iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

#tidesouttuesday The tide was low vis was terrible. Only after processing did all the bodies appear. All I ever saw was a flash of black and white or a couple feet of a black snout bobbing at me. #EastCoastKin #eck #orcas Images shot under strict regulation & permission of Argentinian gov’t.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

That’s very kind. It would have been better had I caught while it was first plunging down. None the less it was a fun capture.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#TheDivers for #BirdOfTheDay today. A grab shot of a #pelican just after it boomed into the water for a meal. Scared the hell out of me. Taken in the Sea of Cortez off of Los Islotes. #EastCoastKin #ECK #photographersunited #birds

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Clive @stonesphotographs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

For todays #BirdOfTheDay theme #TheDivers and Alt theme: #BirdStare I give you Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe (Honest it is) Gannett and a Puffin #Nature #Wildlife @rspb.bsky.social #EastCoastKin #ThePhotoHour #Birds

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

9/11 victim Michael Massaroli’s son: "You do my dad's legacy & the legacy of all victims no honor using this tragedy to spread hate. I've had to spend 25 years seeing people use it to hate on our Muslim brothers & sisters, people who don't look like them."

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Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I said this years ago. It's been obvious. It remains obvious. It's a tragedy for our country.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

No it doesn’t. It belongs on Truth Social. Remember the 787 million dollars Fox paid to Dominion? The countless failed lawsuits claiming the machines had been tampered by the DEMS? Remember Mike Pillow? This is worthy of the MAGA crowd that believe in “alternative facts (aka BS).”

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

#birdoftheday #strikeapose The Blue Heron would not move. I took the photo even though this is his bad side. If he complains, it’s his own damn fault. #EastCoastKin #ECK #PhotographersUnited

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Haven’t been posting lately. My apologies. Got an elderly dog with issues. She’s moving in the right direction, though, so hopefully will be back at it soon.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Holy Smokes!!! Someone just came back from the salon!

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #EgretsAndHerons Alt is #Yellow -yellow feathered bird. While night herons are able to pull of rat tails into their dying days- respect, I find the juveniles more fashionable sans the rat tail & formal colorations #ECK #Birds #ArtYear #PhotographerUnited #NorthPond

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This is Charlie, a juvenile #GreatBlueHeron, aka Don Quixote.This is another shot from his terrifying “REED BATTLE ROYALE.” I love the curl of feathers on his/her? right wing. #BirdOfThDay #yourchoice #Birds #ECK #ArtChallenges #EastCoastKin #PhotographersUnited #UrbanWildlife #NikonZ8

A juvenile Great Blue Heron stands in shallow, rippling water, wings raised high and half-folded above its back in a moment of unbalanced motion. The wings dominate the upper left of the frame — layered slate-grey and blue-grey feathers fanning outward, the primaries splayed like spread fingers, individual barbs catching the light. The bird's body is a mottled grey-white, fluffy and slightly disheveled, with rain-like flecks of pale streaking down the chest.

The long neck curves down and to the right in an S-shape, ending in a heavy yellow-grey dagger bill that grips a thin willow branch. Green willow leaves trail from the stick down into the water. The head is pale grey with a spiky black crest and a bright yellow eye ringed dark. Two thin legs plunge into water thrown up in spray and droplets around them.

The background is soft-focus green water, a fallen log along the top edge, and blades of reed grass entering from the upper right. Bottom left: "©Gregory Rothman 2025."

- That stick-battle is likely practice, not play with purpose — young herons rehearse nest-material handling and bill dexterity long before they'll ever build one.
- Herons have specialized "powder down" feathers on the chest that crumble into a fine dust; they use it with a comb-like serrated middle claw to blot fish slime off their plumage.
- The S-curve neck is structural: an elongated sixth vertebra acts as a hinge, letting the head fire forward like a released spring.
- Despite a six-foot wingspan, an adult weighs only about 5–6 pounds.
- Their eyes shift toward binocular vision at night — they hunt in near-darkness comfortably.

- Great Blue Herons are essentially monomorphic — males average slightly larger with a marginally thicker bill, but the ranges overlap so heavily that a single photo can't tell you. The plumage does reveal is age: the solid dark crown (no white crown stripe), lack of long head and breast plumes, and the shaggy, loosely streaked neck all mark this as a juvenile.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Had to repost. Accidently tattooed the first image…🥹 Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #MultiColour, birds with 3 or more colors. Alt #DucksOutOfWater Barely Squeaking in, this guy greeted us at breakfast each morning in Dominica. #Bananaquit ( #CoerebaFlaveola) #ECK #Birds #photographersunite

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #MultiColour, birds with 3 or more colors. Alt #DucksOutOfWater Barely Squeaking in, this guy greeted us at breakfast each morning in Dominica. #Bananaquit ( #CoerebaFlaveola) #ECK #Birds #photographersunited

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Louise @bombaycrone.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

