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From a random stranger on the internet: Make it a good day - bake some cookies and go visit someplace special!

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#birds #alien-visitors This is actually a Starling, mid shake while splashing in the bird-bath. The trail-cam's exposure time has no chance of stopping the motion, so you get this fabulous blur - and now I am thinking it might be an alien creature of some sort and not a Starling after all...

A very blurry image of a Starling standing in a shallow stone bird-bath in the garden. It looks like two fuzzy legs, a fuzzy tail off the back, and a conical blur of white, black and grey - almost looking like a drill-head or some weird misty shape being held up by those legs. No face - just a blur.

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#squirrel #birdbath The bird-bath is the setting for this image of a successful forager. My belief is that the bird-bath is on its path home - and that it stopped to show the trail-cam that it was successful! 🙂

A squirrel, holding an acorn in its mouth is caught standing on the edge of a shallow stone bird-bath set in a garden.

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#birds A Blue Jay stands alertly - stopping by for a drink, and maybe a splash.

A blue jay stands on the edge of a shallow stone bird-bath in a garden. Its alert posture - head slightly raised - shows that it is checking out the local situation before drinking or bathing.

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

#birds The Starling has paused mid-splash - and in the background is a Robin waiting its turn.

A starling stands in the middle of the image with it's feet in a shallow stone bird-bath. In the background are the leaves of various plants. Looking out from the plants is a waiting observer - a robin is waiting its turn to bathe.

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Magnificent use of light - what a beautiful image!!!

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#squirrel - not a #bird This fellow was drinking when something caught its attention. Time to stop drinking and attend to (whatever distracted it). (Either that - or it's giving the camera a "what are you?" look...)

A common tree squirrel is standing at the edge of a shallow stone bird-bath, looking attentively to the right. Background is a garden.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#birds A male and a female cardinal visited the bath in afternoon. I infer that the breeding pair that's been here all summer hasn't left yet.

Red bird with a bit of black on it's face is a female Cardinal. She sits in a a shallow stone bird-bath with a garden behind.

A red bird with a black face mask (a Cardinal) is standing in a shallow stone bird bath with a garden in the background.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#birds a Starling - doing the bath routine - it looks like it really wanted this bath.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

From Wikipedia: "The icosidodecahedron may also found in popular culture. In Star Trek universe, the Vulcan game of logic..." - So this means I'm sold on its value! (although this validates your "not meant for human brains" statement). 🙂

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Thanks for this link. So full of truth.

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

There are people who can naturally see into the IR, and there is some evidence that some people can see into the UV. The experience is that sunsets look amazing (IR) and a full Solar Eclipse is blinding (UV). Oh to be a butterfly ...(www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/why-some-but...)

animalsaroundtheglobe.com

Why Some Butterflies Can See More Colors Than Humans - Animals Around The Globe

Butterflies are not just masters of metamorphosis and aerial acrobatics—they're also visual virtuosos with extraordinary color perception capabilities that surpass our own human vision.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Great light in this photo - stunning!

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#birds Here's the Blue Jay and the Robin I mentioned...

A Blue Jay is perched on the edge of a shallow stone bird-bath. It is looking up to the left. Its tail matches the angle on the other side, giving a clear impression of impending departure. Background is greenery of a garden, mostly ferns.

A bright red Robin stands, looking regal, on the edge of a shallow stone bird-bath, looking off to the right, although it does look like it is staring at the camera with its right eye. Background is a garden.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#birds As the season gets cooler, some of the birds are no longer at the bath. But Robins and Blue Jays still stop by as well as this cardinal.

A cardinal stands on the very edge of a shallow stone bird-bath. It is looking down so that the mask and beak are seen from above. The background is a garden - mostly ferns are in view.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Sometimes you get the picture, and sometimes you don't. One success from January 13 of 2025... This is the edge of the Moon, and that little red thing is Mars - about to go behind the moon. The second picture is Mars re-emerging from behind the Moon over an hour later...

A round circle showing the surface of the Moon covers the lower part of the image, with the rest of it being the dark of the night sky. Just above the edge of the Moon is a small red circle. (That is Mars.)

