iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

It’s day 2 of birdtober and I for “gray” I went with a white-winged dove on a chalice for the “relic” inktober prompt. Yes I had the Stevie Nix song stuck in my head the whole time. #birdtoberclub #birdtoberclub2026 #inktober #inktober2026 #birds

Image drawn in colored pencil on black paper. A gray colored dove with orange eyes perches on a gold chalice with a fluted base

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It’s October so that means its time for DRAWING! I’m following a bird themed prompt list this year, and up first was “aerial insectivore”, so I drew a little vermillion flycatcher! #birdtoberclub #birdtoberclub2026 #inktober2026 #illustration #birds

An illustration done using colored pencils on black paper. A vermillion flycatcher sits on an apple branch stretching their wings and tail. They are surrounded by apples and leaves.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Went up to San Joaquin Marsh last week to look for the little vagrant purple gallinule that was hanging out there. They are super cute and fun to watch! #birds #birdphotography #purplegallinule

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Dominique Ramsey 𓃥 @dominiqueramseyart.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Take five (look at what's left)

Illustration of a lioness bending down to drink from water. Her fur is green and covered in sores, in her reflection is an image of smoke rising into the sky.

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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 17/03/2026

Huffpo account getting the post off 4 minutes before Dave. Smh.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Y'all I saw my first ever LOON the other day! Unfortunately a jetski had scared it on land, which must have been tough for it. They aren't good walkers. :( There was a cute ladybug on the friend tho! #bird #redthroatedloon #loon #photography

A red-throated loon on land from behind. It's looking side-eye at the camera. A little ladybird crawls on it's back.

A red-throated loon, head tucked into it's back feathers trying to nap. There is a little ladybird on it's back.

A red-throated loon chilling on the sand. A ladybeetle hangs out on it's back.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 19/02/2026

These are such gorgeous images!

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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together. I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.

Image of Charles Darwin quotes, with the recipient of the letter and the date the letter was written. He said "I hate every wave of the ocean" to W.D. Fox on 15 February 1836, "Oh my God how I do hate species and varieties" to J.D. Hooker in 11 March 1858, "I am very tired, very stomachy, and hate nearly the whole world" to Thomas Huxley on 10 September 1860, "I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything" to Charles Lyell on 1 October 1861, "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" to John Lubbock on 3 September 1862, and "I am languid and bedeviled and hate writing and hate everybody" to J.D. Hooker on 23 June 1863.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

Got busy and #birbfest2026 kind of got away from me but I’ve been working on these Stellar’s Jays for a hot minute! Stellar’s jays have such tude I love these little guys. #birds #illustration #stellarsjay

An illustration of a group of stellar’s jays in various poses. From top left clockwise: back to audience, wings folded smirking; eating a peanut; wings extended grumpy; wings extended back to audience excited; beak turned up knowing they are pretty; flying and confused; snoozy fluffy bird; and crest down crying tears bird. Around them are doodles of california poppies, acorns, and oak leaves.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Went out to La Jolla Cove over the weekend to see the brandt's cormorants in their breeding plumage! Their courtship rituals are so funny to watch. #birds #photography #lajolla

A brandt's cormorant with bright blue eyes and a blue and pink throat looks off to the right. A feather rests on it's beak.

A brandt's cormorant stands up on a seaweed nest on the cliffs. In the nest are two white perfect eggs. The cormorant is surrounded by other cormorants on their nests.

Two brandt's cormorants in blue breeding colors flirt with each other with their bills open.

A brandt's cormorant strikes a pose, tail up like a turkey, wings back, and head thrown back as far as possible. You can see their bright blue throat and their funny little side whiskery feathers on their head.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Today’s #birbfest2026 art is the osprey! I love watching them go to and from their nests this time of year with large sticks and fish. Fun fact, when they catch fish they turn them so that they are being held parallel to the bird while it flies for peak aerodynamics! #birds #illustration #osprey

An osprey flies over a blue ocean carrying an orange garibaldi fish. In the background two stadium lights loom. An osprey perches on the left, and an osprey sits on the right one in a giant nest. Under the waves three orange garibaldi swim amongst the kelp.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Today’s #birbfest2026 is the California Thrasher! They use their long curved beak to push through the leaf litter in the undergrowth looking for insects. Fun fact they are a relative of mockingbirds! #illustration #californiathrasher #procreate #birds