#Texas Make the right choice.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Grey, any bird with Grey in its plumage. The Alt theme is #RedBeaks Green Heron at the usual locale-N Pond #ECK #UrbanWildlife #photographersUnited #Birds #NikonZ8 #EastCoastKin

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Christina Evans @christinae.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

This Reddish Egret white morph in classic canopy pose works for both #BirdoftheDay themes of #CHE and the alt #Memories. Memorable for how happy I was when I saw it, and for the image winning a national award and being published. #birds #photography #Florida

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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Ohh that's RICH @ohhthatsrich.bsky.social linktr.ee/ohhthatsrich

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Kort Duce @kortduce.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

A great blue heron takes flight at a nature area in Longmont, Colorado. The Boulder Flatirons are the mountains in the background. #BirdOfTheDay #SingersAndWingers #bird #birdphotography #ECK #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky #BirdsSeenln2026 #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography

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Lecia Michelle @leciamichelle.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

The #BirdOfTheDay theme for today is #Corvidae. I think this is one of the best photos I've ever taken. #AmericanCrow #birds #photography #birdsofbluesky

Crow in flight with its wings at its sides. Blurred background in red, orange, green and brown.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

@alan678.bsky.social for today's theme. The #BirdofTheDay theme is #ScreenFiller. I think this is a barely qualified, but if I don’t find the eagle image I’m thinking of, this will stand. #ECK #birds #SnowyEgret #EgrettaThula #photographersUnited #NikonZ8 #UrbanWildlife #SnowyEgret

This is an action photograph of a Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) captured mid-motion in shallow water.

The bird fills the frame with both wings fully spread in a dramatic V-shape, feathers splayed like white fans against a dark gray, blurred background of water and shoreline. Its entire body is brilliant white. The head faces the camera directly, showing the key identification features: a slender black bill, bright yellow facial skin (lores) between the eye and bill, and a pale yellow eye. One leg is lifted mid-stride, revealing the classic Snowy Egret combination of black legs with yellow feet — often called “golden slippers.”

The egret appears to be dashing or landing in the water, with splashes and droplets frozen around its lifted foot, and small ripples spreading across the calm, slate-gray surface. Wispy plume feathers trail from its head and chest, adding to the sense of movement.

The lighting is soft and overcast, making the white plumage glow against the moody dark water. A photographer’s credit, “©Gregory Rothman 2026,” appears in gold text in the lower right corner.

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M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Bernie's Correct, Again......

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Love your work. Just consistently spectacular thoughtful captures.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Sorry for late postings #BirdofTheDay #buttshott #openbeak. Twofer twofer a #buttshot & #openbeak with an image amputation of one #butt , an an elegant single tush. I forgetting to hit post… #ECK #PhotographersUnited #Birds #urbanWildlife #NPond #NikonZ8

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

#birdoftheday #orange I believe these are trumpeter swans. This was from a trip to Hokkaido.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

#BirdOfTheDay #Cutie, I regrettably post this which barely makes the grade if at all compared to Daniel Stunnell’s Puffin reposted below. This is a female #WoodDuck giving another stare down at N Pond.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

This kills. Gorgeous capture that makes me smile.

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay is #QuietReflection any bird paused in thought. Alt #SunriseSunset. A #RedwingBlackbird pauses from strafing to consider the morality of his collective punishment of humans for their sin of destruction of nature. Easy. Back to strafing. #ECK #UrbanWildLife #NikonZ8 #Birds

A Red-winged Blackbird perches on green foliage in the foreground. This male bird displays glossy black plumage with bold orange-red and yellow shoulder patches called "epaulets"—distinctive badges visible on his wings. His posture is alert and upright, facing toward the left side of the frame.

A dramatic metropolitan skyline rises behind the bird. Multiple high-rise buildings dominate the view—gleaming towers in tan, beige, and glass create an urban canyon. A particularly tall, slender white building with a spire stands centrally, while darker glass-clad skyscrapers flank it. Tm.

Vibrant green vegetation fills the bottom foreground, providing natural framing for the bird. The contrast between nature and urban development is striking.

Some Facts about Red-winged Blackbirds
- If you didn’t know, males are fiercely territorial and use their bright epaulets as a dominance display—when threatened, they flash these patches to warn rivals
- These birds can produce over 100 distinct song variations
- They're found across North America and are among the most abundant birds on the continent
- Despite their aggressive behavior, they're social birds that often gather in flocks of thousands during migration

**Photo Credit:** © Gregory Rothman 2026

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Gregory Rothman @gregoryrothman.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

#BirdOfTheDay is #GreyDay any bird with grey. Alt - #ShowingOff, any bird, who in your opinion, is doing exactly that. “ Spencer couldn’t walk along the pond’s edge like the Herons. He always must be the center of attention. #birds #photography #ECK #SnowyEgret #EastCoastKin #PhotographersUnited

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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Today I learned that one of the principal architects of the Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine is a Black woman named Kizzmekia Corbett. Why didn't I know this before? #Racism #Sexism

a picture of Kizzmekia Corbett, wearing a white collared shirt and smiling warmly into the camera

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