Ben J. (Proteros)
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proteros.bsky.social
Ben J. (Proteros)
@proteros.bsky.social
40 followers 40 following 99 posts
I'm a hobbyist nature photographer in Sydney specialising in Australian native birds and flora with interests in conservation, paleontology and ecology. 🌿💚

All my content is licensed under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise stated. No (de)generative AI ❌
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
davidcsimon.bsky.social
Yellow Tail returned to our garden this week, marking a major milestone: I've been photographing this beautiful wild King Parrot for over 10 years now!!!

First photo: 21/12/2015
Latest photo: 09/02/2026
#birds
Photograph from December 2015 of a male Australian King Parrot standing on a wooden railing. The bird is bright red and green, with distinctive yellow markings on his tail and the top of his head (though the marking on the head is difficult to see in this photo). Photograph from February 2026 of the same bird perched on a tree branch in dappled sunlight looking much the same as he did 10 years ago.
February 11, 2026 at 4:36 AM
proteros.bsky.social
I take no 'sides' in war. The only 'side' I stand with is humanity.

I stand with *people* of all countries, races, religions and ages.

I stand against violence, terrorism, warfare and genocide, no matter who the victims and perpetrators are.

Because we are all human. 🌏☮️

#worldpeace #nomorewar
February 12, 2026 at 2:09 AM
proteros.bsky.social
My take on the war in #Israel and #Palestine is that I simply wish for it to end.

People shouldn't be killing each other over trivial differences such as race and religion because we are all human. We all bleed red. Tears mean the same in every language.

#Nomorewar #Nomoregenocide. #worldpeace
February 12, 2026 at 2:04 AM
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
dmdphotoattic.com
daily dose of green in rain ... west coast Canada
#photography #nature #trees #canada #landscape #fujifilm #forest #rainforest #vancouver #fog #rain
February 1, 2026 at 6:19 PM
proteros.bsky.social
My apologies for my lack of content lately. I have been very busy over the past couple of weeks.

I will be sharing some more of my photography here soon, and hopefully get around to posting all my recent nature photos as observations on iNaturalist and eBird.
February 1, 2026 at 8:57 PM
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
natsky777.bsky.social
Solidarity with Australia's First Nations Peoples, on a day of grieving & survival. A reminder to all, that that the oldest, continuous, living culture on Earth deserves an Australia Day that they can celebrate as well, that isn't #InvasionDay
🖤💛❤️
#ChangeTheDate
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMX2...
Yothu Yindi - Djapana (Official Video)
YouTube video by YothuYindiVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 26, 2026 at 12:03 AM
proteros.bsky.social
Look at (and listen to) this ABSOLUTE UNIT!
digs.bsky.social Andrew Digby @digs.bsky.social · Jan 16
Three more #kakapo matings last night: Tumeke + Te Atapo on Whenua Hou, and Kotahitanga mated with both Marama and Kohengi on Anchor. Mating with different males substantially increases the likelihood of clutch fertility: peerj.com/articles/146.... Here's Te Atapo booming. #conservation #parrots
January 16, 2026 at 9:10 AM
proteros.bsky.social
In a world full of hatred and cruelty, be brave enough to be loving and kind.

Having a warm heart in a cold world is strength, not weakness. 💚🌏
January 16, 2026 at 2:17 AM
proteros.bsky.social
Terrorizing innocent people who just want to live in peace and provide for themselves and their families is NOT "protecting the country from crime."

I stand in solidarity with all good people and communties who are affected by ICE and their brutal campaigns. ☮️ #FuckICE #AbolishICE #RacismNotWelcome
January 16, 2026 at 2:03 AM
proteros.bsky.social
Joining in on the #PortfolioDay trend, my name is Ben, but you can also call me Proteros.

