Bronwen Scott
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snailseyeview.bsky.social
Bronwen Scott
@snailseyeview.bsky.social
2.2K followers 1.6K following 1.1K posts
Invertebrate zoologist; writer; artist; museum fan; bird watcher; living in the tropics; she/her. Sometimes in Guardian Australia. Otherwise https://snailseyeview.medium.com/
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Reposted by Bronwen Scott
drdevildave.bsky.social
Random Delightful Fact of the Day -

Eastern quolls go grey as they get older!

A juvenile (~6 mths old) on the L, & a 4 yr old on the R

(Worth noting that 4 yrs old is oooooold for an eastern quoll)
January 22, 2026 at 4:19 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
chequers7.bsky.social
Aurora sighting at Altona Beach #melbourne
January 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
flygirlnhm.bsky.social
The @nhm-london.bsky.social has a new sparkle on display, & it’s rather nice

A Smokey quartz crystal #octopus that took master carver Patrick Dreher 500 hours to craft- only fitting for a creature that’s spent millions of years evolving its complex nervous system & sophisticated behaviours
January 20, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
teamswiftparrot.bsky.social
Today’s gang gang cockatoo was a cutie 🥲
January 20, 2026 at 3:46 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
richardtuffin.bsky.social
Normally solos in rock songs are guitar solos.

Not when you have a legend like Rob Hirst on the tools.

If you've not heard the solo on Power and Passion, it's so worth a listen.

RIP Rob Hirst

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pKP...
Midnight Oil - Power and the Passion (Official Video)
YouTube video by MidnightOilVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:33 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
andrewstafford.bsky.social
I wrote this some time ago - with all of us knowing this day would come, and Rob, of course, fighting like the bloody-minded bastard he was to the very end. He irrevocably changed my life - and how our country saw itself. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...
Rob Hirst was a force of nature, a born showman who led Midnight Oil from the back
Phenomenal drummer and percussionist was an equally accomplished songwriter who embodied the band’s bloody-minded spirit
www.theguardian.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:16 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
There was a kerfuffle in the garden when a Blue-faced Honeyeater found a very furry moth. The scales made it difficult to keep the moth under control. You can see them on the bill and in the air. I was Team Moth but the honeyeater won.

Atherton Tablelands, Australia

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #Birds
Bleu-faced Honeyeater on the ground with a moth in its bill. The honeyeater has a golden-olive back and wings, a white throat and breast, bright blue featherless patches on the face, and a black feathered 'helmet'. The moth is upside down and the bird is holding it around the abdomen. Blue-faced Honeyeater holding up the moth. The moth has managed to free itself from the bird. The bird's bill is covered in grey scales and there are small scales drifting in the air between bird and insect. The honeyeater has finally worked out how to hold the moth securely and has gripped it by one wing. The bird flew off at this point.
January 19, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
teamswiftparrot.bsky.social
Honestly superb parrot baby faces are so bloody cute
January 19, 2026 at 9:42 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
Tried the other starter word today

Wordle 1,674 3/6

🟨⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟨⬜🟩🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
January 18, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
angrywagtails.bsky.social
Of course within a few days of flowering ...
a photo of beautiful radiant red-centred Royal Velvet F1 sunflowers in a garden a photo of a naughty, greedy, cheeky 28 parrot (a beautiful. native, medium sized, very green parrot with a black head and yellow collar which belies it's other name of Australian Ringneck (a species complex with subspecies, B. z. semitorquatus being this one in Perth)
January 18, 2026 at 7:37 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
If I fits, I sits. Bush Stone-curlews are big fans of bird baths. I have to refill this bath several times a day because of their enthusiasm.

(Once again, soz about the dodgy exposure but cyclones and cloudy skies...)

Atherton Tablelands, Australia #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2026

1/2
A Bush Stone-curlew leaning forward with a single drop of water falling from its bill. A Bush Stone-curlew is standing in a bird bath (actually a giant plastic saucer, but it works for the bird). It is balanced on one foot, while the other is raised to scratch its head. Birds always look a bit goofy when they're scratching and this is no exception. Bush Stone-curlew squatting in bird bath with its wings spread slighly and spray rising up behind it. The bird looks a little concerned, possibly because it does not want the paparazzi taking photos of it in the middle of ablutions. And fair enough too.
January 18, 2026 at 2:18 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
Close!

Wordle 1,673 3/6

⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟨🟨⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
January 17, 2026 at 9:02 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
🎵 spider butt...spider butt... 🎵

You should definitely read this thread
c0nc0rdance.bsky.social c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 7d
Take a close look at this picture.

What an interesting coin or artifact, you probably think 🤔. Such interesting detail, intricately carved or molded 🧐 ... HAHA sucker, you're looking at a SPIDER'S BUTT.

Let's meet Cyclocosmia ricketti, the Chinese hourglass spider.

CW: spiders & their butts
"C.ricketti, female from Jiangxi Province, China (CKYH), left: opisthosomal disc; right: details of radial ribs;" Source is given in thread.
January 17, 2026 at 8:02 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
If the Buff-banded Rail is the best rallid, this species is not far behind. The secretive Pale-vented Bush Hen has modest plumage but that bill is something!

Pic taken earlier this month during the build up of TC Koji. We had a lot of rain! Atherton Tablelands, Australia

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #Birds
Not a brilliant pic, but it was late in the afternoon, raining and the bird was hiding in the vegetation. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. A rather sombre-coloured rail, mostly dark brown and grey, with yellow legs and an acid yellow bill with a bright orange patch at the top. Its neck is extended in a way that suggests it has just seen me and is about to bolt. Both these things are correct. Handsome if unexcitingly coloured rail standing upright. This image looks slightly fogged because it was taken through the window and the stupid curtains are reflected on the glass. Very annoying. Anyway. The bird is brown and grey, which is perfect for skulking, but its legs are yellow and it has a bright yellow and orange beak. It has an enquiring look about it.
January 17, 2026 at 5:19 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
jazjanes.bsky.social
Come work with us! We are seeking a tenure-track botanist, preferably in the areas of non-vascular, systematics, physiology or cell. Happy to answer questions.

unbc.njoyn.com/CL/xweb/xweb...

