iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Awww poor things. Love shieldbugs. Here’s a hairy shieldbug I found last year in my local stomping grounds. Pretty things 😍

A photo of a shieldbug in grass not very well camouflaged - it’s got a burgundy body with some green in the middle, and stripy sides and antennae.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I took a course in American literature. We read a lot of literature by Black women, inc Frances Harper. I’d never heard of her til then - massive gap in both my previous history and English lit education. Massive. The woman on the cover, Elise Forrester Harleston, is also amazing.

A photo of the book entitled Iola Leroy by Frances E W Harper, with a painting of Elise Forrest Harleston by Edwin Harleston in the cover.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Today’s BotD theme set by Helen is The Divers. Here’s a Cormorant, well, diving! Taken in London a few weeks ago #BirdOfTheDay #TheDivers #Birds #Wetlands

A photograph of a cormorant diving into the water. All that is visible is the tips of his tail feathers and tail, dark grey against the deep green of the lake water. The water surface is rippled and water is displaced, with water droplets everywhere.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This kitty just got lipglossed by the kiddo. I’m not sure she’s happy 😬 If we had skunks in this country, she may be happier with the lippy kisses than the human who got skunked kisses. Poor you and poor kitty!

A photo of a tuxedo kitty, sitting and facing the camera. She is mostly white on her chest and face and is currently sporting a reddish splotch on her forehead. She is looking at me and blaming me for the kiddo’s kiss. Help!

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just posted this pic but it’s perfect for today’s Bird of the Day theme - so here’s two crows mobbing a buzzard. A twofer! London, 16 September #BirdOfTheDay #Raptors #Corvids #Birds

A photo of two corvids chasing off a buzzard. They were flying overhead and I managed a photo as they zoomed past. The two crows are flying close to each other, almost crashing into each other. The buzzard, a very light coloured one, is flying quickly away from them, looking for a quieter spot. The background is a very light blue-grey of the sky.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Sneak peak at the script. I mean, it’s actually Beowulf but no one’s gonna know, are they?

A screenshot of the first few lines of Beowulf. In old English. I’m not even gonna try to copy and paste the text because my phone will explode if I try. I nicked this from https://www.mit.edu/~jrising/webres/beowulf.pdf

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Just a Moorhen trying to steal food from the Little Grebe who was trying to feed her kid 🥺 Will be writing about this mini lake drama in my blog soon (with more, unfortunately crappy, photos and details). Little Grebes are so much fun! #BirdOfTheDay #Redheads #Wetlands #Birds

A photo of an unfolding drama on the lake. There is a Moorhen, black and brown, with a very red beak, chasing a Little Grebe. She’s dark brown with a russet neck and head, and she’s got a tasty larval something or other in her beak. Baby Little Grebe is in the background, trying to work out where his mum and food went.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I just reported and blocked this bot account. I prefer tedious and condescending comments from humans, thanks 🤣 Also shows that AI is so incapable of understanding human words and thoughts, like completely and utterly incapable. I don’t get why people use this crap

A screenshot of her comment to a post I made. I posted: Just so we are clear:
The 83yo priest on the left is a terrorist. The balaclava-clad men on the right are protestors with legitimate concerns.

The bot replied: This claim involves very serious allegations; it is best to verify the facts and context first. What reliable evidence do you think supports this description of the priest?

I think I may have vomited a little. Yuck.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

…another danger lurks from below the surface 😳😳 Dear reader, that Little Grebe was fast! #Insects #Grebes #Birds #WildlifePhotography #Wetlands 📷 🐙

A photograph of a Little Grebe and a pair of Common Darter dragonflies. The dragonflies, blurred, are flying just above the surface of the lake. The male’s tail is attached to the female’s head and they were scattering eggs into the water.

