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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Not that I especially think you're going to care about this, #United... because why would you?

owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Fly Air Link SAA CofC says passengers continuing internationally can remain in international transit when their baggage is checked through. So why did #United sell this connection if the two operating carriers can't handle it as an interline connection?!

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

... then security & exit formalities—all within that 2h20 connection. Airlink's current CofC say for interline itinerary, a single e-ticket covering different airlines permits checked baggage to be carried through to the final destination without collection & recheck at transit airport.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#United, you sold me a single-ticket ACC–JNB–WDH itinerary with a 2h20 international connection at JNB. But SAA says it cannot check my bag through to Airlink. That means two separate check-ins, South African immigration, baggage claim, customs, rechecking my bag with Airlink...

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

9/25: 4 I gave the last harvest (save today's) to a friend to roast. Today's four went into different outdoor pots harboring other plant life. Grand total for this year: 400 chestnuts 2025 yield: 472 2024 yield: 2 (%#^&#* squirrel!) 2023 yield: 510

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

9/24: 6 Last roasting (for me) was last night: 43

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

And checked later to see whether the nut was gone. It was.

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Reposted by owlice

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 24/09/2026

Never been to the opera before? Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @metopera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

What a fabulous initiative!!!

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I'm amused to learn from my spam folder that some journals think I have unpublished research. 🔭

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I left it for the squirrel.

A chestnut in the crook of a chestnut tree.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

One of the burrs was a double. The first nut in the burr was easy to release; the second took more effort. And wha..??? It had burst its husk (pericarpus)! I've handled thousands of chestnuts, and have never seen this before.

A chestnut with its husk split open, the pale yellow flesh of the edible nut visible.

A chestnut with its husk split held in the photographer's left hand.

That left hand needs some hand lotion.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I heard another burr fall as I walked back to the porch, retrieved that, and sat on the steps to free the nuts from the burrs. I heard another burr drop, got up to find it, and after I'd picked it up, I heard scolding from a squirrel far up in the tree. 😄 Sorry, little one! ...

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

9/24 The tree has hundreds of burrs still on it; these were not pollinated, the nuts did not develop, and in a week or so, the tree will start to drop these burrs. I went out a few minutes ago & found two burrs on the ground, both with nuts in them. ...

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I got mine a couple of weeks ago! Also got typhoid vax; I was overdo for that one.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Squirrels did get some, but a little cat (not mine) prowling around the tree, even climbing up the tree to walk around on the roof, seems to have kept the squirrels in check! Harvest lasts about 14-16 days, so is nearly over.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

9/22: 12 Sixth chestnut roast: 41

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

9/21: 31 Total so far: 358 Fifth chestnut roast: 55

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🦉🪶 Four #birds (that might be repeats [sorry]) for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Light&Shadow European Robin Great Egret Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Red-tailed Hawk

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

9/20: 81 Fourth chestnut roast: 50 Now entering zucchini stage

A pile of chestnut burrs, most with chestnuts in them, on the porch.

A chestnut burr fresh from the tree has been opened; the nut is nestled in the bottom half of the burr, and the moisture in the burr is evident from the water drops on the nut.

The light brown scar on each chestnut is basically its navel...

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

9/19: 26 Third chestnut roast: 50 Chestnuts are roasted a couple or three days after harvesting them

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

9/18: 77 Second chestnut roast: 43

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Mid-day pickup included two double burrs, two double nuts, and two triple nuts.

The double-burr on the top had nuts in only one burr; the other burr's chestnuts did not develop.

The bottom double-burr had nuts in both burrs, and offered up three chestnuts (a triple) in one of these burrs.

The middle chestnut from a burr with three developed nuts in it. These always remind me of the Flatiron Building .

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Two chestnuts in a burr, an undeveloped one between them. Chestnut burrs can contain one to seven nuts, depending on the species/cultivar; my tree produces a max of three nuts in a burr.

Two chestnuts in a burr, an undeveloped one between them. These chestnuts each have a flat side where the two nuts meet the undeveloped middle nut. When the middle nut develops between two other developed nuts (a triple), the middle nut has a triangular shape with two flat sides.

Nuts from double or triple-yielding burrs are a little harder to score for roasting, but easier to handle if roasting in the oven because they don't roll.

Washed chestnuts on a blue-and-white paper plate. I've read of people dunking chestnuts in a weak bleach solution. I rinse chestnuts with plain water and dry them, scrubbing the scar when I do so; chestnuts can develop mold on their scars; washing them helps avoid that.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🦉🪶 Four #birds for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #Paridae Carolina Chickadee Great Tit Tufted Titmouse Black-capped Chickadee

My local chickadee is the Carolina Chickadee, which occurs generally in the southern US from the East Coast to eastern Texas. The bird is perched with its back to us and has its head turned to the left. It has a black bill, forehead, crown and neck, a black bib, and white cheeks. Its back is a soft medium gray. We cannot see its white tum and slightly rusty sides.

North Carolina, US, 2022

A Great Tit is perched on a somewhat thick diagonal reddish branch, its back to us. The bird has a black bill, forehead, and crown and white cheeks. It is usually described as having olive upperparts, but this bird is grayish above, with soft pale yellow underparts.

Copenhagen, Denmark, 2026

A Tufted Titmouse is perched on a slender branch and is facing the camera. This is my local Titmouse; it occurs in the eastern US. It has a white front and gray upper body with rust-colored flanks.

