeer. #birds #birding #thrushes

#SilentSunday #bloomscrolling ...

2026-06-07T18:26:32+02:00

#SilentSunday #bloomscrolling

I've heard great-crested flycatchers many times, but this was ...

2026-06-06T16:48:23+02:00

I've heard great-crested flycatchers many times, but this was my first time seeing one! #birds #birding #flycatchers

A common grackle really gracking it up (they'd just taken a ...

2026-06-06T16:44:04+02:00

A common grackle really gracking it up (they'd just taken a dip in the lake). #birds #birding #blackbirds

June 5th: 125. Blackburnian warbler (lifer!)

2026-06-06T03:35:08+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5fd6
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June 5th:

125. Blackburnian warbler (lifer!)

I am not good at small in frame, landscape with bird type shots, ...

2026-06-04T22:05:36+02:00

I am not good at small in frame, landscape with bird type shots, for all that I love them, but I'm working on it. I hope this at least conveys some of the mood: a dreamy field lit with late afternoon light, crickets chirping, and an eastern kingbird catching their balance, a shadowed barn behind them.

May 30th: 123. Savannah sparrow (lifer!) 124. Alder flycatcher ...

2026-05-31T03:59:41+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kfg3
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May 30th:

123. Savannah sparrow (lifer!)
124. Alder flycatcher (also lifer!)

A dinosaur stalks the woods, the terror of all tree-eating bugs! ...

2026-05-28T20:27:11+02:00

A dinosaur stalks the woods, the terror of all tree-eating bugs! #birds #birding #woodpeckers

Is #frogsofmastodon a thing? Because I have a frog to share. ...

2026-05-27T21:54:38+02:00

Is #frogsofmastodon a thing? Because I have a frog to share.

A cardinal in progress. Since I saw them in the exact same place ...

2026-05-27T21:45:40+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mhjw
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A cardinal in progress.

Since I saw them in the exact same place as I saw the younger fledglings a couple of weeks ago, I think this is one of those birds, though I don't have a good idea of how much growth happens in two weeks, so I could be wrong! #birds #birding

May 25th: 122. Chimney swift

2026-05-26T04:05:11+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…03kf
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May 25th:

122. Chimney swift

Fierce scaler of vines, hunter of bugs. #birds #birding #warblers ...

2026-05-25T17:30:05+02:00

Fierce scaler of vines, hunter of bugs. #birds #birding #warblers

lately I'm seeing lots of crows chasing hawks, crows chasing ...

2026-05-25T15:56:18+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5gkg
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lately I'm seeing lots of crows chasing hawks, crows chasing ravens, and mixed blackbird flocks chasing crows

Hello birders of the fediverse (or bird appreciators, or however ...

2026-05-25T15:04:44+02:00

Hello birders of the fediverse (or bird appreciators, or however you identify), I'd love to hear what your most common "backyard" (balcony, park down the block, etc.) birds are right now? This season, this week or day. What birds are you seeing and hearing, and where, broadly, so you live?

#SilentSunday #birds #birding #warblers ...

2026-05-24T19:30:03+02:00

#SilentSunday #birds #birding #warblers

Always swinging wildly between anger at how much my chronic ...

2026-05-24T01:22:10+02:00

Always swinging wildly between anger at how much my chronic illnesses limit what I can do, and gratitude that I'm not limited more and can still do as much as I can.

Wait this is a prunus isn't it?? A volunteer tree in the ...

2026-05-22T22:40:08+02:00

Wait this is a prunus isn't it?? A volunteer tree in the yard...

Tiny round bird is unimpressed with your nonsense. #birds ...

2026-05-22T20:55:48+02:00

Tiny round bird is unimpressed with your nonsense. #birds #birding #warblers

May 21st: 121: Wilson's warbler

2026-05-22T20:18:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…y07v
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May 21st:

121: Wilson's warbler

May 19th: 117. Eastern wood-pewee 118. Bay-breasted warbler 119. ...