Meanwhile, below the surface, is a Little Grebe looking up at the dragonflies, a nanosecond before he leaped out and caught the two dragonflies. Nom nom.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

So, here you are, flying about the lake. Your partner is attached to your head as you release your eggs into the water. Evolution, just why? You go up, you go down, scattering your progeny, miraculously not crashing into the water or some floating log. But then… #Dragonflies #Wildlife #Insects 📷 🐙

Two pairs of Common Darter dragonflies over the murky green lake surface. One is above, the other pair lower down and blurry. The male is bright red and has his tail attached to the more grey-tan female’s head. Because evolution is weird.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Sunflower London, today (There are three photobombers - zoom in and find them!) #Stunday #Flowers #Photography

A photograph of a sunflower taken with a zoom so it looks quite close up. It is a horticultural variety, so won’t produce those yummy seeds. The petals have died off to a light tan, although the sepals are still a bright green. Inside are a lot of tiny seed heads and the flower itself is slightly bent, curving inwards. The background is blurred green and blue from other sunflowers and blue sky, complementing the colours of the flower.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

And they’re off! Tamara the Tufted has an early lead. Can Tad catch up? #BirdOfTheDay #CaptionThatBird #AtTheRaces #Birds #Ducks #Wetlands

A photograph of two immature Tufted Ducks. They are both a golden brown with greyish beaks. They are racing across the green lake, heads forward while their feet paddle at the back. Water is splashing everywhere. One duck is ahead of the other.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Cormorant elegantly posing and a poor, scruffy leucistic crow 🥺 #BirdOfTheDay #Elegant #Scruffy #Birds

A photo of a cormorant. She’s standing on one leg on a post jutting out of the lake. She is on the right hand side of the frame, back to the camera and looking towards the left. Her feathers are a dark grey brown with touches of golden brown. Quite stunning really. Behind her, the water is dark and rippled with highlights from the sun.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Flint-in-Chalk Marsh loves that role! #Caturday

Black and white cat on a stool in the kitchen. She’s looking up, one paw out, saying: ‘please sir, may I have some more?’

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

It’s #FlyDay! Crows mobbing a Buzzard London, 16 September #Corvids #BirdsOfPrey #Birds

A photo of two crows and a buzzard. I shot this quickly as they flew straight over me. I was bending over backwards, literally! In the top, left part of the frame are two crows manoeuvring as they chase the buzzard. The buzzard is below them (in the frame) and a bit to the right. It’s flying quickly, trying to get away from the silly corvids. The sky behind is a light grey.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Woodpigeons London, 10 Sept Posted last week but they work well for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme :)) #Pigeons&Doves #Birds

A photograph of two Woodpigeons. One is flying off to the left, wings out and feet tucked in. The other one is still sitting on the top of the dead tree, looking to the right and slightly obscured by a branch. The background is a light blue grey of the sky.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Canada Goose Crystal Palace, 6 September

A close up photo of the bed and chest of a Canada Goose. Her wings are tannish, chest white, neck, face and beak are all black. She also has a white chin strap. She had her head down, her neck is curved into a tight c shape. Behind her is blurred ground and vegetation.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I mean, even MS Word is questioning the (over)use of the poor colon

Screen shot of a tiny bit of text on a word doc. Microsoft grammar says: double-check whether a colon is needed here.

Dear reader, it is not.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Snake in the lake! Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica), likes water :) #Snakes #Reptiles #Wetlands #LondonWildlife

A photo of a blurry coot on a lake. Nope not a totally rubbish photo, honest! In front of the coot is a snake, head and top of body on the water, zipping along.

A photo of the same snake, still in the lake, still zipping along.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

A Migrant Hawker for Stunday. Love the beautiful dragonflies Aeshna mixta Yesterday, London #StunDay #Odonata #Dragonflies #Invertebrates

A photograph of a dragonfly resting at the end of a dried twig. This guy is a stunner - bright blue eyes, and a blue body dotted with yellow, brown and black.

The background is a faint green with some grey, contrasting with the bright blue of the dragonfly.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I dunno. If you’re using AI to make these anti-AI memes, maybe you’re part of the problem?

A screenshot of a text-only meme in a dark purple block. It reads:
It’s called a Data Center because “Mass surveillance infrastructure” sounds to dark.

Then below, in teeny text, which I’ve circled and drawn an arrow and two exclamation marks for emphasis, is text that reads: Meta AI.

Okey dokey.

And yeah, spelling mistakes and odd capitalisation simply adds to its charm lol.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A Blackbird with a ginormous earthworm in its beak April 2025, London #BirdOfTheDay #Twofer #Mouthful #Black #Birds #Photography #ECK #FlyDay

A photograph of an Eurasian Blackbird standing on short green grass. I should note that this particular patch of grass is yellow but starting to recover from the heat and drought. Anyway. This blackbird, all black except for his very orange beak and eyeliner, has a giant earthworm in him beak. Nom nom.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Great Spotted Woodpecker from today #BirdOfTheDay #Black&White #Birds

A photograph of a great spotted woodpecker perched in a tree. I was actually trying to photograph a squirrel when this one landed in the next tree over. Quickly changed my settings and managed one photo before it got scared off by some guy talking very loudly into his phone.

