iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

Short article is now out covering our field work in Death Valley National Park and the Mojave Desert earlier this summer! We’re testing new tech and software for future Mars helicopters and aerial vehicles. Photo by me. www.nasa.gov/solar-system... #planetaryscience #nasa #nps #photography

A test drone flies over the rocky “Mars Hill” in Death Valley National Park (under a special research permit).

Photo by Nathan Williams, 2025.

3354

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

My last photo from Norway, just so beautiful and serene! I greatly look forward to returning someday and exploring more. #photography #norway 🇳🇴

Diffuse lighting over a lush farm in a glacially carved valley at 10pm whilst the sun slowly sets.
Stryn, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

314212

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

“The world is not in your books and maps. It's out there.” #norway 🇳🇴 #landscape 🏔️ #photography 📷

Snow-capped mountains rise up above the living tundra, as ominous clouds linger overhead.
Boverdalen, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0160

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 01/09/2025

Summer finally starting to thaw the snowpack, with runoff streaming across the tundra

Seasonal thawing of the tundra, with the snow pack parting ways to streams and mossy ground
Tindevegen, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0242

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

Sitting at the snow line lingering into the summer

Snow melts away to reveal the living tundra
Tindevegen, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

050

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

Jotunheimen: the mythical home of giants in ancient Norse lore. Even in summer, its rugged icy mountains feel almost otherworldly, vast and primal. #photography #Norway 🇳🇴

A barren snow and ice covered landscape with a rocky mountain rising above
Jotunheimen, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0161

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Up up up in elevation, the cold maintains its grasp late into summer, yet here still eventually gives way and thaws.

Snow lingers on mountains well into the summer, but begins to melt off the rocky landscapes
Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

060

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

Now far ahead the road has gone, And I must follow if I can

A very straight road continuing into the distance towards mountains
Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

070

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

What a gem of a bird! This Bluethroat was as curious and friendly of me as I was for it. 🪶 #birds #photography

An aptly-named Bluethroat
Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1505

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Take a deep breath and let the stress gently flow away down the stream

Rocky stream with small waterfalls
Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0111

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

Hidden in a forested valley carved by glaciers in prehistoric times, the village of Borgund 🇳🇴 retains its epic stave church built circa 1200 C.E. Wooden carvings of stylized dragon heads adorn the gables on the roof, and the wood is darkened by a protective tar.

Borgund Stave Church, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

Highlight of ancient Norse stylized dragon head wood carvings adorning gables on the roof.
Borgund Stave Church, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

Looking out the covered passageway encircling the church, with the black tar protecting the exterior wood from the elements.
Borgund Stave Church, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

082

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Often is history obscured, but sometimes it’s boldly preserved and allows you to step back in time to the ancient past.

Exterior of the Gol Stave Church
Oslo, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

Interior of the Gol Stave Church
Oslo, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

Wood carvings on the Gol Stave Church
Oslo, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

A stave pillar inside the Gol Stave Church
Oslo, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

081

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Here’s a little mission design I’ve been working on behind the scenes these past few months for exploring Mars with a small fleet of helicopters! www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqAu... #planetsci #nasa

youtube.com

Introducing Skyfall: Future Concept Mars Helicopters Paving the Way for First Martian Astronauts

YouTube video by AV

4266

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

More shots from the cruise, particularly of the aesthetic red houses with white trim, and cool dipping rock strata! 🇳🇴

Lighthouse
Oslo Fjord, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

Red house with white trim, sitting atop beautifully delineated and inclined layers of rocks
Oslo Fjord, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

081

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

I particularly enjoyed Norway’s long sunsets that bathe the world in gold

Sunset over Oslo Fjord, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1134

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

The past couple months have been a whirlwind of travel and various activities, including a trip to Norway 🇳🇴! I'm back and recovered, and ready to start sharing some #photography. First, some reflections

Reflective sculptures at sunset
Oslo Opera House, Norway
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0120

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Sometimes it’s scary to take a big leap. This baby bluebird was about to make its first flight out of its nest and into the wide world. Spread your wings, little one 💙 #birds

Eastern Bluebird baby ready to fledge from its nest
Phillipston, MA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1271

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Meep!! We found an American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) tonight! Didn't get to watch it dance, but still always a delight to see these rotund #birds 🪶 outstanding in their field.

American Woodcock (Scolopax minor) standing in a freshly mowed field
Templeton, Massachusetts
© 2025 Nathan Williams

2313

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

No AI, this is a real photo taken by Percy’s engineering cameras of astronomical twilight on #Mars! You can see Deimos in the sky too. I worked pretty hard to plan, execute, and analyze this image, and it came out beautifully! A bit noisy, but it was very dark out after all. #astro #planetary

Astronomical twilight on Mars, including the moon Deimos. Taken by the Engineering Cameras aboard the Perseverance Rover.