2026-05-21T13:49:06+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…pcey
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May 19th:

117. Eastern wood-pewee
118. Bay-breasted warbler
119. Blackpoll warbler
120. Indigo bunting

Nostr event nevent1qqsx2udd4x5425zqty6vu0guktevmgc2a5n60jec5c9n0uy4hw7xckgzyq2znhewwkaxetja0ehlxuzxjkp7wh5pqtzwkrl7xykfn70t38nj7stqw0u

2026-05-21T00:18:31+02:00

#WarblerWednesday

I've been having a lot of FOMO, this is the busiest bird time ...

2026-05-18T18:09:20+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…py2l
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I've been having a lot of FOMO, this is the busiest bird time of year, and it's so easy to miss migrants who are here only briefly on their way through. But then I just stepped outside this morning and saw a red-breasted nuthatch on my tree--a species who are here most of the year, depending on food availability--and it just made me happy to watch the cute tiny bird head up the tree (they were switching up the nuthatch pattern!), and make their cute toy truck backing up sound. Birds are good.

Nostr event nevent1qqs8klvwvtz2u8c5hmptxckcpr62x8jdnuehalgx2xw8ldgd7q58prqzyq2znhewwkaxetja0ehlxuzxjkp7wh5pqtzwkrl7xykfn70t38nj70frvvx

2026-05-18T17:39:24+02:00

Have I mentioned lately that I really love birds??

May 17th: 113. Tennessee warbler 114. Magnolia warbler 115. ...

2026-05-18T04:58:57+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5mm4
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May 17th:

113. Tennessee warbler
114. Magnolia warbler
115. Black-and-white warbler
116. Ruby-throated hummingbird

May 16th: 102. Red-eyed vireo 103. Black-backed woodpecker ...

2026-05-17T02:51:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…zdwf
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May 16th:

102. Red-eyed vireo
103. Black-backed woodpecker (lifer!!)
104. Great crested flycatcher
105. Eastern kingbird
106. Philadelphia vireo (lifer!)
107. Eastern bluebird
108. Veery
109. Bobolink
110. Common yellowthroat
111. Rose-breasted grosbeak
112. Common tern

May 14th: 97. Black-throated blue warbler (lifer!) May 15th: 98. ...

2026-05-16T22:28:51+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…tt0f
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May 14th:

97. Black-throated blue warbler (lifer!)

May 15th:

98. Least flycatcher
99. Ovenbird
100. American redstart
101. Cape may warbler

As an occasional user of criminalized drugs, I'm so grateful ...

2026-05-14T18:39:52+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…92rk
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As an occasional user of criminalized drugs, I'm so grateful to my fellow drug users, both friends and strangers on the internet, who have shared so much evidence-based and experience-based knowledge with me. There are cultures of harm reduction, people who want to help each other make safer choices. I just want that to be universal, along with everything else needed for safer use: safe supply, an abundance of peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing, research that's well-funded and freely shared, a focus on the autonomy of drug users rather than patriarchal authoritarianism, and help with addiction when that is a problem that similarly focuses on the autonomy of each individual. People deserve so much more safety and respect.

Just thinking about that law allowing cops to seize mail, and ...

2026-05-14T18:29:38+02:00

Just thinking about that law allowing cops to seize mail, and just feeling so angry about it. As the article I shared says, getting drugs online is SAFER. People are making safer choices, and they're going to be punished for doing so, because the war on drugs is and has always been a war on drug users. The government is very happy for drug users to die, because if they wanted them to live, they'd be making different laws, different choices, not just endless criminalization.

May 13th: 96. Northern parula

2026-05-14T17:18:00+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…z4uy
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May 13th:

96. Northern parula

May 11th: 93. Gray catbird May 12th: 94. Northern mockingbird ...

2026-05-13T01:34:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…p2qm
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May 11th:

93. Gray catbird

May 12th:

94. Northern mockingbird (lifer!)
95. Chestnut-sided warbler

congrats!! What an adorable little bird

2026-05-12T15:11:25+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cf7d
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congrats!! What an adorable little bird

An absolutely perfect little muppet of a baby northern cardinal, ...

2026-05-12T02:14:33+02:00

An absolutely perfect little muppet of a baby northern cardinal, having just survived their very first hail storm (poor thing). #birds #birding

The butterbutts are, wonderfully, everywhere right now. #birds ...