The bird is black and white with some red below his tail and more at his nape. He is perched, back to camera, staring into the blurry distance.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

We have two Cormorants at the lake. One is a poser. The other? Not so much! Did manage a few shots of them together ❤️ #BirdOfTheDay #ABCD #Cormorants #Wetlands #Birds #Photography #ECK #SciArt

A photo of the other cormorant diving into the lake. He didn’t want his photo taken! All that is visible are the tips of the wing feathers and a bit of the tail protruding out of the lake surface. There is water displacement and droplets are everywhere.

A photo of the two cormorants together. The poser one finally flew down into the lake to join her partner. They swam and fished, always together. Here they are swimming to the left, with only their heads, necks and top of backs showing. One is in the front, leading the way to where all the fish are.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

One greedy squirrel got the whole corn cob. The other got a kernel 🥺 Grey Squirrel, today in London #MammalMonday #Mammals #Wildlife #LondonWildlife #Squirrels 📸

A photo of a squirrel barely visible. He’s hiding behind a branch and a corn cob, which he’d brought up the tree from the fields and is now snacking on. He is surrounded by green leaves and the background is blurred vegetation and sky.

A photo of another squirrel. This one was chasing the one with the corn. Here she is sitting between a tree trunk and a branch, nibbling on the one kernel she managed to get.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Got a Grey Heron landing and a Robin borb with stick figure legs #Herons&Egrets #Borbs #ForJanet #Birds #ECK #BirdOfTheDay

A photo of a Grey Heron coming in to land on a branch at the edge of the lake. Her wings are out, slightly up and folded. Her head and neck, barely visible, are upright, and her legs are sticking out in front of her. The lake water is in the foreground, with a jumble of branches, some partly submerged, on the edge of the lake. There are also trees and shrubs just beyond the branches.

A photo of a Robin standing on a thin branch. He is very round and his legs are very skinny. He is looking towards the right. The background is bokeh.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Look what just came in the post! 😀😀 Also, I’d like to lodge a complaint about ‘Everything will swallow you’, @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social. I was so engrossed, I almost missed my tube stop the other day. Luckily kiddo was with me to nudge me…

A photo of a book by Tom Cox entitled Curious events lately occurring in the neighbourhood in black ink. The cover illustration is in red, tan and black, featuring fields, trees, a helicopter and a random telephone. On top is a bookmark with a mermaid, made by his mum.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Just so we are clear: The 83yo priest on the left is a terrorist. The balaclava-clad men on the right are protestors with legitimate concerns

A photo from the BBC of an older woman, with grey hair, being led away by police.

A photograph of a line of men in black clothes and balaclavas blocking the port at Dover.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Covering both themes today with this flock of Starlings. Also, a bonus pony :))) These are mostly juveniles/1st year adults (tan heads), with a few mature adults changing into their winter feathers #BirdOfTheDay #InFlight #Grounded #SmallBirdSaturday #Birds #LondonBirds #Photography #ECK #SciArt

A photo of a flock of Starlings in a horse paddock. There were about 50 to 60 in this flock. Some of the birds are on the ground, eating. The rest are flying about. As I watched, they would land, eat and then a bunch would take off for no reason, then land again. This went on for a bit. Then I looked down at my camera for a second and whoosh! They had completely disappeared. Not on any adjacent field so I assume into the nearby trees.

Most of them have speckly bodies and tan heads with dark beaks. These are the juveniles/ first year adults. A few are all dark, with some mottling into their speckled heads (their winter feathers). Their beaks are also dark instead of the summer yellow. These are the mature adults.

The grass is brown and patchy, there is some fencing in the background.

Photograph of the same flock but a little to the right. Again, some flying about, others eating on the ground. A black and white pony is also in the frame. He was completely unperturbed by all these birds flying about.

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Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Hiding under the deep lake waters… 🤣🤣 Here’s Nessie with her mate (yes, there’s a whole family!). See the ‘wake’? That’s actually their bodies just below the surface of the water 😀

Another black and white photo of Nessie, this time with her mate. They are swimming across the lake, their bodies submerged under their wakes.

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