iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 2h

Exploring the beauty of the shrubsteppe in eastern Washington

Clear blue sky and sunshine on a rocky cliff and a shrubsteppe prairie

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

September is still delivering as my favorite month in the Salish Sea 😎

A sunset on the west side of San Juan Island with calm, golden waters and towering pink clouds

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Continuing with the different perspectives on September San Juan sunsets

The setting sun shining through the trees on a forest trail

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Last night’s edition of “September sunsets”, complete with the Cattle Point lighthouse and a pass from first the T19s and then the T49As 🫶🏻 #salishsea

Dramatic sunset clouds over a grassy prairie and the Cattle Point Lighthouse on San Juan Island, Washington

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Soaking up these September sunsets - made even better when there’s a chance of whales

A sunset off the west side of San Juan Island

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The first frame of a video I took with my phone 😱 These Pacific white-sided dolphins yesterday wanted to play! With each other, with orcas, with humpbacks, with us…

A leaping Pacific white-sided dolphin in the calm blue waters of Blackfish Sound, BC

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

All the blues of Johnstone Strait 💙🩵

Calm blue seas, dark blue mountains, and a blue sky

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The Twin Islets in Queen Charlotte Strait, BC

Two rocky islands with coniferous trees on them in calm blue seas

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

A new perspective on a familiar place 🫶🏻

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Summer evening vibes on San Juan Island, complete with unexpected orcas showing up for sunset 😍🌅

Collage of photos showing a sunset on the west side of San Juan Island, a s’more, and a picnic shelter

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Somehow we have never watched fireworks from our boat before. We’re usually further away, so it was impressive to see and hear them up close!

A firework exploding over the Friday Harbor marina

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Reposted by Monika Wieland Shields

Orca Behavior Institute @orcabehaviorinstitute.org · 04/07/2026

We think the best kind of fireworks are whale fireworks! 🎆 🎇 Who do you think did it best? Add your vote in the comments below! #orcas #killerwhales #salishsea #4thofJuly #whalesky

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Reposted by Monika Wieland Shields

Orca Behavior Institute @orcabehaviorinstitute.org · 30/06/2026

We're wrapping up Orca Action Month 2026 with this short but beautiful tribute to the Southern Resident killer whales that inspired the creation of the Orca Behavior Institute. Please let us know what you thought of our #OBIArtForOrcas project via this short survey: forms.office.com/r/VybWQeNA60

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Reposted by Monika Wieland Shields

Orca Behavior Institute @orcabehaviorinstitute.org · 24/06/2026

Our goal for Orca Action Month is to raise awareness about the plight of the Southern Resident killer whales. If you're inspired to learn more, we invite you to get a copy of the book "Endangered Orcas", written by OBI's director Monika Wieland Shields. Get your signed copy: tinyurl.com/SRKW-Book

The graphic shows a copy of the book "Endangered Orcas," written by Monika Wieland Shields, the director of the Orca Behavior Institute.

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

A photo from one last evening of birding in interior B.C. before heading home today! 40 species in 2.5 hours including a lifer dusky grouse 🧡 It’s been an incredibly memorable trip; I’ll share more photos in the weeks ahead! #roadtrip #beautifulbritishcolumbia #birdwatching

A wildflower gone to seed alongside a dirt road with grassy hills and blue skies in the background.

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

It doesn’t matter if you’re coastal or inland, summer scenics in the sub-Arctic region are always spectacular #yukon

A cloud burst over mountains with boreal sweet-vetch in the foreground near Destruction Bay, Yukon Territories, Canada

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Same mountains, different vibes - all taken from the same general location over the course of the week #alaska

A series of five shots of the same mountain range in different lighting and weather conditions

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

“Alaska isn’t about who you were when you headed this way. It’s about who you become.” – Kristin Hannah

Mountains lit up by 11PM summer light in Alaska

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Exit Glacier, viewed from where the glacier extended to in 2005 #alaska #climatechange

A receding glacier on a sunny day in Alaska

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

A few shots from the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward today: horned puffin, painted anemone, and coho salmon

