iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

i use ai identification tools like merlin and inaturalist extensively in my naturalist practice, but i feel pretty strongly about there being a proper way to use them to get the best results. read more: ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/how-to-use...

1224

Reposted by ryan

dave @gloomfather.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

yeah man "woke 1" sucked ass. I "woke 1" morning from uneasy dreams to find myself transformed into a giant insect

89160193696

Reposted by ryan

Jacob Kramer-Duffield @jaykaydee.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

These are some very cool folks on a great retreat, where you will also get to see amazing birds. Do it if you can!

021

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Join me in Colombia for @jerthorp.bsky.social's Living in Data Retreats!! 5 days in the jungle with a group of curious people, exploring and making collaborative art. It'll be incredible!!! Week 1 is Jer + @birdturntable.bsky.social Week 2 is Jer + me www.jerthorp.me/lid-retreat-...

jerthorp.me

Living in Data Rainforest Retreat: 2026

Spend five days in the lush and bird-filled jungle of Santa Marta, Colombia with Jer Thorp and a small group of curious bird + data + art enthusiasts. We'll wander the forest with local guides, learn ...

042

Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

2. There's still time to join me in Colombia for my Living in Data Retreats. 5 days in the jungle with a group of curious people, exploring and making collaborative art. Week 1 is co-facilitated with @birdturntable.bsky.social Week 2 is with @ryanfm.bsky.social www.jerthorp.me/lid-retreat-...

121

Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

This is such a cool story from @ryanfm.bsky.social about stumbling upon (paddling upon?) one of North America's rarest birds. It's a good reminder that there's more to birding than just going to the hotspots. ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/these-plov...

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

these plovers could be my most significant bird find yet

bois blanc island delivers once again

0122

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

last month i found two undocumented breeding pairs of piping plovers in michigan, increasing the known population of the great lakes piping plover by 2%! my latest newsletter post is about that plus the species' precarious future. ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/these-plov...

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

these plovers could be my most significant bird find yet

bois blanc island delivers once again

1519

Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Birds, data, art... and quantum computing? Here's @ryanfm.bsky.social, co-facilitator of the second cohort of my Living in Data retreats in September, talking about quantum computing. At last year's retreat they gave a lecture on quantum... then went and found two roosting baby spectacled owls!

youtube.com

A decade of quantum on the cloud

YouTube video by IBM Research

021

Reposted by ryan

Eric R. Eaton @bugeric.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

A wonderful interview I had with @ryanfm.bsky.social has borne fruit in this article in the new issue of Audubon magazine. He is a wonderful human being, who has a Substack called “Wild NYC.” #bugsky #bugwatching #article #Audubon

Cover of Audubon magazine, summer 2026 issue, featuring a photo of an Osprey flying off with a fish in its talons.

A page in the summer, 2026 issue of Audubon magazine, with an article titled “Bugwatching is the New Birding,” with a sidebar on how to “Build a Bug Hotel.”

091

Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

- There will be tiny monkeys - We'll have an amazing local guide with us the whole time - Week 1 is co-facilitated with @birdturntable.bsky.social - Week 2 is co-facilitated with @ryanfm.bsky.social - I'm super happy to answer questions!

021

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

(from left to right and top to bottom: mute swan, american flamingo, blue-gray tanager, plain brown woodcreeper, common raven, northern cardinal, baltimore oriole, american goldfinch, crimson-fronted parakeet, indigo bunting, violet sabrewing)

0161

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

hello are you interested in reading a blog about current events? if yes then consider reading my post about... why people go birdwatching at landfills ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/why-would-...

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

why would someone go birdwatching at a landfill?

a visit to ushuaia's infamous dump

35614

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

i've been to the landfill 😅

020

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

of course, i have no idea what the infected birders were doing and what kinds of things they got into

120

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

the ushuaia landfill is a very popular birding spot because of the chance to see the rare white-throated caracara, basically the only place they're easily encountered. but birders aren't walking into or onto the landfill, they're standing across the street outside a fence looking with binoculars

161

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

knowing that the first cruise ship hantavirus victims were nature people, i would not be surprised if what actually happened was that they encountered a rodent they'd never seen before and picked it up. they may have even been actively seeking out some specific rodent species!

161

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

hello bluesky do you want to know how to find birds? if so then you should read my post about how to find birds ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/how-to-fin...

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

how to find birds: a subjective guide

based solely on experience

082

Reposted by ryan

American Birding Association @aba.org · 26/03/2026

New podcast episode! This month's panel is an exceptional one to end a month with. Host Nate Swick is joined by Stephanie Beilke, Andres Jimenez, and Ryan Mandelbaum for a fun and birdy conversation. Listen here: www.aba.org/this-month-i...

aba.org

This Month in Birding - March 2026 - American Birding Association

181

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

new post: an interview with aaron soh, who has a passion not for finding things himself, but helping other people figure out what they’re looking at. he's uncovered several species photographed for the first time since their scientific description. ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/documentin...

