iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

alex @igneousflock.dev · 25/09/2026

no macgillivray's warblers on mcgillivray boulevard =(

Screenshot of the ebird species map for the MacGillivray's Warbler near Winnipeg; there's a couple sightings south and west of the city but none close by.

alex @igneousflock.dev · 17/09/2026

The other day I saw a goose with a big neck band at Humboldt park! I didn’t realize they were a thing but it makes sense I guess. Heard back from the USGS banding project that this is a 10 year old female from Brookfield! #birds

A Canada goose foraging in medium-height grass. She has a large white band on her lower neck with black text: “31N”.

Screenshot of a USGS “certificate of appreciation” awarded to me.
Band number: 1168-20171 31N
Species: large Canada goose
Age of bird: hatched in 2016
Location: near Brookfield, cook county, IL, USA
Bander: Forbes Biological Station, Havana, IL
Banded: 07/24/2016
Sex: Female
Encounter Location: Humboldt, cook county, Illinois
Encountered: 09/15/2026

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 15/09/2026

missed this very helpful button below it

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 15/09/2026

i see the chicago mayoral race has many very serious candidates

Screenshot of a menu with five sections: "Healthcare for All", "Education and Workforce", "Housing", "TIF Reform", and "Lowering Property Taxes". "Education and workforce" is expanded to show Lorem ipsum text.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 06/09/2026

35 miles total (well, 6 more to get home)

A silver medal with red and blue text: “25th Bike the Drive 30-mile challenge”

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 31/08/2026

#chilft not a soul around. belongings scattered everywhere

A Toyota SUV sitting on the grass next to lake shore drive. It’s gone off the road and through a guardrail, stopping on top of a sign.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 29/08/2026

Idk but this secret third thing blew out my sinuses. Never seen it anywhere outside Maine.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 12/08/2026

Why is it possible for someone like this to get a driver's license in the first place?

He had four traffic violations from 2015 to 2017 without ever being issued a driver’s license or permit. He obtained his permit in 2018 and had another traffic violation in 2021. Documents state he obtained his driver’s license in February.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 12/08/2026

I only posted this here and a facebook crawler got to it first. Neat!

Screenshot: "Make a link to this page that belongs to no one yet. Paste it anywhere. Something will read it before your friend does, and you will see which."
"Something read your link before any person did: Facebook - 19 minute safter you made the link"
"This link has expired and is forgotten."

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 10/08/2026

A good day to bike and bird

An Osprey perched on a dead branch looking toward the camera

My bike leaned up against the entrance to a green suspension pedestrian bridge

The Des Plains River. It’s cloudy and the water level is high.

My bike leaned up against a brick pillar at a train station. Across the way stands a colorful brick turret-like building.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 09/08/2026

he is helping me write rust macros

Quinn the gray cat laying between my keyboard and my monitor.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 09/08/2026

Thank you so much, it looks amazing! And yeah this is the only result for “ruddy turnstone” on FA now lmao. They’re very fun birds

A ruddy turnstone on a sandy beach facing away from the camera with their bright orange legs and reddish back.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 05/08/2026

Virginia's a weird one with the independent cities, mostly entirely surrounded by their "parent" county

Screenshot of a map of counties in Virginia. There's a lot of them, and many enclose an independent city.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 05/08/2026

they've got nothing on texas

screenshot of a map of texas counties. there are many. a few are colored in

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 30/07/2026

the most egregious one so far

A software engineer job posting. The location claims it's in Chicago, but the title of the post says "Bangkok based - relocation provided".

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 30/07/2026

enjoying the job search

A search for "senior software engineer". The first result is for a "senior tax expert" role.

A job listing for "Senior Software Engineer". The header says it's based in Chicago, but the description says Columbus.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 27/07/2026

It was crazy, I opened my back door and got hit with a wall of spray

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 06/07/2026

Me sowing a tailwind down the LFT: Haha fuck yeah!!! Yes!! Me reaping a headwind on the way back: Well this fucking sucks. What the fuck. Finally road the whole length of the trail, my legs are dead.

Screenshot of the Strava app, showing a bike activity. 43.01 miles at 14.9 mi/h.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 05/07/2026

There’s a dry stripe, let em race #nascar

Photo from the top of the stands at Chicagoland speedway looking up the front stretch. It’s very overcast and the lights are on. Pit lane is empty and air titans are making their way through the tri-oval

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 29/06/2026

Picked a hell of a day for my first fitness ride in a while

Screenshot of the Strava fitness app, showing a 17.78 mile bike ride up the North Branch Chicago River and down the Lake Front trail.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 25/06/2026

gonna be real with you:

A Ruddy Turnstone in basic plumage staring straight at the camera

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 18/06/2026

I like the very specific/accurate caption

Screenshot of Wikipedia, an image of two-and-a-half Tunnock’s Teacakes, captioned as such

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 11/06/2026

LaBagh woods my beloved

A black bike with a big pannier and purple handlebars propped against a railing overlooking a river. The railing and the wall behind it are covered in graffiti. The sun is just starting to hit the treetops in the background.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 28/05/2026

Got some help packing for a trip

Charlie, a very large tabby cat, laying on his back on the bed atop some clothes. He’s stretched out with his front paws in the air, and his face is blurred from rolling around.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 25/05/2026

I love these guys so much. They always seem so energetic running around the shore. This was the first one I saw this year, from a few days ago at Montrose beach.