A horned puffin at the Alaska SeaLife Center

A close up of a painted anemone in an aquarium

Coho salmon in a tank surrounded by deep blue waters

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

A bustling black-legged kittiwake nesting colony at Cape Resurrection, Alaska

Black-legged kittiwakes sitting on nests on a rocky wall and flying to and from their nesting colony

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

It's a precarious life for a newborn mountain goat on the cliffs above Resurrection Bay! ⛰️🐐 #alaska

A mountain goat doe and kid traverse a steep, rocky cliff

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Painting by natural light at 10 PM - a night owl of a girl could get used to this! 🦉🎨 #Alaska #LandOfTheMidnightSun #WatercolorPainting

Watercolor painting materials spread out on a desk in front of a sunlit window

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

I’ve been experiencing photo paralysis: such amazing scenery that I haven’t been able to choose which pictures to share, leading me to not share any 😅 I plan to change that starting today! At least one picture every day for the rest of the trip 🏔️ #alaska

Mountains and clouds reflecting in a flat calm lake east of Anchorage, Alaska

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

So proud of this project and this community! We can't wait for you all to see the passion and creativity that has coalesced around raising awareness for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Learn more: tinyurl.com/OBI-SRKW #OBIArtForOrcas #20YearsEndangered #whalesky

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Seersucker kelp in the sunshine at American Camp on San Juan Island this morning. We saw it while tidepooling and enjoying one of the lowest daytime low tides of 2026! #salishsea

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

A little pond with a very big frog! 🐸

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

It was so lovely we had to go back for another evening walk in the oak groves at English Camp ☀️

A trail leading into an oak grove with new spring growth all around

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Absolutely gorgeous light for an evening walk at Mt. Young yesterday, and the perfect temperature out, too!

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

A few more of my favorite flowers! 🌹🌸 I love this time of year.

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

This weekend truly had all four seasons in Puget Sound! There were some beautiful sights to be had in between the squalls, like this Washington State Ferry in front of the Olympic Mountains sporting a fresh coat of snow. #salishsea

A Washington State ferry in front of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains in Puget Sound.

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Reposted by Monika Wieland Shields

🇨🇦 👊🇨🇦 @sorry-iamcanadian.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

Saturday Night Live: “It was going to be just us, but we thought we’d invite the guys too.” #Hockey #SNL

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

A beautiful sky framed by trees on my walk yesterday evening on San Juan Island

Sunset-illuminated clouds framed by silhouetted trees

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Reposted by Monika Wieland Shields

Brittlestar @brittlestar.com · 23/02/2026

Well… the Team USA men’s hockey team sucked the good will out of that fast.

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 21/02/2026

Signs of spring on Spieden Island! The Mouflon sheep are already starting to have their lambs 😍

Mouflon sheep lambs on the hillside of Spieden Island in the San Juan Islands, WA

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

One of my favorite bird photos of January was this male California quail seen at South Beach on San Juan Island, Washington Each year I try to photograph as many species of birds as I can in the calendar year. January is often hard with the gray days, but I love how this one came out! #birdsky

A male California quail sitting on a piece of wood on the ground with some brown grass around him

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Incredible look at the aurora tonight - the first two taken from our driveway! 🤯 #northernlights #auroraborralis

Deep red aurora looking straight up at the sky

The green and pink colors of the northern lights over Roche Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Attended my first @pwhltorrent.bsky.social game tonight and it definitely won’t be the last! The atmosphere was incredible from start to finish and the game was fantastic. 🏒 (Also love that they promoted Bluesky before any other social media platform!) #seattletorrent #pwhl

Pre-game lights on and around the ice at Climate Pledge Arena before a Seattle Torrent PWHL game

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

A lovely day with lovely people 🫶🏻 Find the beauty in the world. We need it now more than ever - but I promise it’s there. #salishsea

Looking off the back of a boat into golden and silver lighting with clouds and the boat wake

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Monika Wieland Shields @orcawatcher.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

A pied-billed grebe at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, one of my all-time favorite places to birdwatch. #birdsky #birding

A pied-billed grebe in an algae-filled slough

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