261318383

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Mars on Earth! Terrains like this hill in Death Valley are fantastic analogs to run tests for future #planetary missions.

Mars Hill, Death Valley, California
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0130

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

Dark storm approaching behind the dunes. A few minutes later we were blasted by a sandstorm.

Dark rain clouds and virga over a bright sand dune
Dumont Dunes, California
© 2025 Nathan Williams

030

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Back from field work in the desert. No giant sandworms were awakened.

Dumont Dunes, California
© 2025 Nathan Williams

160

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

Even in the midst of drought and desert, there is still vibrant life to be found.

Soft pink and pastel colors of a cactus flower in contrast to the cactus’s waxy greens and pointy white spines
Huntington Library and Gardens, Pasadena, CA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

072

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

What a precious planet we live on. Happy Earth Day! 🌎🌍🌏

Alpine tarn atop a hill, surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks
Key Summit, Routeburn Track
Southland, New Zealand
© 2024 Nathan Williams

0101

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

A very dapper Spotted Towhee watching over his territory this past weekend #birds

Spotted Towhee male with its jet black head, rusty flanks, white belly, and blood-red eye.
Processed to compensate for harsh lighting.
Huntington Library and Gardens, Pasadena, CA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1212

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

My total eclipse mosaic, taken one year ago today. Totality is a surreal, otherworldly experience. Stunningly beautiful far beyond what even epic photos can show. We are tiny amidst the cosmos, humbly existing in just the right place at just the right time. #eclipse #astro #photography

Mosaic of phases of a total solar eclipse. The sun with progressively smaller arcs face inwards towards totality with the corona in the center.
Taken with a Sony RX10iv, solar filter (when outside totality), post-processed and stacked.
April 8, 2024
Northern Vermont, USA
© 2024 Nathan Williams

0152

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

I feel you, disappointed penguin. It's been a week. But we'll persevere. #birds

Fiordland Crested Penguin
Doubtful Sound, NZ
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0151

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Enjoyed watching these two little brown critters at work today. Only one of them is a dinosaur #birds

California Towhee
Pasadena, CA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

Western Fence Lizard
Pasadena, CA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1120

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Enjoyed hanging out with this friendly little Pied-billed Grebe floating in the creek last weekend. #birds

Pied-billed Grebe looking over its shoulder
UC Davis Arboretum
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1111

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

Spring is arriving, and the California Poppies are popping! Quite beautiful, even with just a quick cell phone photo.

California Poppy
UC Davis Arboretum, CA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

071

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Not sure when I'll visit Arizona again next, but I love exploring its incredible natural environments

Cathedral Rock, Sedona, AZ
© 2024 Nathan Williams

052

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Happy Blood Worm Moon and Pi Day! Conditions were suboptimal here in Los Angeles, but I was able to snap and manually stack a few decent shots. I love how that red is from the collective light of every sunrise and sunset simultaneously around the world. Makes me feel small yet connected.

Total lunar eclipse
March 14, 2025
Los Angeles, CA
© 2025 Nathan Williams

1120

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

It's been another day, worthy of another scream into the void (or two!). With a couple of #birds, ofc

Pied Stilt
Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
© 2024 Nathan Williams

0151

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

A moment of tranquility surrounded by mountains

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park
© 2025 Nathan Williams

061

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Okay one more scream into the void for this week. But the weekend has arrived so here's a second photo at rest. Pacific Golden Plovers #birds

Pacific Golden-Plover
Maui, Hawaii
© 2025 Nathan Williams

0100

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Yup, still screaming into the void European Skylark #birds

European Skylark
Canterbury, New Zealand
© 2024 Nathan Williams

0150

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

Some days, you just want to scream into the void #birds

Black-billed Gull
Tekapo, New Zealand
© 2024 Nathan Williams

0402

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Black-crowned Night Heron standing firm at a National Wildlife Refuge. Don't mess with these evolved dinosaurs.

Black-crowned Night Heron
Keālia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, Maui, Hawaii
© 2025 Nathan Williams

180

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Well, my twilight photos didn't turn out as planned, but it was worth a shot regardless. So instead, please enjoy an older landscape during golden hour.

Golden hour paints the landscape in rich colors
Tekapo, New Zealand
© 2025 Nathan Williams

041

Nathan Williams @bluebirdadventures.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Internalizing the cool and calm of a misty mountainside.

Mountainside with mixed coniferous-deciduous forest in low clouds / fog
Burkes Pass, New Zealand
© 2025 Nathan Williams

073