2026-05-11T20:06:34+02:00

The butterbutts are, wonderfully, everywhere right now. #birds #birding #warblers

May 9th: 90. Baltimore oriole 91. Northern yellow warbler 92. ...

2026-05-10T02:16:25+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…plvw
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May 9th:

90. Baltimore oriole
91. Northern yellow warbler
92. Hermit thrush

May 8th: 89. White-crowned sparrow

2026-05-09T14:47:59+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…yavr
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May 8th:

89. White-crowned sparrow

May 4th: 86. Black-throated green warbler May 5th: 87. Eastern ...

2026-05-06T01:50:15+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…uvyw
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May 4th:

86. Black-throated green warbler

May 5th:

87. Eastern warbling vireo
88. Northern house wren

A sweet flicker I met recently. ...

2026-05-03T18:44:53+02:00

A sweet flicker I met recently.

I missed the focus, but still the best photo of a swamp sparrow ...

2026-04-30T17:58:38+02:00

I missed the focus, but still the best photo of a swamp sparrow I've yet managed.

April 28th: 85. Blue-headed vireo

2026-04-30T00:11:36+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…el6g
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April 28th:

85. Blue-headed vireo

April 25th: 80. Wood duck 81. Pied-billed grebe 82. Barred owl ...

2026-04-26T01:04:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…s0fk
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April 25th:

80. Wood duck
81. Pied-billed grebe
82. Barred owl (lifer!)
83. Barn swallow
84. Cliff swallow

Cute little creature noodling through the grass. #snakes ...

2026-04-26T00:31:27+02:00

Cute little creature noodling through the grass. #snakes

April 23rd: 76. Purple finch 77. Pine siskin April 24th: 78. ...

2026-04-25T20:15:37+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kkg5
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April 23rd:

76. Purple finch
77. Pine siskin

April 24th:

78. Sharp-shinned hawk (lifer!)
79. American tree sparrow

Crow is NOT happy! #birds #birding ...

2026-04-23T20:00:40+02:00

Crow is NOT happy! #birds #birding

Look out, fishes and frogs, a dinosaur is on the loose! ...

2026-04-20T16:26:05+02:00

Look out, fishes and frogs, a dinosaur is on the loose!

April 18th: 68. Broad-winged hawk (lifer!) 69. Belted kingfisher ...

2026-04-19T02:32:29+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…33yf
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April 18th:

68. Broad-winged hawk (lifer!)
69. Belted kingfisher
70. Ruby-crowned kinglet
71. Carolina wren
72. Chipping sparrow
73. Brown-headed cowbird
74. Rusty blackbird
75. Yellow-rumped warbler

April 17th: 67. Common loon

2026-04-18T02:34:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…4yse
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April 17th:

67. Common loon

April 15th: 59. American kestrel 60. Osprey 61. Sandhill crane ...

2026-04-16T02:03:18+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ruj7
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April 15th:

59. American kestrel
60. Osprey
61. Sandhill crane
62. Wilson's snipe (lifer)
63. Great egret
64. Northern harrier (also a lifer!)
65. Tree swallow
66. Swamp sparrow

April 14th: 57. White-throated sparrow 58. Winter wren

2026-04-15T02:48:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…qx8q
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April 14th:

57. White-throated sparrow
58. Winter wren

yeeeeah there are certain patterns these conversations take, and ...

2026-04-13T18:41:40+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…rth9
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yeeeeah there are certain patterns these conversations take, and they're never good.

good point. Though I do think there exists a spectrum where some ...

2026-04-12T16:14:10+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kuh2
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good point. Though I do think there exists a spectrum where some are *even more* boring lol

the haters must unite!

2026-04-12T16:11:37+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mgls
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the haters must unite!

Saw an account I'd blocked a long time ago, checked the note ...

2026-04-12T15:03:13+02:00

Saw an account I'd blocked a long time ago, checked the note I'd left since I didn't remember why, and it says "boring anti-anarchist." Which, fair, that DOES sound like someone I should have blocked! 😂 Not even an interesting anti-anarchist.

