Daniel Martin
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fizbin.bsky.social
Daniel Martin
@fizbin.bsky.social
1.2K followers 170 following 4K posts
One of many, many people with this particular "real name".

You might know me from... IDK. College? Did we work together once? Prodigy's old math forum? debian-devel? A certain social MUSH? xoogler slack? "Making Light" comments? (he/him)
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fizbin.bsky.social
Nothing like "Oh! New bird! Come on, turn around, let me get a good picture I can feed into Merlin...", and then the bird turns around and it's just an American Robin but had initially been perched so as to completely hide the red front. 🪶
A light gray bird with black highlights on its wings outlined in white sits perches on a branch, back to camera. The bird's head is turned to the left and there are white outlines around the eyes. ƒ/7.1; 1/640 s; 300 mm; ISO 1600
November 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay theme today from @alan6789.bsky.social is #least, meaning the bird in your camera roll that you have the fewest captures of.

As far as I know, I only ever got one shot of a swamp sparrow. The other vaguely similar birds I saw that day were song sparrows.
A small, reddish-brown bird walks in the mud. The brown of the mud and the brown of the bird is barely distinguishable. ƒ/7.1; 1/2000 s; 300 mm; ISO 1600
November 10, 2025 at 12:00 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme from @robcrank68.bsky.social is #StandingOnThings (except the Floor), with the Alternative of #Gulls.

Royal Tern standing on a buoy near Arashi Reef, off the shore of Aruba.

#Birds #Photography
A bird with mostly white feathers, gray on the back, and with a crown of black feathers making it look like it has (human) male pattern baldness, stands on a spherical buoy in the ocean. Off the coast of Aruba ƒ/11; 1/640 s; 150 mm; ISO 200
November 9, 2025 at 1:47 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay theme by @alan678.bsky.social is #takeoffs, and rather than repeat an image I just used recently, here's a slightly out-of-focus and oddly lit shot of a cormorant midway through a water takeoff.

Cormorants sit rather low in the water, so taking off is a bit of a production.
A black bird with wings hunched over it is partway out of the river, its feet still under water. Behind it there are regular splashes indicating where it has been stepping into the water to push off. ƒ/18; 1/160 s; 300 mm; ISO 200
November 8, 2025 at 7:33 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Our church has a feature (a gas lighting fixture called a corona) that is relatively unusual, and we only light it for special days (like All Saints'). I was looking for information on other places with this and it turns out Googling "gas lighting in churches" is really not helpful in finding such.
The corona (double ring of gas lights) in front of the big stained glass that's behind the altar. The stained glass features Eve, Ruth, David, Isaiah, assorted angles, Mary and her Son. Hanging from the corona is a presence lamp. ƒ/7.1; 45 mm; various ISO and shutter speeds stacked in a (failed) attempt to produce an HDR image A shot of the corona from a different angle so that you can see it separately from the stained glass that's behind it. Hanging from the corona is a presence lamp. ƒ/7.1; 45 mm; various ISO and shutter speeds stacked in a (failed) attempt to produce an HDR image
November 7, 2025 at 5:55 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Late this #ThursJay, here's a blue jay in the early morning cold.
A blue jay in early morning shadow, body feathers fluffed out and crest feathers raised. Rancocas State Park, Mount Holly, NJ USA ƒ/7.1; 1/640 s; 300 mm; ISO 1000
November 6, 2025 at 11:55 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
So now I've got this self-conscious worry that I'll go to show you cat pictures and when I turn my phone around it's somehow accidentally switched to a photo of this duck instead.
A Muscovy Duck with characteristic bright red nodules on the head and neck, and white and brown feathers. Bubali Bird Sanctuary, Noord, Aruba ƒ/7.1; 1/800 s; 210 mm; ISO 200
November 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Why not? Three Ruddy Turnstone pictures in a row for #BirdOfTheDay. The theme for today as decided by @alan678.bsky.social is #Lunchtime, and one of these two has definitely found something that they think is food, though it doesn't look like it to me.
Two birds on the shore with black and brown back, head, and chest and white feathers on their underside walk on the shore. One has some sort of multi-legged worm-shaped thing that it pulled out of the wet sand in its mouth. Noord, Aruba, on the beach near Hadicurari Pier ƒ/1.7; 1/3759 s; 6.9 mm; ISO 33
November 6, 2025 at 3:39 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme from @robcrank68.bsky.social is #CloseUps, so here's a close up of a Ruddy Turnstone from Aruba who was resentful of his picture getting taken.
The head of a brown and white bird, looking in the direction of the camera, but then down. It looks like it's scowling. On a separate note, this was a bird who had been through some shit: one of its legs ended in a stump, completely missing the foot. Pelican Pier, Noord, Aruba ƒ/7.1; 1/500 s; 234 mm; ISO 200
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #rock, and I don't have many of those so I'm afraid I'm going to need to reuse a picture from a while ago. (Birds on grave markers, sure, but not natural rocks)

Ruddy Turnstone, outside Jarlshof, Shetland.
A black, white, and brown bird stands on its orange legs in among several wet rocks larger than the bird. f/5.6 1/320 s 150mm ISO 1000
November 4, 2025 at 1:04 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Apparently there are some #bird photographers on here that post pictures of bird butts or of birds relieving themselves under the hashtag #MoneyShotMonday.