A round circle showing the surface of the Moon covers the upper right part of the image, with the rest of it being the dark of the night sky. Just to the left of the Moon, about 1/2 way down, there is a small red circle just barely touching the Moon. (That is Mars.)

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Both used the same camera, same telescope, same lens, same exposure settings. Color/brightness difference could have been high-level haze/clouds. More likely, tonight's moon was near the horizon, the one last month was quite high in the sky, so "more atmosphere" blocked some of the light.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#astronomy #moon #waxing #waning #photography This is tonight's moon (on the left, almost full) with one of the pictures from four+ weeks ago (on the right, just past full). It is interesting how different some of the surface features are because of the lighting angle...

Two images of the moon are shown, the one on the left is slightly darker, and its lower left edge is not very well list. The one on the right is slightly brighter, and its upper right edge is not very well lit.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#science #space #satellite #mega-constellation The satellite mega-constellations around the earth are numerous enough that they can provide data to do science. www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?...

spaceweather.com

Spaceweather.com - realtime news about the Sun-Earth environment

Solar flares, geomagnetic storms, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids.

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

According to the internet, yes. I just have noticed that they don't share the bath often, similarly for Robins. So I just assumed that these two have to be juveniles...

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#birds A female Cardinal is getting her bath in the morning light.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#birds A Mourning Dove stops by just to get a drink, but is so casual about it, it's hard to tell if it's actually interested in getting the drink.

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#birds Interesting poses from our avian friends as they stop by on their daily visit to the bath...(taken in the last few days).

A mourning dove stands near the edge of a shallow stone bird-bath with both wings held nearly vertically - showing all of the flight and under feathers that you usually don't get to see.

A Blue Jay is holding a very aristocratic pose, tail up, head up, beak pointed slightly above vertical. It is standing in a shallow stone bird-bath in a garden.

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

#birds A pair of Starlings. They look in tip-top state. I suspect I'll see more of these in the coming days due to migration patterns.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A pair of Blue Jays. From the brightness of their feathers, and their hesitant splashing, I think these are young ones. I rarely see a pair of Blue Jays in the bath at the same time.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I wonder if an oak tree was having a "mast year". Nice pictures!

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I agree! 🙂 Several of the birds have amazing patterns. The Robins have all these dots, the Flicker has that red cape thing, and the Cardinals have that black mask. So cool!

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

(All the pictures were taken by my trail-cam last week.)

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#birds Blue Jays are very vigorous bathers. They splash and make a real spectacle with patterns and blurs. Here are some (slightly edited) images and frame-captures to show you what I mean. And yes, there is a Blue Jay in all the pictures - believe me.... 🙂

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

#birds - Just can't resist another view of the local sparrows in the bird-bath. They look like they are having SUCH a good time! (from last week, early afternoon light)

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

#birds This poor Mourning Dove is still in molt. It looks very uncomfortable....

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

2/2 Cellphone attached to a 4" Dob. The moon is just past full, so the right edge is less illuminated. In the over-exposed images - you can see the craters there. In the under-exposed images, they are essentially missing. Some craters are VERY bright! Even at 1/6400 sec you can see them.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

#astronomy #moon #photography All these images were taken a few nights ago - in a 20-minute window. Each exposure was at ASA 100, color balance: full sunlight. Exposure times ranged 1/10th of a second down to 1/6400th of a second. Which one do you like best? 1/2

there are nine images of the moon arranged in a 3x3 square. The brightness of each image changes as the exposure time gets smaller.

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

#birds #BirdsOfAFeather More sparrows than you can count! (from three days ago)

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Yeah - they are amazingly colorful when the light hits them right. Starlings have the same thing, but the effect is more subtle.

MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

#birds Two for the price of one - a Robin, standing in the bath - watch how the feathers on the top of its head rise and fall as it checks out the surroundings. After it leaves, a Grackle arrives, sparkly and gorgeous in the 8:00 am morning light. (from last week)

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

#birds Size comparison: House Sparrows and a Starling. Very distinct size difference! My take is that Starlings are not as aggressive with the smaller birds. (From about a week ago. Early morning light.)

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MatthewParis @matthewparis.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I love the late-night visitor crowd! At my bird-bath trail-cam, I used to see both skunks and opossums, but nothing so far this year.