I have, until now, been deliberately not saying anything about ...

2026-04-11T15:33:38+02:00

I have, until now, been deliberately not saying anything about the NASA mission everyone here has been talking about... But something I do find fascinating (derogatory) is the suggestion I've seen from multiple people that those who express any criticism MUST secretly see the inherent coolness of (nationalistic, extractivist) "space exploration" and are thus not only being haters but, in fact, posers. And I would just like it to be known that some of us who are not excited by the planned colonization of space by nation-states are authentic, genuine haters! Sometimes people can be different from you! I am not emotionally moved by those photos and fluff stories about astronauts, I'm just not. 😭

April 9th: 56. Merlin

2026-04-11T02:30:12+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…lpvm
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April 9th:

56. Merlin

A soft friend. ...

2026-04-10T19:13:38+02:00

A soft friend.

Ice like wind chimes. #icetodon ...

2026-04-07T01:51:45+02:00

Ice like wind chimes. #icetodon

April 3rd: 51. Ring-necked duck April 5th: 52. Killdeer 53. ...

2026-04-06T02:04:24+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…5q07
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April 3rd:

51. Ring-necked duck

April 5th:

52. Killdeer
53. Yellow-bellied sapsucker
54. Northern flicker
55. Great blue heron

April 2nd: 48. Red-shouldered hawk 49. Hooded merganser 50. ...

2026-04-03T21:03:51+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…sm8h
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April 2nd:

48. Red-shouldered hawk
49. Hooded merganser
50. Golden-crowned kinglet

The red-shouldered hawk who flew right over my head! ...

2026-04-03T00:05:25+02:00

The red-shouldered hawk who flew right over my head!

I feel like it's a very predictable cycle: people get excited ...

2026-03-31T15:30:03+02:00

I feel like it's a very predictable cycle: people get excited about a "leftist" politician, a few months later they turn out to be very much a typical politician, everyone who was excited is now shocked and disappointed. Rinse, repeat. You can exit this cycle by becoming an anarchist and never getting excited about any of your potential rulers!

March 29th: 45. Gadwall (lifer!) March 30th: 46. Eastern phoebe ...

2026-03-31T04:28:34+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…cdv8
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March 29th:

45. Gadwall (lifer!)

March 30th:

46. Eastern phoebe
47. Turkey vulture

March 28th: 43. Song sparrow March 29th: 44. Double-crested ...

2026-03-29T21:35:55+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…yu04
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March 28th:

43. Song sparrow

March 29th:

44. Double-crested cormorant

This will be my ongoing random bird facts thread, to bring you ...

2026-03-27T16:47:06+01:00

This will be my ongoing random bird facts thread, to bring you all into my constant stream of "did you know..."

If I'm wrong about something (I'm still learning, and I'm sure it'll happen), I'd really appreciate you not only letting me know, but including sources so I can learn more! #BirdFacts

One or Two Things by Mary Oliver 1 Don't bother me I've ...

2026-03-27T02:00:09+01:00

One or Two Things
by Mary Oliver

1
Don't bother me
I've just
been born.

2
The butterfly's loping flight
carries it through the country of the leaves
delicately, and well enough to get it
where it wants to go, wherever that is, stopping
here and there to fuzzle the damp throats
of flowers and the black mud; up
and down it swings, frenzied and aimless; and sometimes

for long delicious moments it is perfectly
lazy, riding motionless in the breeze of the soft stalk
of some ordinary flower

3
The god of dirt
came up to me many times and said
so many wise and delectable things; I lay
on the grass listening
to his dog voice,
crow voice,
frog voice; now
he said, and now,

and never once mentioned forever,

4
which has nevertheless always been,
like a sharp iron hoof,
at the center of my mind.

5
One or two things are all you need
to travel over the blue pond, over the deep
roughage of the trees and through the stiff
flowers of lightning --- some deep
memory of pleasure, some cutting
knowledge of pain.

6
But to lift the hoof!
For that you need
an idea.

7
For years and years I struggled
just to love my life. And then

the butterfly
rose, weightless, in the wind.
"Don't love your life
too much," it said,

and vanished
into the world.