mica (the mineral)
@micathemineral.bsky.social
natural science illustrator, museum exhibit designer, naturalist, outdoorswoman, rock climber, birder, polar enthusiast, she/her 🏳️🌈 https://linktr.ee/micalow
I've gotten so used to ebird in the past 5 years it's funny to look back on my old lists and see how dramatically changed how I bird, for better or worse. It has really influenced me to be more worried about numbers.
November 20, 2025 at 11:05 PM
I've gotten so used to ebird in the past 5 years it's funny to look back on my old lists and see how dramatically changed how I bird, for better or worse. It has really influenced me to be more worried about numbers.
A bunch of little snow buntings at Parker River NWR this week. They're just about the cutest. 🪶 #birdphotography
November 15, 2025 at 9:19 PM
A bunch of little snow buntings at Parker River NWR this week. They're just about the cutest. 🪶 #birdphotography
lifer king eider! 🎉🪶 I’ve been chasing this duck for two years and I finally saw one, even if it took a trip to maine to do it! He’s so handsome!!! 🥹
November 13, 2025 at 3:10 AM
lifer king eider! 🎉🪶 I’ve been chasing this duck for two years and I finally saw one, even if it took a trip to maine to do it! He’s so handsome!!! 🥹
Finally sat down and did some photo editing, some sunday sparrows for you. #birdphotography 🪶 #wildlifephotography
November 9, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Finally sat down and did some photo editing, some sunday sparrows for you. #birdphotography 🪶 #wildlifephotography
Saw the very lost brown booby 🪶 on Cape Cod (!!!) on my second try, but managed to mess up my shutter speed without noticing, so what I have is a variety of levels of blur and not a single nice shot. Ah, the joys of bird photography... 🫠
November 9, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Saw the very lost brown booby 🪶 on Cape Cod (!!!) on my second try, but managed to mess up my shutter speed without noticing, so what I have is a variety of levels of blur and not a single nice shot. Ah, the joys of bird photography... 🫠
Spooky 🪶 list season (ebird taxonomy update) is upon is. The blessèd splitting has bestowed unto me a bonus vireo, through no effort of my own. 🙏 But the update continues, so there's a chance that the fearsome shadow of lumping may yet fall across my life list and tear a species from its bosom. 😱
October 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Spooky 🪶 list season (ebird taxonomy update) is upon is. The blessèd splitting has bestowed unto me a bonus vireo, through no effort of my own. 🙏 But the update continues, so there's a chance that the fearsome shadow of lumping may yet fall across my life list and tear a species from its bosom. 😱
Reposted by mica (the mineral)
I went for a birding hike this weekend and there were a ton of red-breasted nuthatches yank-yank-yanking at me the whole way. Love those little guys. 🪶🐡 #sciart #procreate
October 25, 2025 at 10:20 PM
I went for a birding hike this weekend and there were a ton of red-breasted nuthatches yank-yank-yanking at me the whole way. Love those little guys. 🪶🐡 #sciart #procreate
I went for a birding hike this weekend and there were a ton of red-breasted nuthatches yank-yank-yanking at me the whole way. Love those little guys. 🪶🐡 #sciart #procreate
October 25, 2025 at 10:20 PM
I went for a birding hike this weekend and there were a ton of red-breasted nuthatches yank-yank-yanking at me the whole way. Love those little guys. 🪶🐡 #sciart #procreate
Belated day 2 of #SciArtSeptember: Canopy. Some longleaf pines with recent fire scarring. 🐡🎨
September 4, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Belated day 2 of #SciArtSeptember: Canopy. Some longleaf pines with recent fire scarring. 🐡🎨
Let’s go birding! Today’s goal: summer tanager in coastal NC.
so far: Great horned owl, many MANY woodpeckers, herons galore, approx. 1 million mosquitos, some beautiful longleaf pines.
so far: Great horned owl, many MANY woodpeckers, herons galore, approx. 1 million mosquitos, some beautiful longleaf pines.
September 4, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Let’s go birding! Today’s goal: summer tanager in coastal NC.
so far: Great horned owl, many MANY woodpeckers, herons galore, approx. 1 million mosquitos, some beautiful longleaf pines.
so far: Great horned owl, many MANY woodpeckers, herons galore, approx. 1 million mosquitos, some beautiful longleaf pines.
I always forget how formal Boston really is, since I wfh and mostly interact with other outdoorsy queers. Going to Back Bay on a weekday is like visiting another planet. One where every man is wearing slacks and a dress shirt and every woman is in a blazer and has makeup on.
August 26, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I always forget how formal Boston really is, since I wfh and mostly interact with other outdoorsy queers. Going to Back Bay on a weekday is like visiting another planet. One where every man is wearing slacks and a dress shirt and every woman is in a blazer and has makeup on.
Reposted by mica (the mineral)
All the animals you like to look at depend on all the animals you don’t
August 26, 2025 at 12:32 PM
All the animals you like to look at depend on all the animals you don’t
A photo you took that brings you inner peace 📷🌸
August 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
A photo you took that brings you inner peace 📷🌸
Gooood morning birders! Today we’re looking for a solitary sandpiper!