🧪🌱 #botany
Assistant professor in botany job description for University of Northern British Columbia
January 16, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
euanritchie.bsky.social
"As a wildlife ecologist and conservation expert, these fires bring an unwelcome but familiar mixture of deep sadness and intense frustration. As the climate gets hotter, such events will only become more likely and more severe."

My article about Victoria's fires
theconversation.com/in-the-most-...
In the most cleared state in Australia, Victoria’s native wildlife needs our help after fires
The Victorian fires burned though diverse environments across the state. Native animals suffered through heat and smoke, including thousands of dead flying foxes.
theconversation.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
Here's a Buff-banded Rail making the most of a bird bath. I think we can all agree that this species is one of the finest--if not *the* finest--of the Rallidae. If there are better Rallidae, let me see them!

Atherton Tablelands, Australia.

#BirdsSeenIn2026 #Birds
Buff-banded Rail standing in a green bird bath on a lawn. The water in the bird bath is choppy, indicating that the bird is undertaking some enthusiastic bathing. The Buff-banded Rail has a dark brown cap, a long white stripe above the eye and a chestnut strip through the eye and onto the back of the neck. The bill is pink and grey. The neck is grey and the breast and flanks are finely stripes in black and white. There is a a buff-coloured band overlying the stripes. Not the most conspicuous feature but it will do. The wings and back are mottled in a sort of khaki and brown. It is a Very Good Bird. The Buff-banded Rail (description in previous image) has created some big splashes as it washes itself. Buff-banded Rail with its head completely submerged in the bird bath.
January 16, 2026 at 7:02 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
jeffontherock.bsky.social
Green elf cup #fungus. NWT, Canada.
#fungi #fungifriends. About 1cm high.
Photo of a small fungus that consists of a short, stout stalk that branches at the top into two cups. The fungus is a blue-green colour. It is growing on a dead tree branch.
January 16, 2026 at 2:04 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
Terrible photo because the bird was in the shade, but I do like this pic of a Buff-banded Rail caught in the middle of its ablutions. They are enthusiastic bathers, as you can tell!

Atherton Tablelands, Australia.
#BirdsSeenIn2026 #Birds #addBirder
A rather dark photo of a Buff-banded Rail in a bird bath, which is just a giant plastic saucer for a giant plastic plant pot. The rail is squatting down and has splashed a big blob of water over its back. The water is caught in mid-splash and looks like an ice sculpture. The bird is much more colourful than this underexposed photo suggests. It has a red-brown cap and band through its eye, and elaborate patterns on its wings and flanks.
January 15, 2026 at 10:31 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
I should have started with my second starting word.

Wordle 1,671 3/6

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
January 15, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Bronwen Scott
leo-in-merimbula.bsky.social
They’re my most common pigeon visitors!
Beautiful, underrated birds! 😊
January 15, 2026 at 8:33 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
Every time I see one of these very common birds, I am amazed all over again at just how good our pigeons are.

I mean, just look at it! And this species is everywhere.

Crested Pigeon in my backyard, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia.

#BirdsSeenIn2026
Medium-sized pigeon strutting across a lawn. The pigeon is pinky-brown and a lovely grey. It has bright ornage eyes and a fancy and slightly preposterous crest of narrow feathers that sticks up from its head like an antenna. The wings are scalloped with black, and the feet are bright red. A++ pigeon.
January 15, 2026 at 7:19 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
Well. Almost.

Wordle 1,668 3/6

🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
January 12, 2026 at 11:13 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
The two species seen most frequently in my backyard on the Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, Australia: Bush Stone-curlew and Bar-shouldered Dove. #BirdsSeenIn2026
Large(ish) bird with a black dagger-like bill, big gold eye and reproachful look. It has been cavorting in the rain so is looking a bit damp, with the feathers stuck together. (They are still very fine feathers in shades of brown with white.) Very handsome pigeon with a steel blue head, breast and bill, a pinky grey belly, grey-brown wings and back, and a lovely coppery orange neck. The feathers on the back of the head, neck, back and wings are edged with black giving them an attractive scaled appearance. I have said it before and I'll never stop saying it: Australia does an excellent line in pigeons.
January 12, 2026 at 9:04 AM
snailseyeview.bsky.social
'Tis the season for Australian Brush-turkey chicks. Two are hanging around together, happily scratching through what little leaf litter is around. They're shy and have been skulking, as you'd expect for goshawk dinner-sized birds. Taken late on a rainy day so soz they're so dark.
#BirdsSeenIn2026
Very scruffy brush-turkey chick. It's about the size of a bantam chicken and has a startled expression. This is not because it's just been photographed unexpectedly; they always look like that. The plumage is part down, part proper feathers. The red head and yellow neck are still covered in patchy down, which will eventually be lost and not replaced, whereas the body and wings are a mix of brown down and black feathers. The bird is on the ground against a backdrop of dead palm fronds. Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland. Brush-turkey chick from previous photo perched on a fallen branch, so it is about 6 cm off the ground, which is quite high enough, thank you very much. It has that same startled expression as it eyes off the camera. More detailed description in previous image. Terrible underexposed and slightly out of focus photo of two brush-turkey chicks marching in single file along the fence-line. The chick in front has found a palm fruit but I'm not sure if it was worth the effort.
January 11, 2026 at 9:01 PM