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bjanish.bsky.social
bjanish.bsky.social
@bjanish.bsky.social
140 followers 1K following 36 posts
Chicagoan. UXer. Maker. Birder-adjacent. I rescue migratory birds and watch over piping plovers in my spare time. @bjanish elsewhere. Keepin’ it together with pilates and gin.
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Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
unraveledpress.com
As the Handmaid’s, and other protesters here, continue to stand in silence, sheriff’s deputies just advanced toward the “free speech” zone.
November 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
mskellymhayes.bsky.social
My latest is a love letter to Chicago. "I see you stumbling through the stubborn, awkward rhythm of showing up, again and again. I see you fighting alongside people who sometimes frustrate and confuse you, and defending neighbors you may have never met, because you know they’re all your people."
In Chicago, We Run Toward Danger Together
"Faced with unrelenting state violence, Chicagoans have refused to be cowed," says Mariame Kaba.
organizingmythoughts.org
November 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
The theme for tonight’s Halloween party is “Nerd out!” so, well, yeah. 🧡🐦🧡🐦🧡🐦🧡
Orange tshirt with MONITOR Endangered Piping Plovers on the front. There are binoculars hanging in front and a hat with NJ PIPING PLOVER PROJECT embroidered on it. Tan field vest with various piping plover pins and patches
October 26, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
johncusack.bsky.social
No Kings
October 18, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
indivisible.org
A Chicago-style No Kings Day. #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
httorg.bsky.social
Way to go, Chicago!!
iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · Oct 18
An astonishingly large crowd!
Chicago
October 18, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
phineas.bsky.social
A digital illustration of a black crowned night heron in profile looking right, with a prominent bright red eye making them look especially expectant. Standing on a rock with green river-like swirly colors behind. The drawing is framed by a simple line, and under the frame lettering reads, 'Maybe it will happen today'.
May 9, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
chicagopiping.bsky.social
We are loving this year's theme for Plover Appreciation Day, #ploverart. Your Chicago Piping Plover Monitor 🧡 Brenda Janish made these sweet treats for the monitor season-end bash. She had the mold made and decorated the cookies - perfection! 🤍
September 16, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
thebirdist.bsky.social
I wrote about the Reiser brothers and their hilarious, disgusting Listers documentary for Slate:

slate.com/culture/2025...
One of the Funniest Documentaries of the Year Is Streaming for Free on YouTube
Listers is a journey into the dark and cringy heart of one of the world’s most peculiar hobbies.
slate.com
September 15, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
merriam-webster.com
Not to add to the discourse, but…

It’s ‘toe the line,’ not ‘tow the line.’
It’s ‘free rein,’ and not ‘free reign.’
It’s ‘eke out,’ not ‘eek out.’
It’s ‘sleight of hand,’ not ‘slight of hand.’
It's ‘Anchors aweigh,’ and not ‘Anchor's away!’
August 18, 2025 at 5:22 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
The last piping plover monitoring sesh of 2025 is in the books. We spent a quiet morning with El at 63rd street beach and pier where she took a nice bath and ate her weight in bugs on the pier. Good luck, little one. Hope to see you next year! 🧡
August 16, 2025 at 2:09 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
This painting by @phineas.bsky.social is still available! The grandplover of Montrose Beach, Monty. 6"x6" oil on panel.
octophant.us/paintings/mo...
Monty — Phineas X. Jones
6” x 6” Oil on Panel Price includes domestic US shipping.
octophant.us
August 7, 2025 at 3:50 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
I added a simpler design for the new shirts, for those not into emo latin sayings 😉 teamplover.threadless.com
T-shirt with text "Piping Plovers, Est. 2019, Montrose Beach"
August 3, 2025 at 9:35 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
The sad reality of monitoring… we observe but there’s not a lot we can do to protect. RIP little one, it was a delight knowing you. 💙
chicagopiping.bsky.social Chicago Piping Plovers @chicagopiping.bsky.social · Aug 3
It is with profound sadness that we report the loss of Ferris, who was seen predated by a Red-tailed Hawk midday Saturday. Together, we mourn the tragic passing of Ferris. Our little plover had a full 6 weeks at Montrose, especially loving the pier inlet.
August 3, 2025 at 12:49 AM
bjanish.bsky.social
New t-shirt dropped today! teamplover.threadless.com
young piping plover standing on a Chicago beach wearing a college-style t-shirt that says "Piping Plovers, Est. 2019, Montrose Beach"
July 18, 2025 at 9:10 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
Our beautiful little charges have shiny new jewelry! Superstars, all 💙❤️💚
chicagopiping.bsky.social Chicago Piping Plovers @chicagopiping.bsky.social · Jul 2
The New Stars at Montrose

Today, Sea Rocket and Imani’s chicks reached a new milestone, as they were banded. 1/2

📸: The banding team included representatives from the Chicago Park District, Great Lakes Audubon, IDNR, and USFWS. Dr. Francie Cuthbert is third from left.
July 2, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
phineas.bsky.social
It's time to get a resupply on the cat's diabeetus medication (don't tell him). This stuff is $150 a month, but I like having my cat around. Exchanges of currency for imagery are welcome and encouraged.
phineas.bsky.social Phineas @phineas.bsky.social · Mar 27
I have been making my dumb life from drawing my little guys and stuff for more than 15 years now and I would like to continue to and you can help...