Tufted Titmouse
Maryland, US, 2024

Very similar to the Carolina Chickadee, the Black-capped Chickadee occurs mostly in Northern North America, though like a lot of species, it takes a deep southern dive along the Appalachian Mountains. Honestly, they look just like Carolina Chickadees to me, and apparently, even to other chickadees, as it may hybridize with the Carolina Chickadee where their ranges overlap.

Black-capped Chickadee
Illinois, US, 2024

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

9/17: 36 9 doubles Total so far: 143 Tomorrow is a roasting day.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Oooo, yes!! I've often wondered how squirrels manage to open chestnut burrs; the spines are really sharp!

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I certainly thought it was too big for the bird to eat, but nope! Down the hatch (but admittedly, not very quickly)!!

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Very kind of you to say; thank you!

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

They are a lovely tumble of kids.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I went out to look for chestnuts Wednesday, but got as far as the stoop, where I found a baggie with 7 chestnuts in it... gathered & freed from their burrs by children I'd heard in my yard earlier. Recompense, perhaps, for the baggie of roasted chestnuts I dropped off to them on Tuesday.

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

9/16: 14 Mostly doubles

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

That's very kind; thank you, AB!

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

🦉🪶 Four #birds for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme #BirdsWithBerries Tufted Titmouse American Robin European Starling Northern Cardinal

A Tufted Titmouse is perched on a branch; the bird is holding a bright orange berry.

Maryland (US), 2025

An American Robin stands atop a magnolia tree; the bird is partially obscured by a seed pod with red berries.

Maryland (US), 2021

A juvenile European Starling perches in a white mulberry tree; the bird has a mulberry in its beak, which is tilted up toward the heavens.

Maryland (US), 2020

A Northern Cardinal is in a bush in strong sunlight with a berry it its beak.

New Jersey (US), 2021

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

9/15: First chestnut roast: 49

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Chestnut harvest report, 2026 🧵 #chestnuts #trees #harvest 9/9: 1 9/10: 1 9/11: 2 9/12: 17 9/13: 28 9/14: 27

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

🦉🪶 "Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #AngryBirds, any bird with an angry face." Oh my... where to begin?!? I get the death ray of disapproval from birds so often that narrowing them down will take some work. But for now, here's a Northern Mockingbird trying to smite me with his glare.

May 20, 2020, a time of many thoughts and worries. This Northern Mockingbird definitely disapproves, but, my little feathered friend, I LIVE IN THIS HOUSE! So yes, I *am* staying home!!

But maybe you wanted peanuts instead of corn and other seeds... a thousand apologies.

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Reposted by owlice

Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 13/09/2026

What if instead of being angry about videos from Sunday Morning Political TV you fell in love with videos of baby geese bumbling around on pavement? 🪶 🐣

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

🦉🪶 Four birds, some grubs-n-stuff, one big meal, and a few tiny grass seeds for today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme #Mouthful. American Robin Grey Heron x2 Abyssinian Crimsonwing

A portrait photo of an American Robin with a beakful of caterpillars, grubs, and insects.

Michigan, 2022

A Grey Heron holds a ridiculously large catfish by one fin in its bill.

Loitokitok, Kenya, 2025

The same Grey Heron, now swallowing the ridiculously large catfish; the fish is longer than the bird's bill, so takes up the whole thing and then some. Honestly, I was surprised the heron didn't choke on it.

Loitokitok, Kenya, 2025

An Abyssinian Crimsonwing, a small estrildid finch, perches on a nearly vertical branch; it faces the camera and its head is turned to the left of the photo. It is holding onto a small thin blade of vegetation that has seeds on it. What we see of the bird is shades of olive, lighter on its throat and chest. It has a dark orange eye ring and a shiny dark beak. If one looks closely at the bird's right side, one can see just a bit of the crimson wing for which it's named.

Lari, Kenya, 2025

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owlice @owlice.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

🦉🪶 Some #birds for today's #Iridescence and #Black&White #BirdOfTheDay themes Wood Duck Wood Duck Black-necked Stilt Pied Avocets

A female Wood Duck stands on a thick wooden slanting pylon that is mostly submerged in still water. A beauty, the duck's body faces the right of the photo; her head is turned over her right shoulder, so she is looking at the camera with her left eye. Yes, a vogue shot. The sunlight highlights the iridescence of her wing and back feathers, and the whole bird is reflected almost perfectly in the still water.

College Park, MD; 2022

A male Wood Duck in all his breeding glory swims to the right; he is keeping one eye on the camera. Sunlight shows the olive green, orange-tipped, and brownish burgundy iridescence of his rump, the shiny blues and browns of his back, and the shimmering green of his head. His reflection in the blue water is interrupted with many small ripples.

Santee, CA, 2026

A very cute Black-necked Stilt walks to the left of the photo through shallow water. The bird overall is black on top and white beneath, with its face divided almost perfectly in half, white from the long narrow pointed beak to just beneath the eyes and black up and over the crown. The blue water is barely disturbed by his slow walking, and the bird's reflection is scarcely distorted from his movement.

Gilbert, AZ, 2026

A colony of Pied Avocets at some distance stands in shallow water. The birds are mostly white with black trimmings; their foreheads and necks are black, as are their upturned bills and primaries. The birds are reflected in the water, which appears blue-gray. The colony is spread left to right across the middle of the photo, water and vegetation stubble above and below the line of avocets and their reflections.

Namakwa District Municipality, South Africa, 2024

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