A photo of a Ruddy Turnstone standing on a beach amongst rocks and shells.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 25/05/2026

New guy alert! @surli.bsky.social did an amazing job designing this sona for me. He's a ruddy turnstone! #furry #avian

A ref sheet for an anthro Ruddy Turnstone. He's got talon-arms and wings on the back. In the alternate figure, he's wearing a green shirt,sun hat, and glasses.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 24/05/2026

They know what Indy means #birds

A mourning dove perched on the catch fence.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 24/05/2026

Best day of the year!

Indianapolis motor speedway turn 3, from the stands. It’s overcast. Not many fans in the stands yet, but the infield grass mounds are full.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 25/04/2026

Also got to see a very lost Bewick’s wren on Northerly Island this evening #binoblast #birds

A tiny football-shaped bird skulking in a hedge. It has a gray belly and brown back, with a bold white stripe above their eye.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 25/04/2026

First confirmed Veery sighting for all of Illinois this year 😎 #binoblast #birds

A thrush bird standing on a tree branch facing to the side. Its back is a bright orange-brown, and it has a clean white belly and flanks.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 04/04/2026

Very fun last-minute day trip to Milwaukee to chase a Pacific Loon!

A bike mounted vertically on a storage rack on an Amtrak train. It has bright purple handlebars.

The Art Museum of Milwaukee on a gloomy day. There’s a large structure evoking a sail on top of it and a pedestrian bridge extending from the back.

A view of Lake Michigan through bare trees. Clouds sit low in the sky.

Milwaukee City Hall, a long, tall brick building with an arched base and a square tower on the left side.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 31/03/2026

Good morning from Chicago!

A burrowing owl poking their head up over a sand dune covered in horsetail. Their eyes are closed.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 27/03/2026

Bird! My first field sparrow of the year :>

A little field sorrow standing in a sandy field next to burned stumps of bushes. They’re a little brown bird with a pale belly, gray breast, and a rusty cap. They sport an adorable, tiny pink bill and a white ring around their eye.

The same sparrow pecking at the ground but squinting their eyes.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 12/02/2026

You can get some funny numbers with infrequently-used hotspots. Wonder how high it can go!

Screenshot of the "stakeout European Goldfinch, Northbrook (2024)" eBird hotspot's "Iconic Birds" section. It lists the European Goldfinch as 3709x more frequent than regional average.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 02/01/2026

I rode from Alton to STL back in September and had a great time! Similar route but I crossed at the Chain of Rocks bridge. More gravel but it kept me off most roads.

My bike leaning against a railing that overlooks the Mississippi River from the Chain of Rocks bridge.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 02/01/2026

Very proud to have qualified for the 2026 @iracing.com IndyCar Pro Series! The competition's gonna be tough but I can't wait for the challenge.

Screenshot of my iRacing Formula license. Black background to indicate Pro/WC status, 2.21 safety rating, 5311 iRaing.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 01/01/2026

Extremely good year, many cool birds, demolished my initial goals. Aiming higher this year: - 225 sp. in Cook County, IL - 350 U.S. Species - Reach 400 lifers (currently at 321)

Screenshot of my ebird species summary.
- 319 species in 2025
- 200 species in Georgia this year, 206 all-time
- 198 species in Illinois
- Indiana, Arizona, California, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin each with more than 50

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 31/12/2025

Not getting to 200 IL birds this year but I saw a beaver today!

An American Beaverr sitting among some tall grasses, rocks, and snow.

An American beaver sitting among some grass, rocks, and snow. They’re facing away from the camera and their broad, flat tail is visible.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 02/10/2025

Meant to do daily posts in that thread but I forgor 💀 Really fun trip, the Mississippi-Missouri confluence is just a gorgeous area. So much history and natural beauty.

A black bike with purple bar tape and large panniers leaning against an ARMCO barrier. Behind it is a large slough, with some land off in the distance. A rainbow curves down to the right.

The same bike rested against a small, strangely shaped building next to a paved path overlooking a field of tall grass and reeds. The building is sort of shaped like a trapezoid on its side. It has four segments, each made of overlapping panels of gray metal with a couple cyan and red highlights.

A close-up photo of a grasshopper clinging to the front brake line of my bike.

Digiscope shot of a pair of Bald Eagles roosting in a bare tree.

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alex @igneousflock.dev · 02/10/2025

Wayfinding in post-apocalyptic video games

View from a path or road through and industrial park. To the right is an empty lot and power pole, with some buildings off in the distance. A trestle bridge can bee seen some distance away. On the left, a pair of jersey barriers painted green sit next to an old industrial building, with some pipes spewing steam behind them. One of the barriers has a white “up” arrow painted on it, while the other has a “right” arrow next to an arch icon. Far off in the distance, the Gateway Arch towers over adjacent buildings.

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