I've never been able to get a decent Tufted Titmouse picture, but wound up with this recently and the Merlin app still identifies this photo.
A bird seen directly from below as it sits on a branch. Honestly, it looks a bit like a bird "upskirt" photo. The bird's underside is white with a tinge of brown on the edges, and it's almost possible to identify the wings as maybe being blue from this angle. ƒ/7.1; 1/250 s; 136 mm; ISO 1600
November 3, 2025 at 6:22 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay theme by @robcrank68.bsky.social today is #Pigeons and while I do have a bunch of Rock Pigeon photos from the local bridge, because of the distance required the photos aren't always that great.

So instead here's a Bare-eyed Pigeon from Aruba.
A pigeon, its head turned slightly towards the camera, perches on the top of a bare tree, its tires spread wide to catch different thin twiggy branches. Its eye has a visible black circle around it, even though the head is in shadow. The pigeon's feathers are a uniform didn't brown on top, with white visible on the underside. Bubali Bird Sanctuary, Noord, Aruba ƒ/7.1; 1/640 s; 300 mm; ISO 400
November 3, 2025 at 12:20 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
North Americans, remember to adjust all the devices in your house that don't pick up the time change automatically, and check the ones that should. (I discovered that my Fitbit was set to the wrong time zone this morning when it didn't change)

Video: me changing the time on my DMC-GX85 camera
November 2, 2025 at 10:26 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme by @alan678.bsky.social is #underrated, which he defined as "birds you feel have beauty but don’t get appreciated", but I'm taking as "birds I tend to underrate", so here's two invasive European species and a native American brood parasite. (More in alt text)
A European Starling and a male Brown-Headed Cowbird stand in some grass between grave markers. Between them, slightly hidden, is a female House Sparrow. The starling and house sparrow are generally considered nuisance bird species around here. House sparrows actively push out native species like Eastern Bluebirds or Purple Martins, killing chicks to take over desired nesting sites. Starlings around here are a nuisance because anywhere they congregate soon gets covered in starling poop. E.g., they love to steal the dry cat food we put out for the local stay cat that has adopted our back yard as the place to hang out, and as a result that bit of the garden walk is now basically a starling bathroom. Brown-headed cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests, provoking different behavior with different host birds. The "Behavior and ecology" section in the Wikipedia article on them is quite the rabbit hole to dive down. Often, the cowbird nestling will be louder and more demanding than its host nestmates, leading to the cowbird being fed at the expense of the host's own children. Some host birds will identify and eject cowbird eggs, but the Brown-headed Cowbird will often check up on eggs it laid and take revenge on host birds that do that. ƒ/10; 1/250 s; 300 mm; ISO 3200
November 2, 2025 at 9:10 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
A little late for today's #BirdOfTheDay and as I have no grebe photos (don't think I've ever even seen one in person, let alone gotten a decent picture), so I have to go for the alternate #Finch theme.
A male house finch, brown body and deep red head, perches on a soft-leaves evergreen. Behind the tree are out-of-focus greenery and sky. ƒ/5.6; 1/640 s; 286 mm; ISO 800
November 1, 2025 at 6:29 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
So I was looking yesterday at my #photography of the local churchyard to see if I had anything appropriate for #halloween, and what I had was all pleasant and sunlit.

