iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I just donated to @angieforfl.bsky.social. I hope she goes to the Senate and saves the endangered species act and our national parks!

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

So much good new music these days. I think the trauma of Covid and Trump1 inspired some excellent art coming out in the last few years, so at least we have that. Here is Greg Freeman who’s 2022 album was amazing but I only just discovered him: open.spotify.com/track/4X7HWB...

open.spotify.com

Sawmill

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

lol wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirec...

wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

It is hard to imagine a world without the USGS Ecosystems Mission, the bird banding lab, the Coop Unit program, etc. but apparently that is what America voted for and what this administration plans to do: wildlife.org/usgs-cuts-wo...

wildlife.org

USGS cuts would jeopardize leading wildlife research - The Wildlife Society

The loss of personnel and entire research arms would affect our ability to monitor wildlife populations

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Early draft of the White House 2026 budget proposal suggests entirely eliminating the Ecosystems Mission Area of the U.S. Geological Survey: www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Trump swings budget ax at USGS biology research

Plan to eliminate $307 million ecosystem program could face obstacles in Congress

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Spotify suggested this beautiful music for me and now I am suggesting it for you. open.spotify.com/track/1NkJbV...

open.spotify.com

Tegami

Mei Semones · Kabutomushi · Song · 2024

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Helping Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission use decision analysis to revise, refine and optimize their freshwater fisheries long-term monitoring program today.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

I actually had an excellent week at the @thejonesctr.bsky.social running an indigo snake reintroduction SDM workshop with stakeholders from USFWS, Alabama DCNR, Florida FWC, TNC, the Central Florida zoo, and more. The effort is now refocused on what they want to achieve rather than what they can do.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

25 years ago today was the first time I stopped to consider the voice of Geddy Lee and how it got so high. open.spotify.com/album/1Q6ikD...

open.spotify.com

Brighten the Corners

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Lottie, Steve Malkmus’ daughter, puts out her first single. It’s really good and I feel really old: open.spotify.com/track/42Bo6O...

open.spotify.com

What have we got

Lottie's · What have we got · Song · 2025

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

It’s been a stressful two weeks. Needed a mental break today so my daughter and I went for a 5.2 mile hike at O’leno Sate Park. We saw some birds, trees, turtles, palmetto and caught some froglets.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I think the worst part is being vilified as untrustworthy and unethical when all I’ve done is do my job, and do it really well, frankly, for the last 15 years.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Please spread the word! UF is hiring a tenure track quantitative ecologist in the Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department: explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...

explore.jobs.ufl.edu

University of Florida - Details - Assistant or Associate Professor - Quantitative Ecologist – Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 30/12/2024

Another installment of my annual trek to look for Snowy Owls at Jones Beach state park and failing but still having a wonderful time and seeing lots of other beautiful birds. #birding

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Saw an Ash-throated flycatcher today for my 447th species of the year!

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Christmas bird counting in Alachua county this morning.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

I’m representing the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at University of Florida’s graduation ceremony tonight!

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Harvested our sugar cane and prepped it for pressing. The local state park has a historic farmstead and they let us use the press. Once pressed and boiled down we should get about 4 liters of syrup.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

I went birding with my daughter at Paynes Prairie this morning. We traipsed through the mud and found 54 species. She’s been my best birding buddy for 7 years and it is just dawning on me how much I’m going to miss this when she goes off to college in 2 years.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

These days it is hard to remember to be thankful, but then my wife makes this pie and it gets a little easier.

Homemade thanksgiving cherry pie on a cutting board with a rolling pin and other kitchen instruments.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Pre sunrise birding in Nebraska today before an all day decision analysis workshop at the Lied Lodge.

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Reposted by Conor McGowan

Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · 11/10/2024

I am looking to build my new lab at the University of Cambridge in the Conservation Research Institute at the Cambridge Conservation Initiative. If you are a highly motivated student interested in landscape conservation and want to pursue a PhD, please take a look at: zoo.cam.ac.uk/2025-26-proj...