A large brown bird with a long curved beak and a long tail perches on the branches of a bush

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Todays #birbfest2026 birds are buffleheads! It’s bufflehead season in San Diego and I’m so happy! I love the way they dive around, they are so cute! #birds #birdart #bufflehead

An illustration of a male and female pair of buffleheads flying. The female duck in the back has her wings down, and the male duck in the front has his wings outstretched. The background is cartoon fluffy clouds.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Today’s #birbfest2026 illustration is a verdin! I see them out in the desert but they are always so fast and hard to photograph. They are such beautiful little birds though! #verdin #birdart #birds

An illustration of a small grey bird with a yellow head hangs in a creosote bush. The bush has yellow flowers and white poofy seeds.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Ok starting to play with the #birbfest2026 prompts a little. Birds native to SoCal are my bread and butter, so I’m taking birds on the list and doing a similar native bird instead. So instead of a razorbill doing another water bird, a surf scoter! #birds #birdart #surfscoter

An illustration of three surf scoters. In the upper right one spreads his wings, while in the bottom left a female and male swim serenely by. In the water is text that says “surf scoter”

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Today’s #birbfesf2026 bird is the many-colored rush tyrant, a colorful round orb of a flycatcher from South America! #birds #birdart #manycoloredrushtyrant

An illustration of three small colorful round birds face each other and yell. They are yellow with blue faces and there are yellow stripes on their heads that look like angry eyebrows. In between them the onomatopoeia for their call is written out. It says “bewahhbewbewbew”

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

Want to start the year off with some art so I’m participating in #birbfest2026 and see how many birbs I can draw! Today’s bird is the beautiful bronzewing pigeon from Australia! #birdart #birds #bronzewingpigeon

An illustration of a purple blue pigeon who is standing on one leg and stretching out there wing. On their wing is a reflected rainbow of color.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 23/12/2025

Here’s a piece I’ve been plugging away at this month! I was inspired by photos that Haus Dahlia on instagram took of her latest collection, especially her silk dresses. They remind me so much of water that it turned into a water nymph in a pond! #art #illustration #procreate

An illustration of a fat woman resting gracefully in a pond. She has blue hair with willow leaves tangled in it. Her cheeks are flushed. Her hands rest on her chest. She is wearing a turquoise blue silk dress that transitions into the water of the pond itself. The pond is filled with lily pads in bloom and surrounded by rocks, reeds, and trees.

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key-lime pie @keymonster.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

One of my biggest inspirations since childhood. I love Jann Brett’s books.

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Holly @sparrowlucero.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

tea kettle guys

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Elizabeth Minkel @elizabethminkel.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

"It's the one hobby I really have that hasn't been saturated by AI and now it's feeling more and more out of reach." All these small physical connections in globally linked hobbyist communities are being severed...in a moment where our digital communities are being flooded with AI slop. 🫠🫠🫠

404media.co

‘It's Just a Mess:' 23 People Explain How Tariffs Have Suddenly Ruined Their Hobby

"The real kick in the teeth is no matter how much manufacturing is brought back to the US these items will never be made in the USA. There is no upside."

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Went to the Bird & Butterfly garden in the Tijuana River Valley and got some pics of some lesser goldfinches being some cutie patooties. #birds #lessergoldfinch #birdphotography

Two yellow lesser goldfinches sit drinking at the side of a small pond. Another one flies in from the right.

Four lesser goldfinches stand in a pond. The far left one is drinking, the middle two are dunking their heads for baths, and the far right one is staring at the camera.

A lesser goldfinch flies over four other lesser goldfinches bathing in a pond.

A lesser goldfinch flies in to touch down in a pond. Four others are already there drinking.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Sat down to doodle and made this little ladybird! I’m really enjoying working with colored pencils. #art #ladybug #coloredpencil

A little humanoid lady bug is shown from the side, looking back over her shoulder. She has two sets of arms and is holding a big purple flower. She is holding the flower with both her arms. She is wearing a green calf length dress.

