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cullenish.bsky.social
Cullen Anderson
@cullenish.bsky.social
160 followers 170 following 340 posts
Rainforest Restoration - @phoenixconservancy.bsky.social

Birder. Ecologist.

Based in Pullman, WA.

Opinions my own.
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cullenish.bsky.social
Well this was a lovely surprise after a day on the river

#AuroraBorealis #NorthernLights
Aurora borealis
November 12, 2025 at 2:02 AM
cullenish.bsky.social
Speaking of flying squirrels but completely unrelated (genetically), my favorite animals are colugos, aka flying lemurs.

They're not lemurs at all, but they're kind of proto primates in that all primates share a common ancestor with these weirdos before any other mammal on Earth.
A Colugo gliding through the air at night A Colugo clings to a tree during the day
November 6, 2025 at 2:13 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
It does seem like the etymology is completely unrelated, but one of the made up, totally not real ways to refer to a group of squirrels is, in fact, a scurry
A screenshot from the Wikipedia article on squirrels of text reading "A group of squirrels is called a 'dray' or a 'scurry.'"
November 6, 2025 at 4:55 AM
cullenish.bsky.social
I love these conversations because I also get to learn new things. Meet the Red and White Giant Squirrel of China!

Up to 4ft long from nose to tail. Wild!
A group of four images featuring the Red and White Giant Squirrel, including a large picture of one gliding
November 6, 2025 at 4:22 AM
cullenish.bsky.social
I'm revisiting old, unedited photos to find useful pieces for storytelling since it's year-end fundraising season. Check out this gorgeous sunset in the Marula savannah of southeastern Madagascar 🌄

#Nature #Photography #Madagascar
Marula trees (Sclerocarya birrea) dot a landscape of rolling grassy hills and savannah in southeastern Madagascar. The sun sets behind a distant hill, illuminating the cloudy sky with yellows, reds, purples, and blues. The foreground is bathed in subtle blue and green from the fading light.
November 5, 2025 at 11:52 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
First ever coho! 🎣 I'm still dumbfounded these fish (and other anadromous species) swim hundreds of miles inland to spawn.

Landed a monster of a native Chinook as well, but no pictures 😞

#Fishing #Nature #Salmon
A man wearing a hat, sunglasses, sweatshirt, and chest waders holds a coho salmon just out of the water in a river
November 3, 2025 at 4:48 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Well, I snapped my rod an hour in, but I still managed to catch these guys (first was 23"!!) even though I was missing the rod's end section

Absolutely phenomenal way to close the season on this river

#Flyfishing #Nature #Trout
A large rainbow trout resting in a net with hand underneath its head A large rainbow trout resting in a net A rainbow trout resting in a net
October 23, 2025 at 2:48 AM
cullenish.bsky.social
Going #flyfishing at my favorite river for the last time (this season), and I wish I could talk about it.

It's the kind of spot that upends most people's perceptions of what trout fishing looks like. It also produces enormous fish. Most folks that fish it know not to name it.

It's our secret.
A large Rainbow Trout in a net
October 22, 2025 at 4:34 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
I personally am fine with not seeing rando news stories on my feed, especially since I only use the following tab.

That said, based on who I follow, I'd expect better from "Trending" or some other side section. Caturday is trending on a Thursday? Really?

Would love a trending news element instead
A screenshot of the trending topics on Bluesky, which includes "The Archers," "Russell Westbrook," "Mariners," and "Caturday."
October 16, 2025 at 4:57 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Excuse my butcher job, but I was fortunate enough to get 3lbs of meat off this ~26in fish (not including head+spine+tail for stock)
Filets from a steelhead trout
October 16, 2025 at 4:37 AM
cullenish.bsky.social
Nothing like getting away from the world for a day, especially when #steelhead are successfully involved

#Fishing #Nature #Washington
A steelhead trout in a large black net A grassy canyon wall glowing orange with the setting sun
October 15, 2025 at 6:38 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
The land of Gunnison Sage-Grouse 🦃, which I didn't get to see 😠

Something about a bird being endangered makes them hard to find? Annoying.