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

Me in mid September: Sure I can review a bunch of NOAA Restore proposals by November 13th, that’s like 2 months from now, I’ll have plenty of time. Me on November 12th: oh shit….

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Reposted by Conor McGowan

Chuck Wendig @chuckwendig.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Things are bad. But birds are good. So here are some birds. (Reminder: ALT text is also good! And it's good to implement it whenever posting an image here. And you can force yourself to do it. In your settings, under accessibility, you can have your images require ALT text before posting.)

Amidst the branches and needles of a pine tree, some kind of thrush (hermit thrush, I suspect) is leaping off the branch to jump to a higher spot, it is in mid-motion, leaping from lower right to upper left -- it's a dark photo, not perfectly clear, photo by Chuck Wendig

Male red cardinal in flight, taking off (to upper right of frame) from a still-green-leaved dogwood branch. Photo by Chuck Wendig

A great blue heron in the left of frame, standing on a... I think a fallen log? It faces right, one leg cocked, an impressive feather boa of its own feathers around its prodigious neck lumps. All around it is water, a reservoir full then, but now dry, sadly. Photo by Chuck Wendig

Tiny golden-crowned kinglet -- a fuzzy dumpling bird if ever there was one -- tucked away in a tangle of dry pine branches. It is manifesting its trademark black-and-gold stripe on its head -- its "crown." Photo by Chuck Wendig

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Reposted by Conor McGowan

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Yet another detailed breakdown of what trash washes up on beaches that does not include plastic straws as one of the most commonly found pieces of trash. Weird, some very confident people on the internet assure me that straws are the biggest and/or only threat to marine life.

cambridge.org

Troubled water: Tracing the plastic tide on Sierra Leone’s beaches | Cambridge Prisms: Plastics | Cambridge Core

Troubled water: Tracing the plastic tide on Sierra Leone’s beaches - Volume 2

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Saw/heard 66 species of birds at Sweet Water Wetlands this morning. None were new for the year so I’m still at 435 species since January 1st. Still completely worth the effort!

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

My eldest kid had this on his wishlist for his birthday so I absolutely had to get it for him:

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 27/10/2024

I spent three hours yesterday knocking g on doors to get out the vote in support of reproductive freedom and abortion rights in Florida. It was great and I’m going again on Tuesday.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 21/05/2024

Does anybody remember covfefe? Seems like a lot of people need a reminder of covfefe.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 01/01/2024

The semester starts a week from tomorrow, I’d better pump the breaks on birding and start to prep my class.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 22/12/2023

#binoblast lifer harlequin duck from Jones Beach State Park this morning:

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 22/12/2023

On a quest for purple sandpipers. Heading to the jetty, soaking up the sights. Who knew Long Island was beautiful?

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 12/12/2023

This month marks the 50 anniversary of the endangered species act in the U.S. I am absolutely honored to have contributed a chapter to this book marking the occasion!

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 09/12/2023

I’m at 381 bird species for the year. All I want for christmas is 19 more. Heading out the door with my binoculars now.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 06/12/2023

Teddy and George say: Do you even know what work life balance is? Put you laptop away and let me!

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 26/11/2023

I saw my three favorites birds this weekend, including hundreds of American Oystercatchers in Cedar Key, four red knots and this littleguy at little Talbot Island State Par.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 19/11/2023

Went looking for birds this morning. I found 57 species and this herd of feral horses.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 04/11/2023

I’ll be presenting on the species status assessment framework at TWS on Thursday in a symposium marking the 50 anniversary of the endangered species act. I am so honored to be invited and looking forward to the session.

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Conor McGowan @cpmcbirds.bsky.social · 03/11/2023

Are you heading the TWS in Louisville next week? Don’t forget to bring your “Out in the Field” pin from last years meeting, to show your pride and/or your support.

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