So I took my f/1.7 lens out last night after dark, figuring low light might make things a bit spookier.
A nighttime photo of an old church with a tall, pointed steeple, illuminated by a yellowish glow. A dark cemetery filled with numerous headstones and silhouettes of trees sits in the foreground under an overcast sky. ƒ/1.7; 0.5 s; 20 mm; ISO 400 An atmospheric nighttime photo of an old cemetery. Numerous weathered headstones and crosses are scattered across a grassy, leaf-strewn ground, illuminated by an eerie, warm orange-yellow glow. Dark trees frame the scene, with a blurry pine branch hanging in the top third of the frame. ƒ/1.7; 0.5 s; 20 mm; ISO 640 A night-time shot of a crowded cemetery under an orange-tinted sky. Weathered headstones and crosses of various shapes fill the grassy ground. Dark trees frame the scene, with a prominent grave marker shaped like a jagged tree stump in the foreground. ƒ/1.7; 1/4 s; 20 mm; ISO 500
October 31, 2025 at 5:02 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #hiding, so here's a juvenile male cardinal almost into his adult plumage who I chased for a while around the churchyard who just didn't want to get photographed.
A red bird, its body visible but face obscured behind an out-of-focus foreground leaf, perches on a branch inside a tree. ƒ/5.6; 1/160 s; 300 mm; ISO 1000
October 31, 2025 at 9:40 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
I saw that last year when it was on exhibit at the V&A museum in Dundee.
The skeleton-covered kimono that's the topic of the top post, along with a wood block print that features someone wearing a similar kimono. The sign they had next to the kimono and wood block giving context.
October 30, 2025 at 11:33 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #OddAngles from @robcrank68.bsky.social.

This Carolina Wren wasn't too comfortable hanging here on the side of this collapsed umbrella.
A small dark brown bird grips tight to the side of some hanging light beige fabric. ƒ/5.6; 1/25 s; 300 mm; ISO 200
October 30, 2025 at 9:37 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
It's the season for spooky pictures. Apparently lots of people think that graveyards/churchyards are inherently spooky, especially when oddly lit.

Personally, I find the local churchyard a nice restful place away from the surrounding noise.

#photography
A churchyard with several graves in a very dry January without any snow. A mist is faintly visible. In the middle of the background stands a barren tree. ƒ/5.6; 1/25 s; 150 mm; ISO 3200 A night-time view of a graveyard in late November. The light is very orange, an effect caused by it being dark and with a long camera exposure. The entire picture title slightly to the left because I had to rest the camera on a grave marker to take the shot and it wasn't perfectly level. ƒ/4; 4 s; 45 mm; ISO 3200
October 30, 2025 at 9:00 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme as chosen by @alan678.bsky.social is #gulls, so here's one that I saw on a ferry that was going to Shetland while it was docked in Aberdeen. When I went to get an angle with more #bird in it, my camera's battery died and it was gone by the time I changed the battery out.
A seagull's head (just the head) is visible above white-painted metal structures at the top of a ship. The background is a uniform light gray cloud cover, because Scotland. Aberdeen Harbor, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK ƒ/5.6; 1/500 s; 150 mm; ISO 200
October 29, 2025 at 11:42 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
"To err is human, to really foul things up requires a computer." - humorist Bill Vaughan in 1969.

My auto mechanic in 2025:
Screenshot of a text message conversation: Them: Hi, This is JamesLux. I'll be taking care of your HY 4DR SDN 2.0 LIMITED and keeping you updated throughout the process. If you need anything or have any questions, please reach out by replying to this message anytime with questions or updates. I'm looking forward to providing you with great service! Me: My question is "what"? Our car is not in for service now nor is it scheduled for service soon. Did someone accidentally let in the wrong customer info? ("let" was a typo for "key") Them: Hey this is james from service, this is happening to like hundreds of people are AI texting is having a glitch right now im so sorry.
October 28, 2025 at 12:41 PM
fizbin.bsky.social
I had some trouble finding something theme appropriate and family-friendly for today's #BirdOfTheDay about 'Pairs Of The Same Birds'.

So here are two mourning doves I ran across walking home one morning this past August.
Two caramel-colored birds with darker wings with black spots on the wings look for tiny bits of food on a sidewalk. ƒ/10; 1/250 s; 300 mm; ISO 1000
October 28, 2025 at 11:48 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
Since I haven't managed to catch any herons on camera despite there supposedly being some on the local river occasionally, I'm going to use the alternate #BirdOfTheDay theme today from @alan678.bsky.social of #Ducks. That I can do.

(Picture details in alt text)
Female wood duck swimming in some toxic-looking green water. She has a distinct white eye mask and white wing stripe, but is otherwise mostly brown. This waterfowl preserve actually used to be a toxic waste dump, and it kind of shows in how severely they restrict where you can walk, but the ducks don't seem to care. Wissahickon Waterfowl Preserve, Ambler, PA, USA ƒ/5.6; 1/640 s; 300 mm; ISO 250
October 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM
fizbin.bsky.social
Today's #BirdOfTheDay is theme is #Egrets. I only have two distance shots that qualify that I haven't used for a BoTD before; here's one of them.

(I previously used two egret photos for the theme "long necks")

#birds 🪶

Bubali Bird Sanctuary, Noord, Aruba
A large white bird, neck curled and wings held in an upside down "U" shape flies over a river. ƒ/7.1; 1/250 s; 300 mm; ISO 1600
October 26, 2025 at 3:27 PM