The Amateur Druid (Kha Ngo)
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amateur-druid.bsky.social
The Amateur Druid (Kha Ngo)
@amateur-druid.bsky.social
94 followers 200 following 28 posts
He/him.
Current ecology student at the KU Leuven. Birder as a hobby (but maybe professional in the future?). From Southeast Asia.
Instagram for more birds & nature: @amateur_druid
Posts Replies Media Videos
amateur-druid.bsky.social
It's finally Crocus and chonky Bumblebee season!
In the foreground, a flower with five purple petals, a Crocus. On the flower and between the petals, a large young queen Bumblebee positions herself for a nectar meal, her fuzzy body covered with pollens. There is also another Crocus flower right behind, and the hazy purple of more flowers in the background indicates a whole purple patch of Crocus-covered ground.
February 23, 2025 at 4:39 PM
amateur-druid.bsky.social
I heard it is now Superb Owl season? Very excited to see my lifer, Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), just in time! Bird was observed and photographed ethically, and we soon moved on to leave it alone.
#birds #owl #longearedowl
Long-eared Owl, a medium-sized nocturnal bird of prey, sleeping in the canopy of a coniferous trees. Its namesake long ear tufts are seen, its plumage a light brown on the chest and belly with dark streaks, and a pattern on its face resembling a mask.
February 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
amateur-druid.bsky.social
Local sushi fan. Adult male Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) #birds
A common kingfisher, a small fish-eating bird with metallic blue on its dorsal side and warm orange on its ventral side. It perches on a small rosehip branch above a small pond (not pictured), waiting for a small fish to come into striking range.
January 31, 2025 at 1:39 PM
amateur-druid.bsky.social
A tiny friend! Gotta love the Long-tailed Tit. Despite being rather common songbird species, they are surprisingly hard to capture on camera. Their presence is often first heralded by their cheerful chirp-chirp calls, as they move and forage in family groups of 5-7. #birds
A Long-tailed Tit, framed by lichen-covered branches. A very small songbird, round and neat, with a set of long tail feathers which can be longer than the bird's actual body. It has white underparts that is tinged with browned closer to the tail, with dark/black lateral crown stripes, back and upper tail, with brown wing coverts. It has beady little eyes and a tiny short beak, fit for eating tiny insects, other invertebrates, and the occasional seeds.
January 28, 2025 at 9:27 PM
amateur-druid.bsky.social
As flawed as Instagram was, it was still my favourite creative outlet for amateur photography. It'll take a while to figure out the message I'd like to share here on Bluesky. So far, I've enjoyed it, certainly more than the current state of other Meta platforms. Here's a small bird for a small step!
An adult Little Grebe basking in the summer sun on the water surface, 2024. A small yet plump waterbird, dark in plumage with red nape and cheeks. Above and behind her, flowering plants on the shore of the pond bloom brilliant pink and yellow.
January 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
amateur-druid.bsky.social
I used to think that birding was an escape from 'the real world'. Increasingly I realise that going to & learning from nature *is* the real world. When corrupt politicians & billionaires attack nature, scientists, vulnerable and abused people..., we need to connect with & defend them. #addBirder
A Gray Partride, a bird from the Phasianidae family which also includes the domestic chicken and its wild ancestor, peafowls, pheasants and turkeys. The bird's head and neck is visible, as it reaches out from the grass to for a better view of its surroundings. A pair of Gray Partridges foraging together on a patch of grassland and wildflowers. From this view, the birds, gray and brown, stand out among the verdant green grass, bright yellow buttercups and white daisies. The partridges are still partially concealed however among the taller leaves and stems, good enough cover in the short-term. Still, they remain vigilant, looking out for potential predators from above like Hen Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, and on the ground, such as Foxes.
January 22, 2025 at 10:12 PM
amateur-druid.bsky.social
Hello fellow humans of Earth, I'm definitely not these three birds in a raincoat 👀 🐦. Rather, I'm a current international Master of Biology student at the KU Leuven. I'd like to see if I can share my passion for ecology, conservation and birding here on Bluesky!
#birds #birding #photography
A small songbird, a Blue Tit, perching on a small tree with a dead leaf hanging off to the right. The greyish sky as background. A different small songbird, a Eurasian Nuthatch, perching on a branch. This species is very active, and the bird's posture hints that it is about to jump or fly away to go onto the next branch or tree trunk in the next second. A different songbird, this time a Northern Wheatear, standing amidst the tall grasses.
November 21, 2024 at 2:03 PM