Mark's Spot
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markmckechnie.bsky.social
Mark's Spot
@markmckechnie.bsky.social
870 followers 1.4K following 670 posts
Just trying to find a nice corner of the internet unmolested by oligarchs. Vegetarian for a livable climate. Solar powered. Equity. Justice. Science. 3rd Gen ANTIFA
Pictures of birds 📷🦉🐦‍⬛🦜 https://flic.kr/ps/3UZJfV
Unabashed opinions about music 🎵🎸🎶
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markmckechnie.bsky.social
A pair of Great Horned Owls showed themselves behind our house this weekend.
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Owls
Two Great Horned Owls perched in a Bigleaf Maple Tree with autumn colors Closer photo of one Great Horned Owl perched in a Bigleaf Maple Tree
November 13, 2025 at 4:47 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
American Kestrel (male), the smallest falcon
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Kestrel
November 9, 2025 at 4:37 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Merlin (a small falcon that is slightly larger than a Kestrel) looking for small shorebirds to eat along Washington's Pacific Coast.
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Merlin #birdsinflight
November 6, 2025 at 2:31 AM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Beyond their cuteness, Pied-billed Grebes are fun to watch because they can expel air from their bodies and dive like a submarine. I've seen them basically sink straight down and disappear.
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Grebe
October 28, 2025 at 1:51 AM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
#EconSky
Three-fourths of respondents said their monthly household costs are going up by more than $100 What respondents perceived as biggest risk to the US economy
October 16, 2025 at 2:03 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Get to know a Godwit: Hudsonian Godwit at Willapa Bay, WA, USA
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Godwit
October 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
The U.S. Dollar was worth almost 13 percent more on Jan. 19th compared to today.
#EconSky
October 12, 2025 at 8:20 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Get to know a Godwit: Bar-tailed Godwit at Willapa Bay, WA, USA
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Godwit
October 11, 2025 at 6:27 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
How many times has the current administration violated the HATCH Act? Too many to count. Here they are weaponizing the Dept of Agriculture against democracy, in violation of federal law and important protections for all public employees.
USDA Economic Research Service web page banner reads: "Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people."
October 2, 2025 at 1:29 AM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Sinclair Media stock
#EconSky
September 25, 2025 at 10:36 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
This is one of the best so far:
September 24, 2025 at 4:55 AM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Secret photos of #ANTIFA leadership revealed!
September 21, 2025 at 9:12 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
The Virginia Rail has been my nemesis bird for years -- always eluding me in the grass, brush, and shadows. Finally, the curse is broken!
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Rails
The Virginia Rail is a chickenlike marsh bird with a long, heavy bill and a short, upturned tail. Head on, the Virginia Rail looks thin, but from the side they look rather full-bodied; what biologists call a laterally compressed body. --Cornell Lab Virginia Rails are rusty overall with a gray face, coarse dark streaking down the back, black-and-white barring on the sides, and white undertail feathers. The bill and legs are reddish, although the legs are often covered with mud. --Cornell Lab
September 20, 2025 at 8:38 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Wilson's Snipe
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Snipe #birdsinflight
September 14, 2025 at 3:50 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Belted Kingfisher fly-by along the Union River, Mason County, WA
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Kingfisher #birdsinflight
September 12, 2025 at 8:36 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Osprey after a dive
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Osprey #birdsinflight
September 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Brown Creeper in riparian forest.
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Songbird #Creeper
Small bird clinging to mossy tree trunk. Brown patterned back is camoflaged against the tree.
September 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Marbled Godwits crowded on a beach: Willapa Bay, WA
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Godwits
Marbled Godwits crowded on a beach. Godwits are medium-sized wading shorebirds that are tan and reddish brown. They have longish legs and a black and pink long bill that they use to dig for food in sandy and muddy shorelines.
August 30, 2025 at 7:44 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
American Bitterns born in 2025!
#birds #birdphotography #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Bittern
August 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
30 U.S. cities with at least 100,000 residents that had the highest number of crimes against people, per 100,000, according to the latest FBI data report. Most are in states controlled by Republicans and/or in states that voted for Trump in 2024....
1. Memphis, TN 2. Cleveland, OH 3. Toledo, OH 4. Little Rock, AR 5. Peoria, IL 6. Springfield, IL 7. Detroit, MI 8. Akron, OH 9. Beaumont, TX 10. Rockford, IL 11. Evansville, IN 12. Dayton, OH 13. Nashville, TN 14. Winston-Salem, NC 15. Springfield, MO 16. Chicago, IL 17. Salt Lake City, UT 18. Springfield, MA 19. North Charleston, SC 20. Corpus Christi, TX 21. Tulsa, OK 22. Albany, NY 23. Buffalo, NY 24. Kansas City, MO 25. Shreveport, LA 26. Baltimore, MD 27. Houston, TX 28. New Haven, CT 29. Las Cruces, NM 30. Lansing, MI
August 13, 2025 at 2:17 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
I look forward to this time of year when the Belted Kingfishers re-emerge with panache after nesting season.
#birds #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Kingfisher
August 10, 2025 at 8:27 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
#EconSky
Even if one could believe anything the Trump administration says, even the most optimistic estimated $350B savings from repealing auto fuel emissions standards pales in comparison to climate costs:
Bloomberg headline: US Spending on Climate Damage Nears $1 Trillion Per Year. Subheading says that costs from rising temperatures exceed 3% of US GDP
August 3, 2025 at 9:32 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
There is only one nesting spot left in Washington for Puffins. We were super lucky to see two Horned Puffins, as well as several Tufted Puffins yesterday on a birding boat tour in Puget Sound.
#birds #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #life #PNW #Nikon #Alcids #Auks #Puffins
Horned Puffin with a mouthful of fish Tufted Puffin with its large orange bill in the beautiful sunlight. Long, thin white feather tufts extend back from each side of the head.
July 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Belted Kingfishers, Puget Sound
#birds #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #spring #life #PNW #Nikon #Kingfisher
July 20, 2025 at 4:34 PM
markmckechnie.bsky.social
Black-necked Stilts along the Columbia River in Walla Walla County, WA
#birds #nature #wildlife #wildlifephotography #photography #spring #life #PNW #Nikon #warbler
July 10, 2025 at 1:37 PM