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Bree Lundberg @breelundberg.com · 20/08/2025

Such a great article. There is no such thing as an "easy" pet!! Please do your research before getting any pet and realize that some creatures shouldn't be pets at all.

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Rebecca Heisman @rheisman.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I usually tell people that *so far*, habitat loss, not climate change, has been the major driver of bird population declines... but now we're starting to get analyses directly connecting bird declines to extreme weather events fueled by climate change. 🪶 theconversation.com/70-years-of-...

theconversation.com

70 years of data show extreme heat is already wiping out tropical bird populations

A study using more than 90,000 scientific observations shows Earth is getting too hot for many tropical birds.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

What a gorgeous photo! I love the contrast of the rattlesnakes colors against the flowers.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 09/08/2025

Had a bleh week a few weeks ago so went to my local fabric store and picked up this pretty cotton and just finished this little outfit! The top is the #saguaroset from Friday Pattern Company and the shorts are the #chanterellepants from Sew Liberated. #sewing

A white person with short curly hair stands with their hands behind their head. They are wearing a shirt with loose sleeves and an elastic waist with a high neckline and shorts with an elastic waistband and pockets. Both the shirt and shorts are made of the same purple and yellow plaid. They have green pom pom earrings that are textured like moss and a pendant with a green dice pendant.

A white person with short curly hair stands with their hands on their hips. They are wearing a shirt with loose sleeves and an elastic waist with a high neckline and shorts with an elastic waistband and pockets. Both the shirt and shorts are made of the same purple and yellow plaid. They have green pom pom earrings that are textured like moss and a pendant with a green dice pendant.

A white person with short curly hair stands with their hands on their hips with their back visible in the mirror. They are wearing a shirt with loose sleeves and an elastic waist with a high neckline and a deep v on the back and shorts with an elastic waistband and pockets. Both the shirt and shorts are made of the same purple and yellow plaid. They have green pom pom earrings that are textured like moss and a pendant with a green dice pendant.

A white person with short curly hair stands with a hand on their hips and a hand taking a picture in the mirror with their phone. They are wearing a shirt with loose sleeves and an elastic waist with a high neckline and shorts with an elastic waistband and pockets. Both the shirt and shorts are made of the same purple and yellow plaid. They have green pom pom earrings that are textured like moss and a pendant with a green dice pendant.

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iNaturalist @inaturalist.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Ah, to be a globular springtail adventuring among towering fungi. 📷 criag_l on iNaturalist 📍 Australia 🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations... #ObservationOfTheDay

A small six-legged, colorful creatures ventures across some bark, where translucent and delicate white mushrooms sprout out.

This springtail has six legs, two antennae, and a colorful pinkish-red, yellow, and green-ish patterning.

Lots of springtails crawl among the bark in between the white translucent mushrooms. The springtails are much smaller than the mushrooms and can be difficult to spot because they blend in quite well with the bark.

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The Public Domain Review @publicdomainrev.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

John H. White's stunning photographs of Black Chicago, taken as part of the DOCUAMERICA project which sought to produce a visual record of 1970s US: publicdomainreview.org/collection/j…

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Jubilee ❣️ @16pxl.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

inspired by hiking thru wildflowers 🌷🌾🌻🌼✨ #pixelart

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Went with some friends to the El Cajon courthouse to check out the amazon parrot roost! It was so cool to watch these rowdy little friends show up over time and hang out, groom, and be cute. #photography #birds #parrots

One amazon parrot sits facing the camera while another parrot alights on the branch next to it.

One amazon parrot settles in, causing a second parrot to fly off and a third parrot to squawk at both of them.

Two amazon parrots cuddling on a telephone wire

Two amazon parrots sitting on a telephone wire, one with their eyes pinning and the other one looking fluffy.

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Helen Macdonald @hjm.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

This is incredible

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 03/08/2025

Working my way through old photo archives. Found these awesome great horned owl photos I took. They were such a cutie, I just watched them for a while one evening up in the tree in 2023. #greathornedowl #birds #photography

A great horned owl from below, foot lifted to scratch at face.

A juvenile great horned owl staring at the camera with big orange eyes.