I'm a photographer from Sydney who focuses mainly on flowers and birds, though I sometimes do other animals and landscapes. Here's just a few of my favourite bird pics from last year that I haven't yet shared:
A photograph of a Laughing kookaburra, (Dacelo novaeguineae) a large Australian kingfisher, perched up high in a tree and in full focus, the leafy green background blurred. The word "kookaburra" derives from the Wiradjuri word "guuguubarra," in reference to the distinctive call the bird is well known for. Photo taken in Bulli, NSW in September 2025 A photograph of an Australasian or Purple swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) standing and bending down in shallow water, perhaps for a drink. It is a mostly black bird with a characteristic purplish-blue front and belly and a large, triangular red bill with a keratinous, red 'shield' on the forehead. This bird is also native to New Zealand, where it is known as the pūkeko. Photo taken in Campbelltown, NSW in May 2025 A photograph of a male Superb fairywren, (Malurus cyaneus) a tiny blue bird native to eastern Australia. He is perched on a thin stem of a weed and is in breeding plumage with luminous light blue feathers on the crown, nape and cheeks. The rest of the bird is brown, light grey and black. Like other fairy wrens, it has a long, erect tail, giving it a distinctive and easily identifiable shape. Photo taken in Campbelltown, NSW in November, 2025 A photograph of a Little wattlebird (Anthochaera chrysoptera) stretching itself upright to feed on the nectar of a bright red Grevillea inflorescence which contrasts greatly against the blurred green foliage of the background. Little wattlebirds are honeyeaters who are frequently seen around large flowering native trees and shrubs. They are mostly grey and patterned with white stripes like their larger, more well-known relative, the Red wattlebird. (Anthochaera carunculata) However, they lack the diagnostic yellow belly and red wattles. Photo taken in Bulli, NSW in September, 2025
January 14, 2026 at 8:38 AM
proteros.bsky.social
"Generative" AI does not generate anything. In fact, it does the complete opposite; it steals a bunch of REAL images without people's consent and DEGENERATES them into an awful amalgamation of pixels.

Let us call it out for what it is, degenerative garbage

#aislop #fuckai #aiartisnotart #fuckaiart
January 14, 2026 at 7:11 AM
proteros.bsky.social
Gotta love how AI-generated slop is exactly like an invasive species now; everywhere and nearly impossible to get rid of.

Literally, it is EVERYWHERE. Even in places you would least expect like antique shops, art competitions and artist conventions. Ugh.

#aislop #aiartisnotart #fuckaiart #fuckai
January 14, 2026 at 7:01 AM
proteros.bsky.social
I thought I'd share some of my favourite photos of our beautiful Australian native #ducks to bring attention to them, and to inspire more love and compassion towards all ducks, both wild and domesticated. 🦆❤

#birdphotography #Australianbirds #photography #nature #naturephotography #banduckshooting
A close-up portrait of a Pacific black duck (Anas superciliosa) in autumn on a blurred background of green lawn grass and fallen brown leaves. This common duck species is mostly brown, with a pale cream-brown face, a dark-brown crown and eye stripe. Its eyes are chestnut brown and its bill is dark grey with a slight green tint and black tip. Photo taken in Campbelltown NSW in May 2025 A close-up portrait of an adult male Australian wood duck or maned duck (Chenonetta jubata) on a blurred background of dirt and green grass. He has some small blades of grass in his small, pointed grey bill. Males of this species are identified by their dark brown necks and heads which lack the white stripes of females. They also have a tuft of longer, darker feathers on the back of their heads, hence the common name "maned duck" (though it is not visible in this photograph.) Both males and females have a light silver-grey body with black or grey speckles and brown bars on the breast. Photo taken in Campbelltown NSW in July 2023 A close-up portrait of an adult female Australian wood duck or maned duck (Chenonetta jubata) on a blurred background of light green lawn grass. The females of this species have a lighter brown head with two white stripes, above and below the eye. Photo taken in Campbelltown NSW in July 2023 A close-up portrait of an adult female hardhead duck (Aythya australis) on a blurred bakground of greenish water. She is chocolate-brown all over with dark brown eyes and a dark grey bill with a light grey tip. Hardheads are the only diving ducks native to Australia and are interesting to watch as they disappear beneath the waters momentarily before re-emerging. Photo taken in the Hunter Wetlands Centre in Newcastle NSW in May 2023
January 9, 2026 at 10:41 AM
proteros.bsky.social
All birds are sentient and can dream. They have an inner world, just like we do.

When this hardhead duck (Aythya australis) rests on a sunny rock and closes his eyes to nap, one may begin to wonder, what does he see?