August 22, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Gooood morning birders! Today we’re looking for a solitary sandpiper!
We're going on vacation next week and this time my proposal for a romantic walk is 'would you like to tour the former city landfill?' (A cool duck lives there.)
Ah, birding.
Ah, birding.
just #birder things: trying to figure out how to ask your wife if she wouldn't mind going for a romantic valentine's day walk... at the water treatment plant by the airport, at dawn. 😅
August 20, 2025 at 6:52 PM
We're going on vacation next week and this time my proposal for a romantic walk is 'would you like to tour the former city landfill?' (A cool duck lives there.)
Ah, birding.
Ah, birding.
Does anyone know of a MA birding group that is NOT on facebook? I would love to join a discord and am open to getting whatsapp for this, just not a meta product. (RBA or general discussion, idc) Someone told me one exists but that it's invite-only and I don't know the cool kids here (ouch!). 🪶
August 13, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Does anyone know of a MA birding group that is NOT on facebook? I would love to join a discord and am open to getting whatsapp for this, just not a meta product. (RBA or general discussion, idc) Someone told me one exists but that it's invite-only and I don't know the cool kids here (ouch!). 🪶
Once again I am begging wildlife photographers who sell to stock sites to make sure they ID correctly (OR for stock photo sites to let me flag image titles as inaccurate).
I almost used a mislabeled Hutton's vireo instead of a Bell's in a work project before I took a second look at that eyering 🤦♀️
I almost used a mislabeled Hutton's vireo instead of a Bell's in a work project before I took a second look at that eyering 🤦♀️
July 30, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Once again I am begging wildlife photographers who sell to stock sites to make sure they ID correctly (OR for stock photo sites to let me flag image titles as inaccurate).
I almost used a mislabeled Hutton's vireo instead of a Bell's in a work project before I took a second look at that eyering 🤦♀️
I almost used a mislabeled Hutton's vireo instead of a Bell's in a work project before I took a second look at that eyering 🤦♀️
tiger swallowtail (eastern or appalachian, idk), mourning cloak, and some kind of dragonfly all spotted in western MD, where the bugs were being more obliging about posing for me than the birds were. 😅 #naturephotography #insects 🦋
June 30, 2025 at 12:07 AM
tiger swallowtail (eastern or appalachian, idk), mourning cloak, and some kind of dragonfly all spotted in western MD, where the bugs were being more obliging about posing for me than the birds were. 😅 #naturephotography #insects 🦋
Reposted by mica (the mineral)
Gettysburg, on a summer night 162 years after the battle.
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
June 29, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Gettysburg, on a summer night 162 years after the battle.
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
Gettysburg, on a summer night 162 years after the battle.
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
June 29, 2025 at 2:18 AM
Gettysburg, on a summer night 162 years after the battle.
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
The field where tens of thousands died is filled with dancing fireflies. The cannons stand quiet, replaced by calling frogs rustling grass. It would have been impossible not to be moved by the peace of it.
#landscapepainting #procreate
Just registered—last time I attended it was as a volunteer, when my college hosted the 2012 conference. I'm excited to attend talks and workshops rather than sitting at the registration desk! I don't know any other attendees this year, so if any bsky folks are going let me know, I'd love to connect!
Time is running out to register for the 2025 GNSI Visual SciComm Conference! Register by June 12th to take full advantage of our July 13 - 19 conference in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
Learn more and register here: www.gnsi.org/Visual-SciCo...
Learn more and register here: www.gnsi.org/Visual-SciCo...
June 3, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Just registered—last time I attended it was as a volunteer, when my college hosted the 2012 conference. I'm excited to attend talks and workshops rather than sitting at the registration desk! I don't know any other attendees this year, so if any bsky folks are going let me know, I'd love to connect!
Oh are we doing #SparrowSunday? In that case, here's a lark sparrow. 🪶
May 18, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Oh are we doing #SparrowSunday? In that case, here's a lark sparrow. 🪶
My 🪶 lifers this month: Bay-breasted warbler, northern bobwhite, and Swainson's thrush. Ah, the joys of bird photography. 🥲🫠
May 18, 2025 at 8:43 PM
My 🪶 lifers this month: Bay-breasted warbler, northern bobwhite, and Swainson's thrush. Ah, the joys of bird photography. 🥲🫠
Been too busy moving and dealing with first-time homeowner stuff (!!!) to get out birding or make art much this spring, but I finally found a little time.
Lots of flycatchers out today, here's an eastern wood-pewee. 🪶
Lots of flycatchers out today, here's an eastern wood-pewee. 🪶
May 18, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Been too busy moving and dealing with first-time homeowner stuff (!!!) to get out birding or make art much this spring, but I finally found a little time.
Lots of flycatchers out today, here's an eastern wood-pewee. 🪶
Lots of flycatchers out today, here's an eastern wood-pewee. 🪶
that birder feeling when you have an actual stress dream about the prospect of an ebird reviewer questioning your quail
May 18, 2025 at 12:18 PM
that birder feeling when you have an actual stress dream about the prospect of an ebird reviewer questioning your quail