A juvenile great horned owl from behind, demonstrating the owls ability to turn their heads. The tail is short, the eyes are big, and the stomach and tail feathers are glowing in the afternoon light.

A juvenile great horned owl from the side, lifting up on taloned foot and crooking their head to look at something on the ground.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Trying to go through my photo archives and actually edit some of the photos I've taken on hikes. These are from May 26th 2023. It's fun editing older photos with the knowledge I know now after a couple of years of photo editing. www.flickr.com/photos/19737... #photography #birds #nativeplants

Gold colored crown daisies blur in front of some logs in a pile, bathed in golden afternoon light. Overhead, a crow soars in the blue sky.

Gold colored crown daisies blur in front of some logs in a pile, bathed in golden afternoon light. A crow perches ontop of the log pile, looking to the right. The sky behind the crow is a cloudy grey. There is a fence looming behind the logs.

A white matilija poppy, also called a fried egg poppy, looks fluffy and white in the center of the frame. It has a large egg yolk yellow center that looks like a pom pom. Around it are green leaves and seed pods from other poppies.

Three white matilija poppies, also called fried egg poppies, look fluffy and white. The top one is seen from the side, one of the petals blowing in the breeze. In the center an older flower droops, the petals a creamy yellow. At the bottom is a poppy with it's face toward the camera. It has a large egg yolk yellow center that looks like a pom pom. Around them are green leaves and seed pods from other poppies.

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Reposted by Sam B.

Stephne Tate @quailtea.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Loving animals does not necessarily mean you are qualified to care for said animals, in the case of many a viral exotic animal “rescue.” The average social media viewer does not understand that what they’re seeing is animal abuse because they don’t know how to identify it

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Stephne Tate @quailtea.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Feeling an intense amount of grief lately about things that once were and are no more. There’s a reason why American history only teaches post European contact. You’re not supposed to think about the thousands of years of human and natural history colonization destroyed in a microsecond

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Had the idea to make a little magic american coot! I love coots they have such funny feet. Tempted to get this as a tattoo now. #art #birds #americancoot

A flat colored illustration of an american coot. Its wings are outstretched, it’s lobed feet facing forward. It is wearing a pointed wizard hat decorated with stars, and there are cartoon stars above it’s wings.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

This is a piece that’s taken me a while! My ttrpg group is playing Mythical Bastion soon (a game where you are knights) which inspired me to first attempt drawing armor which then became a whole piece! I’m super proud of how it came out. #knights #art #illustration #ladyknight #procreate

A person in armor leads their black horse through a dim forest. In the background, a castle shimmers orange through a break in the trees. The trees are surrounded by ferns, lichen, moss, and fungi. The knight has silver armor, including a helm that covers their eyes, a chainmail cowl, a breastplate, and gauntlets. Their sword is drawn. Under their armor they are wearing a long skirt in green covered in gold roses. Their horses tack is covered in the same fabric.

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astral_dyke @astraldyke.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

exhausted janitor jesse answering the hotline is everything 🙏

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Nicole 🐸🌿 @munespice.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

the milkweed motel is open :) 🐛

An illustration of little trinket houses amongst narrow leaf milkweed with critters around such as the large milkweed bug, cobalt milkweed beetle, monarch butterflies and monarch caterpillars. The atmosphere is light and spring-colored.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Going to a fun event at the San Diego Natural History Museum this Friday and the theme is “prehistoric prom” so I made a dinosaur crown! #dinosaurs #flowercrown #diy #crafts

A white person with hazel eyes and dark brown curly hair stands in their bathroom. On their head is a diy dinosaur flower crown. It’s covered with blue hydrangeas with small pink roses, and there are ferns dripping down the left side. On the right side are fluffy white flowers and in the middle is a blue triceratops with a gold crown.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Catching up on the #aprilcolorschallenge from @faunwood.bsky.social with this piece! it’s always fun to spend some time messing around with color. Since I’m behind decided to do the first four days rendering the same sketch of a quail doing a little strut! #californiaquail #art #birds