Original screen prints, paintings, etc: octophant.us/buy

Art prints: www.inprnt.com/gallery/phin...

Shirts & merch: octophant.threadless.com
A screen print featuring head shots of 8 soviet dogs which were sent to orbit from 1957 to 1966, all surrounding the original canine cosmonaut Laika. A red star and banner at the top reads 'Soviet Space Dogs' next to illustrations of two different orbital capsules used in the program. All text is in Russian. An oil painting of a red human skull with a bright orange outline against a collage of '80s Japanese wrestling magazine pages. Picture of wrestlers, wrestling, and a lot of Japanese text, presumably about wrestling. A digital illustration of a spectral owl, with cephalopod arms where its legs would have been. The owl has two arrows embedded in its ghostly body. There is a stylized human skull tied to the top of its head which also has an arrow in it. Night sky, a bare tree, clouds, and a full moon are the background. A black t-shirt with an image of a Black Crowned Night Heron: a medium-sized bird with a whitish chest/belly, dark blue-black wing tops and crown, a black spearlike bill, red eyes, and proportionally long yellow legs with long toes, slightly webbed standing on a stylized rock, with a green rushing river and blue sky behind. An actual bejeweled black crown is suspended over the bird's head and a golden beam of light is coming from within it down onto the regal heron. All this is within an elaborate frame rendered to look like patinated wrought iron. As part of the frame, arcing over the bird's head on either side of the crown it reads BLACK CROWNED, and below the birds feet are the words NIGHT HERON.
June 17, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
markjacob.bsky.social
Here’s a New York Times photo of the Chicago “No Kings” rally. NYT said the march that followed spanned at least 10 blocks.
June 14, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
wttw.bsky.social
Chicago is ready for large-scale protests on Saturday against President Trump and his efforts to carry out mass deportations of undocumented people, Mayor Johnson said Wednesday.

“I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment."

to.wttw.com/3ZuWcvo
Chicago Is Ready for Large Anti-ICE Protests, Johnson Says, Blasting Trump as a ‘Tyrant’
“I am counting on all of Chicago to resist in this moment,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “Whatever particular vulnerable group is being targeted today, another group will be next.”
to.wttw.com
June 11, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
phineas.bsky.social
The weekend project was doing a real version of the Chicago-Style Pope. I hope we're all still excited about the pope.

🖼️ www.inprnt.com/gallery/phin...

👕 octophant.threadless.com/designs/da-p...
Chicago-Style Pope. A white man with a robust dark mustache wearing sunglasses along with the formal white and gold garb of the pope. The white cape has medallions on either lapel showing red 6-pointed stars as seen on the Chicago flag, and two sky blue bars wrap around the cape horizontally, also in reference to the flag. His belt/sash is also decorated with blue bars. The space inside his mitre is filled with oversized Chicago hot dog toppings (tomato, sport peppers, green relish, a pickle) and some yellow mustard is running down the front of the hat which also bears the Chicago municipal device, a Y in a circle, representing the Chicago River. In his left hand he’s holding a gold staff topped by a gilded Italian beef sandwich with a little halo and wings and he’s making a blessing gesture with his right hand. He's framed by a gothic arched window that contains a stained glass rendition of down Chicago looking past the top of the Sears Tower out toward the green lake and blue sky. At the bottom of all this is a red banner with large blackletter text that says 'Da • Pope' separated by a gold 6-pointed star, and below that in smaller blackletter text reads 'Chicago-style with Everything'.
May 12, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
phineas.bsky.social
Chicago-Style Pope. A white man with a robust dark mustache wearing sunglasses along with the formal white and gold garb of the pope. The space inside his mitre is filled with oversized Chicago hot dog toppings (tomato, sport peppers, green relish, a pickle) and some yellow mustard is running down the front of the hat. In his left hand he’s holding a good staff topped by a gilded Italian beef sandwich with a little halo and he’s making a blessing gesture with his right hand.
May 8, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
phineas.bsky.social
Did you want some more of yesterday's herons? No? Too late now.
A great blue heron posing in left facing profile among rocks and river. Looking handsome as all get out. On top of some rocks, looking left is a black crowned night heron. In a pool those rocks surround, with his head raised to the same height, is a great blue heron looking right, with roiling green river behind. A black crowned night heron in right facing profile standing on a river rock with water behind. He sun is catching out his round red eye making him look hilariously manic. A black crowned night heron perched on a branch in a tree looking left surrounded by new leaves
May 6, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by bjanish.bsky.social
phineas.bsky.social
Some more Big Blue portraits from yesterday 🪶
tight shot of a great blue heron's head, neck, and shoulder in profile looking to the left with rushing water behind portrait of a great blue heron, mostly head and neck held upright and looking left. The long, whispy chest feathers and head crest are blowing in the breeze. Rocks and river are the background. close portrait of a great blue heron, neck upright and head angled down looking right. Long, wispy chest feathers are highlighted against shadowy water behind. the head of a great blue heron in profile looking right with a river backdrop. Lots of good beak detail and a pretty gold eye.
May 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM
bjanish.bsky.social
It's that time again, for all who celebrate
youtu.be/gEjRHFom1Kk?...
Jonathan Coulton - First of May - ASL Song
YouTube video by CaptainValor
youtu.be
May 1, 2025 at 3:18 PM