Ryan Bebej
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Ryan Bebej
@ryanbebej.bsky.social
380 followers 100 following 490 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
Purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima, 1 Jan 2024) – Pardon my scientific jargon, but I think this bird's chonkiness and general spherocity qualify it for official borb status.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Purple sandpiper foraging among the rocks along Lake Michigan
December 19, 2025 at 7:51 PM
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Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) – From the Instagram archive… These shaggy little diving ducks are one of three species of merganser that we see in West Michigan.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Male red-breasted merganser swimming on open water
December 18, 2025 at 1:21 PM
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Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) – Here's a golden hour downy from last autumn in honor of #WoodpeckerWednesday.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Male downy woodpecker in the golden hour light just after sunrise
December 17, 2025 at 4:02 PM
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Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) – From the Instagram archive... Cute little killdeer wading through some muck.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Cute little killdeer wading through some muck
December 16, 2025 at 6:04 PM
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Tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus, 19 Dec 2024) – It definitely feels like winter here in West Michigan, so here are some majestic tundra swans to warm your cold little hearts. ;-)

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Nine tundra swans flying through the air with their wings outspread
December 15, 2025 at 2:06 PM
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American pipit (Anthus rubescens) – I spotted this sharp little fellow at one of the local wastewater treatment plants as it was headed south from the arctic tundra.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
American pipit perched on a wire against a blue sky
December 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
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Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) – From the Instagram archive… It's always a good day to hear some witchity-witchity-witchity, signaling the presence of these birds in a nearby wetland.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Common yellowthroat male among some reeds
December 11, 2025 at 2:55 PM
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Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) – For #WarblerWednesday, here are a couple of shots I captured from a close an encounter with this species last spring.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Louisiana waterthrush perched on a branch Louisiana waterthrush perched on a branch and singing!
December 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
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Great crested flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus) – From the Instagram archive… This little guy was posing quite nicely a few years back when on a little bird walk organized by my local park district.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
December 9, 2025 at 2:20 PM
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Indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) – A little splash of color from this past spring on a cold, gray, winter day here in Michigan.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Indigo bunting perched on a branch against a backdrop of green leaves
December 8, 2025 at 1:32 PM
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Dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) – I love when these little snowbirds come back to west Michigan each year, though I can't say I always look forward to the cold, gray months that their return signifies.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Dark-eyed junco foraging for seeds in the snow
December 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM
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Kererū / New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)– From the Instagram archive… I look forward to seeing these native wood pigeons again when I bring some students back to Aotearoa in January.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
New Zealand pigeon perched in a tree
December 4, 2025 at 2:04 PM
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Cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) – I hope everyone has a wonderful #WaxwingWednesday!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Sleek cedar waxwing sitting on a branch
December 3, 2025 at 1:24 PM
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Long-tailed duck (Clangula hyemalis) – From the Instagram archive… These fancy-looking ducks are actually fairly common out on Lake Michigan during the winter months.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
December 2, 2025 at 9:14 PM
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White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) – It's #MammalMonday! Here's a young buck that I encountered when I was out birding with some of my college students last month.

#wildlife #wildlifephoto #wildlifephotography #wildlifephotographer
Young white-tailed deer buck
December 1, 2025 at 1:46 PM
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Winter wren (Troglodytes hiemalis) – Happy #WrenWednesday! (Or should I say #wrensday…) I went out looking for this bird on Saturday. Right as I left the parking lot, I heard this guy sweetly singing.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Winter wren perched on a branch with its tail sticking straight up
November 26, 2025 at 5:02 PM
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Sora (Porzana carolina) – From the Instagram archive… The first time I heard this little rail and saw it among some cattails, I had absolutely no idea what it was. Now it's a personal favorite of mine!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
November 25, 2025 at 2:44 PM
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Merlin (Falco columbarius) – We've been fortunate to have some of these small falcons nesting on our campus a few times in the past several years. Hoping they return in the spring! #MerlinMonday

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Merlin perched in a conifer with its wings spread Merlin calling while perched in a conifer
November 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
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Rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) – One of my favorite MI summertime birds, often brought to my attention when I hear a call note that sounds like a shoe squeaking on a basketball court.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Male rose-breasted grosbeak perched in a hawthorn tree
November 21, 2025 at 1:50 PM
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Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) – From the Instagram archive… In this photo, I like how all the bird's colors are also shown in the environment surrounding it—the blue sky, red buds, and white bark.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Eastern bluebird perched on a branch
November 20, 2025 at 1:30 PM
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Nashville warbler (Leiothlypis ruficapilla, 7 May 2025) – For #WarblerWednesday, here are a couple shots of a bird that I captured while it was softly singing this past spring.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Nashville warbler perched on a twig Nashville warbler perched on a twig while sweetly singing
November 19, 2025 at 1:50 PM
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Lesser yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) – From the Instagram archive… I think I've finally made it to the stage in my birding where I can pretty easily differentiate lesser and greater yellowlegs. #birdnerd

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Lesser yellowlegs wading in search of some food Two lesser yellowlegs wading in the water
November 18, 2025 at 2:19 PM
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Blue-winged teal (Spatula discors) – These birds represent the second smallest species of duck in North America (only their green-winged cousins are smaller).

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Two male blue-winged teals dabbling in a shallow pond
November 17, 2025 at 1:24 PM
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Eastern phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) – Happy #FlycatcherFriday! This photo gives me the distinct impression that this bird is proudly posing after scaling to the summit of a massive mountain.

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
November 14, 2025 at 2:02 PM
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Northern yellow warbler (Setophaga aestiva) – From the Instagram archive… This is the 1st time I've posted a photo of this species since the mangrove yellow warbler was made into a separate species!

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🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Northern yellow warbler perched on a branch Northern yellow warbler perched on a branch with a small pink worm in its beak
November 13, 2025 at 2:02 PM