A set of 4 illustrations of a california quail in a grid. All of them are in the same pose, doing a little strut walk to the left. The upper right quail is “chameleon” colors, a bright blue body with red and yellow accents and dark blue lines. The upper left quail is “pitted” , the colors are that of a pixie cup lichen, a mint blue body with dark red accents and white hi-lights. The background is green, and the quail is covered in pixie cup protrusions. Lower left is “atmospheric,”, green grays with orange yellow sunny highlights. Lower right is “analogous”, an orange body quail with yellow, red, and dark maroon accents.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Made a little post card for an upcoming art show in my neighborhood! Living and doing interpretive hikes in a border city, it’s super important to me to talk about migration, and the freedom of migration that brings great diversity and opportunities to both people and animals. #birds #warblers #art

A postcard drawn in posca markers. The background is yellow and the birds are drawn in blue. They sit in a toyon bush with dark blue leaves and mauve/pink berries. On the lower branch sits a yellow-rumped warbler. It is facing away from the audience. On the top branch sits a townsend’s warbler. Hand written on the card are the words “migration has no borders”

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 08/03/2025

Coots are incredibly adorable and I love their weird feet!!! #birds #birdphotography #coots #americancoot

An american coot swims in a lake. It is pointed to the right of the frame, you can see it's legs sticking straight down in the water and it's bill is open to catch something.

An american coot stands on sandy colored rocks on a lake shore. You can see water with a rock in it in the background. The coot is facing the left of the frame, it's football shaped body relaxed, it's webbed toes splayed below it.

An american coot walks on sandy colored rocks on a lake shore. You can see water with a rock in it in the background. The coot is facing the left of the frame, it's football shaped body poised to step, it's left toes all together and brought up in a step, the right foot directly below it splayed to take it's weight.

An american coot stands on plant debris near some rocks on a lake shore. The coot is facing the left of the frame, it's neck pointed back so it can groom it's wings, it's webbed feet under it taking it's weight evenly.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

I got to see clark’s grebes do the thing! Nyoooooom. (If you don’t know the “thing” is walk on water in courtship and it’s phenomenal.) #birds #birdphotography #grebes

Two clark’s grebes doing a courtship run across water. Their white breasts are up, their heads are snaked out forward and up, and there is a big splashy wake of water around them.

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

NOAA is an absolute mess, and it’ll be worse tomorrow. Please help us. There have already been over 1,000 terminations. It’s not just layoffs—Elon Musk and his staffers are trying to completely dismantle us. Today, there were tons of firings, and more are coming tomorrow.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Went to a bird art class at San Diego Birdfest today and had a blast! It’s a fun challenge to try and pull apart the underlying structure of birds. #birds #birdart

Illustration studies of bird heads. All are colored pencil on brown paper. The top head is a bald eagle facing to the right. Below is a dove facing left, with red around the eye and a yellow beak. Below that facing left is a cassowary with a large quest looking rather dinosaur like. The bottom bird heads is another bald eagle, facing more forward.

A study of a crow in colored pencil on brown paper. Pictured from the side facing right, there is a green underdrawing of the skeleton, on top of that blocked in a muscle/skin layer in red, and on top of that the feather layer in blue. The crow is holding cheese in their mouth.

A drawing of a canada goose chick, colored pencil on brown paper. The chick is facing left, holding it’s right foot up as if it’s about to take a step. There is a skeletal underdrawing with a bird body outline on top.

A spread of various bird sketches on brown paper done in colored pencil. A lot of them are blocky shaped illustrations trying to get at the shapes that make up birds.

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Sam B. @somebeees.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Went to an event called Hawk Watch in Ramona! Such a fantastic event, got to hold some snakes and see some really gorgeous birds up close. I went two weekends in a row, so this one is part 1 of my photos! #hawks #harrishawk #owl #birdphotography #barnowl #redtailedhawk #kestrel #birds

A red-tail hawk from behind, wings outstretched

The face of a barn owl from the side. He's looking down, and his shown eye is cloudy with glaucoma. His back feathers are brown like a toasted marshmallow.

An american kestrel flying to the left, wings up and tail stretched out. They are attached to a tether which is attached to their handler who is off camera.

A harris's hawk from the back, wings stretched out to the top and bottom of the frame and it's tail spread. The sky behind it is white and the mountains a rusty brown.

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