#birdphotography #Australianbirds #ducks #photography #nature #naturephotography
A close up photograph of a male hardhead duck (Aythya australis) resting in the sunlight with his eyes closed. The background is a blue pond with small, green floating plants, blurred and out of focus. The duck is a chocolate-brown, darker towards the head and lighter on the body. He has a dark-grey bill with a white tip with the characteristic duck shape. Photo taken in Campbelltown NSW in November 2025
January 9, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
miketakespics.bsky.social
“But compassion isn't about solutions. It's about giving all the love that you've got.”
~ Cheryl Strayed

Good morning my friends! This world already has plenty of anger, hatred, fear, bitterness, criticism, and judgement. Be the light. Be the love ❤️
January 8, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
fossilrod.bsky.social
This #FossilFriday, here's Franz Anthony's delightful #Ediacaran life artwork, featuring critters from all three Ediacaran assemblages - including our very own Haootia!
August 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
proteros.bsky.social
Not even 2 weeks into 2026 and the world is already full of more terrible shite.

Maybe it's not that the elite forgot the horrors of the past, rather, they wish to repeat them.

These sociopaths revel in the suffering of others and are so utterly consumed by greed that they've lost their humanity.
January 9, 2026 at 12:34 AM
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
pfwaus.bsky.social
Friday sunrise over Warrain Beach at Culburra on the Shoalhaven Coast south of Sydney NewSouthWales Australia

#nature #wildoz #traveloz #travel #stormhour
January 8, 2026 at 9:14 PM
proteros.bsky.social
Fun fact: You can tell whether an adult galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) is male or female by looking at their eyes. Males have dark brown eyes, while females (like this one pictured here) have red eyes.

#birdphotography #Australianbirds #parrots #galah #photography #nature #naturephotography
A portrait photograph of a female galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) illuminated by the sun on a dark green and blurred background. Her eyes are a vibrant red, surrounded by fleshy grey-pink eye rings as this is the south-eastern subspecies (E. r. albiceps). The galah is an attractive cockatoo with a white crest and crown, bone-white beak, pink belly, neck and chest and light grey feet, back, wings and tail. Photo taken in the Greater Sydney Area in September 2023
January 6, 2026 at 6:29 AM
proteros.bsky.social
Men (or should I say, MONSTERS) who use (de)generative #AI to remove the clothes on images of women (and children!) need to have their ballsacks removed before being thrown into jail indefinitely. Or, preferably, thrown into the nearest wood chipper, feet-first.

Please rid the world of these scum.
January 6, 2026 at 6:16 AM
proteros.bsky.social
I've been thinking on getting back into illustration and making some infographics on my favourite subjects; Australian native plants and animals, ecology, paleontology and geochronology.

Should I?
January 4, 2026 at 11:58 PM
proteros.bsky.social
Here is a lovely Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccans) to brighten up your day.

#birdphotography #Australianbirds #parrots #lorikeet #photography #nature #naturephotography
A photograph of a Rainbow lorikeet, (Trichoglossus moluccanus) snacking on a nut, holding its foot up to its beak. It is a brightly coloured parrot with a blue streaked head, a red beak, red eyes, a lime green nape, a green back and a red and orange breast. The background is entirely blurred and out of focus, keeping the bird in focus Photo taken in the Greater Sydney Area in January 2026 A photograph of a Rainbow lorikeet, (Trichoglossus moluccanus). This time, it is a portrait of the same bird in the first photo looking forward with its beak closed. Photo taken in the Greater Sydney Area in January 2026
January 4, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by Ben J. (Proteros)
teamswiftparrot.bsky.social
Demure little superb parrot 💚
Green superb parrot with orange beak in a hand
January 3, 2026 at 12:04 AM
proteros.bsky.social
Dickinsonia costata my beloved
#ediacaran #ediacaranbiota #proterozoic
nhmbryozoa.bsky.social Paul D. Taylor @nhmbryozoa.bsky.social · Dec 26
#FossilFriday Fine specimen of the problematical fossil Dickinsonia costata from the Ediacaran. On display at the South Australia Museum, Adelaide.
December 28, 2025 at 4:12 AM