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

documenting the world's rarest butterflies from an office chair

a q+a with prolific inaturalist user and butterfly expert aaron soh

040

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

eurasian goshawks are so much less serious than american goshawks. like... chasing a snipe around the marsh?? get real

0271

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

everything about bad bunny's halftime show was perfect except for the set which gave me flashbacks of failing to see yellow-breasted crake in identical-looking habitat on my last visit to puerto rico

1161

Reposted by ryan

pixelatedboat aka “mr bluesky” @pixelatedboat.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I’d love to be able to enjoy the Muppets as much as everyone else does but whenever I watch them I just feel sick imagining what the man inside the Kermit the Frog costume must look like

33103567

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

(i think they liked the presentation regardless)

030

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

i defiantly used this slide at a presentation given last night to a zoom call full of retired people, meant to explain why red crossbills are my favorite bird. i don't care if you've never encountered the most esoteric character from the homestar runner webtoon universe. this is millennial culture

a powerpoint slide titled "introducing: the red crossbill" with two images: on the left a wide character with a simply-drawn white head, two tiny beady eyes, a strong underbite, and a yellow bowler cap wearing a blue shirt that says "homsar" in the bauhaus font. on the right is a red crossbill, a small brick-red finch with beak-tips that cross over one another.

2120

Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Daily reminder that you can make personalized messages with feathers and bird names over at feathertype.binstobins.com. You download hi-res images and video, and even order prints!

1123

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

scrolling though the iphone ringtones and realized that one of them is in 7/8 time which isn't that weird i guess but i like to think the composer was having a little fun with it

080

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

it's here, the moment you've all been waiting for: the microsnail blog! dive into a journey of discovery, drama, loss, and hope as you learn about... the tiny fen snails of lake huron ryanmandelbirder.substack.com/p/that-time-...

ryanmandelbirder.substack.com

that time we rediscovered endangered snails for fun

you're welcome, michigan

0122

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

the bird died yesterday, the finders reporting that it smelled like creosote (a wood stain) and had white feathers beneath the black feathers. all we're left with are viral photos of a distressed bird and another obvious example showing that clout is in no way correlated with knowledge.

6443

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

but photographers instead promoted the idea that the bird was melanistic—black due to a genetic mutation—and made viral post after viral post highlighting the bird's rarity. they also asserted that, although preening constantly and allowing for close approach, the bird was acting normally.

1220

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

i am unreasonably mad about the "goth heron." if you didn't see, a heron in louisiana went quasi-viral because it was all black. it was pretty clear that that the bird was covered in something, with yellow knees peeking through its black legs and greasy-looking clumped neck feathers.

1242

Reposted by ryan

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

I think my least favorite quality in a person, one that is so often praised as an asset or virtue, is: "doesn't take no for an answer." We're living through an extended nightmare of what that looks like when brought to its logical conclusion.

1084049534

Reposted by ryan

BillBowBaggins @billbowbaggins.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

I had so much fun talking to @ryanfm.bsky.social about their book and birds and much more on my latest podcast episode. Give it a listen and don't forget to buy a copy of Wild NYC! Pod 🎧 billbowbaggins.substack.com/p/ten-birdin... Book 📕 bookshop.org/p/books/wild...

billbowbaggins.substack.com

Ten Birding Questions, with Ryan Mandelbaum

The Birding with BillBow Podcast, Episode 7

2102

Reposted by ryan

Marie Cerda @primalux.thedeadbird.club · 25/11/2025

One of my favorite things about working on Alcatraz was watching the resident raven pair "teach" their kids to fly. It always included a session on barrel rolls. It was even more special bc the mgmt plan incl oiling their eggs to make them unviable & the ravens knew & would always lay another clutch

0132

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

sitting at lunch in midtown manhattan and just watched a raven do a barrel roll, presumably for no reason

3262

Reposted by ryan

Robert Francis @birdhistory.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Some personal news: I’m writing a book! I’ve signed with Holt to write a full-length history of birds and people in America. Birds have always been central to our economy, divisions, culture, and identity. If you want to understand America, you‘ve got to understand its birds.

1310114

Reposted by ryan

Nnedi Okorafor, PhD @nnedi.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Earlier today, I was notified that someone was at my door. This is who it was:

A male Anna’s hummingbird at the door. So nosy! 🤣

809453497145

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

send this post to your friends who love cocks open.substack.com/pub/ryanmand...

open.substack.com

potatoes have descended on new york city

peent

1378

Reposted by ryan

Jer Thorp @jerthorp.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

If you’re thinking to yourself “How can I get more 🐦 on my 🎄 this year” I have some good news. You can use this little tool to design a feathery ❄️ from 🐦 data and make a one of a kind ornament. ofafeather.binstobins.com

Christmas ornament with colorful feathere

363

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

also sprach zara-thrush-tra

a spherical hermit thursh - a brown bird with a white front and speckled belly, looking directly at the camera on a distant branch, backlit

0162

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

in florida they just hang out in suburban parking lots apparently!

130

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

somehow stumbled into the fact that suntory (the japanese whisky company) runs an online encyclopedia about the birds of japan www.suntory.co.jp/eco/birds/en...

suntory.co.jp

2252

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

having seen rainbow starfrontlet in person i am going to go with that one. they are beastly hummingbirds in every sense of the word

010

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

for me the vomit-like smell of ginkgo fruit is the nostalgic smell of fall, much in the way that rotting garbage and piss is the somewhat less nostalgic smell of summer

160

ryan @ryanfm.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

it was a vagrant to suffolk county, new york! seen by lots of birders here

000