Ryan Bebej
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ryanbebej.bsky.social
Ryan Bebej
@ryanbebej.bsky.social
360 followers 100 following 450 posts
Calvin University professor + alum / anatomist + marine mammal paleontologist / birder + amateur photographer / science + faith speaker / University of Michigan alum / fan of St Louis Cardinals + Star Wars + other nerdy things / surname pronounced "BB"
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ryanbebej.bsky.social
Vesper sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) – From the Instagram archive… Not a common sparrow to see around west Michigan, but there are a few fairly reliable places to see/hear them each summer.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Vesper sparrow perched on a post
November 11, 2025 at 4:11 PM
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Scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) – We just had our first snowfall of the season this weekend in west Michigan, so here's a bright colorful reminder of warmer weather from springs gone by.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Bright red scarlet tanager perched on a branch
November 10, 2025 at 1:47 PM
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Ruby-crowned kinglet (Corthylio calendula) – Always a difficult bird to get in focus due to its frenetic activity, it's even rarer for me to a get a photo of the bird showing its namesake crown.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Ruby-crowned kinglet showing off its magnificent red crown
November 7, 2025 at 1:28 PM
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American redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) – From the Instagram archive… Given this bird's color palette, I probably should have posted these photos on Halloween.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Male American redstart singing Male American redstart
November 6, 2025 at 1:28 PM
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Sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis) – One of those species for which it doesn't take much imagination to realize that birds really are dinosaurs, especially when you hear them vocalize.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Sandhill crane foraging among yellow corn stalks
November 5, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) – From the Instagram archive… I often remind myself not to overlook the common things. So here's a cheeky mallard that I encountered on Lake Michigan during an early morning.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Male mallard on Lake Michigan Male mallard looking cheeky in the morning sunlight
November 4, 2025 at 12:42 PM
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Swamp sparrow (Melospiza georgiana) – A spunky little sparrow from last fall. #SparrowAppreciationSociety

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Swamp sparrow perched in some bare branches
November 3, 2025 at 1:44 PM
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Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) – I spotted this bright little bird foraging in a sumac tree a couple springs ago.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Male eastern bluebird foraging in a sumac tree
October 31, 2025 at 12:52 PM
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Red-footed booby (Sula sula) – From the Instagram archive… While on Isla Genovesa in the Galápagos Islands, I saw several morphs / ages of this species: adult white morphs, adult brown morphs, juveniles, and chicks.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
White morph adult red-footed booby Brown morph adult red-footed booby Juvenile red-footed boobies Red-footed booby chick
October 30, 2025 at 11:53 AM
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Spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius) – A young sandpiper foraging among the rocks along the pier in Holland, Michigan, during late summer.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Young spotted sandpiper standing on top of a white and gray rock with the blue of Lake Michigan in the background
October 29, 2025 at 12:06 PM
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Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) – From the Instagram archive… I love watching swallows do their aerial acrobatics. But I'm also grateful when one sits still for a couple of photos.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Tree swallow perched in a bare tree Tree swallow perched in a bare tree
October 28, 2025 at 2:21 PM
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Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) – I seem to recall that this young hawk had a snake in its clutches when I first came upon it.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Young red-tailed hawk perched in a tree
October 27, 2025 at 12:46 PM
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Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) – Here's the kind of tyrant that everyone truly needs on a #FlycatcherFriday.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Eastern kingbird looking regal while perched on a little stick
October 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
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Yellow-rumped warbler (Setophaga coronata) – From the Instagram archive… These were some of the first warblers I saw when I started birding a few years ago, and I've still got a soft spot for these little butter-butts.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Female yellow-rumped warbler showing off its yellow rump Male yellow-rumped warbler traversing a tree branch
October 23, 2025 at 2:13 PM
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Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) – Happy #WoodpeckerWednesday! If you look closely, you can see the zygodactyl configuration of its toes (two facing front and two facing back), a feature common among woodpeckers.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Male downy woodpecker sitting on a log
October 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
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Virginia rail (Rallus limicola) – From the Instagram archive… This photo marks the first time I ever saw this species, and it's still probably my best glimpse to date!

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Virginia rail spotted through some reeds
October 21, 2025 at 12:44 PM
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Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) – With the #WorldSeries getting under way later this week, here are a couple of killdeer hanging around 1st base.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Two killdeer standing in the wet dirt next to 1st base at a baseball field
October 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
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Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) – I spotted one of these birds when out on a walk yesterday evening, but didn't snap a photo. So here's one I captured this past spring.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Hermit thrush with its rusty tail perched on a branch
October 17, 2025 at 6:09 PM
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Black-banded owl (Strix huhula) – From the Instagram archive… This mysterious Ecuadorian owl looks like a hybrid between the black-banded & black-and-white owl, but is currently regarded as a subspecies of the former.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Black-banded (San Isidro) owl perched in a tree at night
October 16, 2025 at 12:16 PM
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Yellow warbler (Setophaga petechia) – Here's a sharp-looking ray of sunshine to brighten your day on #WarblerWednesday!

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Bright yellow warbler with rusty streaks on its breast, perched on a small twig against a light blue sky
October 15, 2025 at 12:49 PM
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Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) – From the Instagram archive… Definitely the most common woodpecker here in West Michigan and one of the most frequent visitors to our bird feeders at home.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Male downy woodpecker on a tree trunk
October 14, 2025 at 2:12 PM
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Northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) – Here's another one of my periodic reminders to not neglect the common things.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Male northern cardinal perched on a branch
October 13, 2025 at 12:22 PM
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Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) – This female merganser was styling with its fancy hairdo (featherdo?) on New Year's Day.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Female hooded merganser Female hooded merganser Female hooded merganser
October 10, 2025 at 12:36 PM
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Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) – From the Instagram archive… When I look at this photo, I can practically HEAR the bird.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Red-winged blackbird calling loudly
October 9, 2025 at 12:42 PM
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Bay-breasted warbler (Setophaga castanea) – I've got some serious FOMB from this fall's migration, so here's a cool warbler that I spotted this past spring for #WarblerWednesday.

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🪶 #birds #birding #wildlifephotography
Bay-breasted warbler perched high up in a tree Bay-breasted warbler perched upside-down high up in a tree
October 8, 2025 at 12:48 PM