Michael
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thecorvallisbirder.bsky.social
Michael
@thecorvallisbirder.bsky.social
Fisheries biologist working with the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife, monitoring coastal fall Chinook. Birder, forager, all-around amateur naturalist and photographer.
For the #BirdoftheDay theme of #OddCouples (two birds in one shot), here's a couple shots. See alt text for descriptions. #Nature #Photography #Birds #PNWBirding #Oregon
February 10, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Michael
States can step in to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and automakers will likely keep trying to reduce emissions to remain competitive in the global market. In the meantime, more Americans will die from air pollution and climate change because of the Trump regime.
Exclusive | Trump to Repeal Landmark Climate Finding in Huge Regulatory Rollback
The move would reverse a legal determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health.
www.wsj.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:37 AM
For a good #StareDown, there's nothing quite like an Owl. Like this Burrowing Owl, which seems to be giving me the most disdainful look it can manage. #BirdoftheDay #Nature #Photography #Birds #Owls #PNWBirding #WillametteValley #Oregon
February 9, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Michael
The U.S. Senate is considering legislation this week, possibly as soon as tomorrow, that could overturn long-standing protections and open the door to copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the most intact boreal ecosystems in the Lower 48.
February 9, 2026 at 7:27 PM
A little late to the #BirdoftheDay party today, but the theme of #posted is timely, as I just captured this Prairie Falcon on a post in a farm field on Friday. When it took off, I discovered it was carrying rodent prey as well! #Nature #Photography #Birds #PNWBirding #WillametteValley #Oregon
February 8, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Reposted by Michael
The agency’s plan would narrow water quality reviews and eliminate one of the few ways that tribes can their enforce treaty rights, shares Grist.

buff.ly/7CAdxrz
An EPA proposal would make it harder for tribes to protect their water - High Country News
The agency’s plan would narrow water quality reviews and eliminate one of the few ways that tribes can their enforce treaty rights.
www.hcn.org
February 8, 2026 at 3:52 PM
This feels like such an almost photo; I like the composition and the pose I was able to capture, of two Horned Larks sparring in the air. But it was at the absolute edge of my lens' range, so it's much softer than I'd like. @aba.org #Nature #Photography #Birds #WillametteValley
February 8, 2026 at 1:17 AM
Was over in the farmlands across the river again yesterday, one of my winter birding haunts. The fog had come down thick again, but I managed some decent raptor shots anyway! #Nature #Photography #Birds #PNWBirding #WillametteValley #Oregon
February 8, 2026 at 1:14 AM
For the #BirdoftheDay, I managed to capture this Spotted Towhee in a moment of #Serenity (a rare thing with Sparrows); possibly it is contemplating which apple to eat next. #Nature #Photography #Birds #PNWBirding #WillametteValley #Oregon
February 7, 2026 at 5:19 PM
A masterful combination of old words and current events.
"The Stranger's Case," William Shakespeare Sir Thomas Moore: Act II Scene 4
___

Imagine that you see the wretched strangers,

Their babies at their backs and their poor luggage,

Plodding to the ports and costs for transportation ...
February 7, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Michael
It really pays to remind ourselves frequently that this whole immigration "crisis" is made up out of whole cloth. There was no emergency,danger or problem, only a demagogue stirring up racist grievances for political advantage.
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Reposted by Michael
When we fight together, we win.

ICYMI, here are some key wins from the past week. 🧵
February 6, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Since it's on old farmland, my local wildlife refuge has some old fruit trees around. In one spot, an apple proves to be a draw for many of the local sparrows and finches in the late winter. Here, a Golden-Crowned Sparrow pauses before flitting up to the tree. #Nature #Photography #Birds #Oregon
February 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Ok, technically this Western Bluebird was seen in my front yard, but I'm still counting it for #BackyardBirds! I'm hoping to entice a few of these beauties into nest boxes this year. #BirdoftheDay #Nature #Photography #Birds #PNWBirding #WillametteValley #Oregon
February 4, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Michael
this stuff has really broken me. it's simply astounding that so many people who have been allowed to amass unimaginable wealth are so droolingly stupid, so unmoored from and in fact hostile to any sense of community or social responsibility, and oh by the way they love to constantly rape children
February 4, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Reposted by Michael
I've told this story on ContrabandCamp but it's worth sharing for BHM because it's one of the greatest stories ever.

A thread.
February 4, 2026 at 5:07 AM
Reposted by Michael
ICE hasn't stopped brutalizing people or shredding the Constitution, it's just that corporate media turned the camera as the call for action got too loud and the Democrats stepped in and made sure the issue got changed.

If you sit for a second, you'll recognize that's what happened with BLM, too.
February 3, 2026 at 7:16 PM
This seems... not good.
Since January 20, 2025, the #GreatLakes region has lost 19,450 federal jobs including at NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (which lost 20% of its workforce) + US Fish & Wildlife Service, threatening scientific research and ecosystem protection www.nemw.org/trump-admini...
February 3, 2026 at 6:00 PM
For the #BirdoftheDay theme of #Reflections, here's a nicely reflective Tundra Swan. #Nature #Photography #Birds #PNWBirding #WillametteValley #Oregon
February 3, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Michael
Say what you will about the previous era of American politics, but that it was replaced by one of performative oafish cruelty was not a change for the better.
February 2, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Michael
Discworld QOTD, from I Shall Wear Midnight
February 2, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Michael
It's hard to overstate how ell-organized the portland march that got gassed was... organizers made the crowd promise to be peaceful, said the march would slow in front of the ICE building but not stop, that we would stick to one chant (ICE Out). They did absolutely everything right and got gassed.
February 1, 2026 at 3:10 AM
Reposted by Michael
The U.S. - which we know is now run by merciless ultra-rich pedophiles - recently withdrew from “key U.N. bodies that seek to hold states accountable for rape and use of child soldiers in conflict, among other crimes.”

The U.S has become a state run by and for the interests of child rapists.
US turns its back on global efforts for women and children terrorized by violence and conflict
The Trump administration’s move to withdraw the US from these organizations risks undercutting lasting peace and global human rights accountability.
theconversation.com
January 31, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Michael
Just got gassed pretty good at the labor union anti-ICE protest in Portland. Massive march, 5-10k strong. Vibes were very much liberal rather than radical. Lots of kids and older folks.

They gassed the whole crowd as soon as it marched on ICE, in broad daylight.
February 1, 2026 at 2:03 AM