Anyways, central CO is gorgeous. Here's Needle Rock, an ancient volcanic neck

#Nature #Colorado #Photography #Outdoors #Landscape
Needle Rock, an ancient volcanic neck, protrudes from the Earth as it is illuminated by the sun in front of large mountains laying in shadow. A partly cloudy blue sky dominates the upper two-thirds of the photo, while low-lying hills covered in grass and sagebrush appear in the foreground.
October 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Things (gesturing broadly) are capital B Bad right now, but my first trip to Colorado is going well so far 🎣🌄

#Flyfishing #Colorado #Nature #Photography
A person's hand holds a rainbow trout partially submerged in a river The view of sunset from a high mountain pass
October 1, 2025 at 7:04 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Their greed for perches sickens me 💔

Eastern Kingbirds disagreeing on Yucca stalk ownership in South Dakota

#Wildlife #Nature #Photography
One Eastern Kingbird swoops up to another individual of the same species perched on an old Yucca flower stalk
September 17, 2025 at 6:16 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
There's a solemness to winter that often gives way to peace, or at least quiet. I'm feeling a bit mocked by today's bright, warm weather.

This old photo is resonating with me more.

#Photography #Washington #PNW #Nature
A dark. hilly foreground lies in shadow beneath soft, overcast skies illuminated with reds, yellows, and blue as the sun sets. The silhouette of Tahoma, also known as Mt. Rainier, appears looming in the distance.
September 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Bonus Tahoma/Mt. Rainier shot
Sunset illuminates a lake and the clear sky above it with yellows and oranges. Small, rocky islands barely emerge from the water, and bare trees appear on a distant shore. The trees, along with hills in the background, appear dark as they are silhouetted by the fading light. Tahoma, also called Mt. Rainier, nearly blends in with the sky just beyond the horizon.
September 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Sunset over the Stuarts 🌄

I'm not exactly looking forward to winter's long nights and short days, but the light that is available at dawn and dusk certainly helps me feel a little better.

#Washington #PNW #Mountains #Nature #Photography
Sunset illuminates the sky and a lake with glowing yellows, oranges, and reds. The Stuart mountain range appears in blues and black.
September 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
EEEEP!

Digging through old photos, again, and found this fairly concerned pika from Tahoma/Mt. Rainier

#Wildlife #Washington #PNW #Nature #Photography
A Pika pokes its head out from behind a rock
September 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
I have a sneaking suspicion I was being watched...

#Wildlife #Nature #Photography #Birding
A Burrowing Owl pokes its head up from its burrow behind a clump of grass
August 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Bluesky is the only social media I have left, so you guys are getting this one instead of Instagram.

I'm getting MARRIED!
A woman's hand with a white marque-cut gemstone attached to a gold band on her left ring finger. A man holds his hand up to hers, revealing another ring, this one with a green pear-cut gemstone, between her fingers. The man (me) is visible smiling in the background.
August 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
I photographed a murder 🪦

Robber Fly drinking a Grasshopper 🪰🥤🦗

#Nature #Photography #Insects #Wildlife
A Giant Robber Fly restrains a similarly sized grasshopper while clinging to the back of a leather truck seat
August 21, 2025 at 7:14 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Hitting alpine tundra at the right time of year feels like heaven.

Thanks, Wyoming.

#Wildflower #Nature #Photography #Mountain #Wyoming
An American Bistort (Bistorta bistortoides) blooming in alpine tundra, backlit by the setting sun. Tall mountains, some with large patches of snow, appear blurry in the distant background.
July 31, 2025 at 4:37 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
The Beartooth Mountains are total showstoppers. Look at this!

#Mountains #Nature #Photography #Montana #Wyoming
An alpine lake at sunset is illuminated in blues and pinks The sun sets behind tall, rocky mountains
July 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Palouse sunrises never fail to disappoint. I'm so fortunate to have opportunities like this.

View from Steptoe Butte, with endangered native prairie overlooking rolling agricultural fields.

#Palouse #Nature #Photography #Washington #PNW #Landscape
A wide picture of the rolling hills of the Palouse region of eastern Washington and northern Idaho at sunrise. Native prairie, with a diversity of grasses, forbs, and shrubs, appears in the foreground and midground, with rolling agricultural fields in the background. Mountains are visible in the far distance. The sky is clear but shifts from orange to yellow to blue from right to left and down to up.
July 16, 2025 at 8:26 PM
cullenish.bsky.social
Has a fatter trout ever existed?

#Flyfishing #Fishing #Trout #Nature
A large Rainbow Trout lays on its side in a net with a person's hand underneath it
July 8, 2025 at 9:24 PM