Marty Essen
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Marty Essen
@martyessen.bsky.social
5.5K followers 2.4K following 630 posts
Multi-award-winning author of eight books (3 nonfiction & 5 fiction), talent agent, college speaker, activist, adventurer, and photographer.

Website: https://martyessen.com Blog: https://marty-essen.com
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Marty’s photo of the day #4891: Canada geese in flight. Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.

#birds #photography #Montana
Marty’s photo of the day #4891: Canada geese in flight. Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.
November 10, 2025 at 11:13 AM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4890: Gentoo penguins on an island off the coast of Antarctica.

#birds #photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4890: Gentoo penguins on an island off the coast of Antarctica.
November 9, 2025 at 10:51 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4889: This is a spectacled flying fox, photographed in Queensland, Australia.

#photography #wildlife
Marty’s photo of the day #4889: This is a spectacled flying fox, photographed in Queensland, Australia.
November 8, 2025 at 7:58 AM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4888: A moose portrait. Photographed in the Essen Wildlife Refuge, Montana.

#photography #wildlife #Montana
Marty’s photo of the day #4888: A moose portrait. Photographed in the Essen Wildlife Refuge, Montana.
November 7, 2025 at 12:10 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4887: Prairie dog, photographed at the American Prairie, Montana.

#photography #wildlife #Montana
Marty’s photo of the day #4887: Prairie dog, photographed at the American Prairie, Montana.
November 6, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4886: For this photo, I am in the rainforest on the island of Borneo, standing inside an old strangler fig, with my camera pointed straight up.

#photography #nature
Marty’s photo of the day #4886: For this photo, I am in the rainforest on the island of Borneo, standing inside an old strangler fig, with my camera pointed straight up.
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4885: This is a Venezuelan troupial, photographed last year in Bonaire. As the name suggests, the are native to Venezuela. Apparently they were introduced to the island in 1973, when a local friar released some there.

#birds #photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4885: This is a Venezuelan troupial, photographed last year in Bonaire. As the name suggests, the are native to Venezuela. Apparently they were introduced to the island in 1973, when a local friar released some there.
November 4, 2025 at 2:26 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4884: Nellie gets credit for spotting this great horned owl. The owl is right outside my writing room window. Nellie barked at first, but now that the owl is asleep, she is just staring at it with an occasional low growl. I think the owl has settled in for the day.

#birds
Marty’s photo of the day #4884: Nellie gets credit for spotting this great horned owl. The owl is currently sitting right outside my writing room window. Nellie barked at first, but now that the owl is asleep, she is just staring at it with an occasional low growl. I think the owl has settled in for the day.
November 3, 2025 at 4:15 PM
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The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles has won 2 more awards! I can’t divulge the names of the 5th or the 6th awards until the results are released. Also, the sequel, The Silver Squad Rides Again, is now in the hands of my editor.

Info and buy links are here: martyessen.com/books

#booksky #books
The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles has won 2 more awards! I can’t divulge the names of the 5th or the 6th awards until the results are released. Also, the sequel, The Silver Squad Rides Again, is now in the hands of my editor. Info and buy links are here: https://martyessen.com/books
November 3, 2025 at 3:29 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4883: I photographed this tiny frog in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru. The closest ID I could find is a Luscombe's rain frog, but I’m not positive it is correct.

#photography #rainforest
November 2, 2025 at 3:51 PM
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The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles has won a 5th award! I can’t divulge the name of the award until the results are officially released on December 1st. Also, the sequel, The Silver Squad Rides Again, is now in the hands of my editor.

Info and buy links are here: martyessen.com/books
#Booksky
November 1, 2025 at 6:22 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4882: I have two exotic trips coming up. In preparation, I decided to test my cameras and lenses. I stepped outside and photographed just about the least exotic wild animal on the planet: a squirrel. I intended to examine the photo and delete it. Then I decided I liked it.
Marty’s photo of the day #4882: I have two exotic trips coming up. In preparation, I decided to test my cameras and lenses. I stepped outside and photographed just about the least exotic wild animal on the planet: a squirrel. I intended to examine the photo and delete it. Then I decided I liked it.
November 1, 2025 at 3:15 PM
martyessen.bsky.social
Marty’s photo of the day #4881: Happy Halloween from the bats of Costa Rica.

#photography #CostaRica #wildlife
October 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4880: Today we go with a scenic shot along the coast of Puerto Rico. And for any Republicans seeing this: Puerto Rico is part of the United States.

#photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4880: Today we go with a scenic shot along the coast of Puerto Rico. And for any Republicans seeing this: Puerto Rico is part of the United States.
October 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4879: If you live in America, where the party in power gets its rocks off by being vindictive and cruel, it’s important to keep in mind that their time is limited. Most of us will see their fall. In the meantime, here’s some baby duck cuteness to reflect on.

#birds
Marty’s photo of the day #4879: If you live in America, where the party in power gets its rocks off by being divisive, vindictive, and cruel, it’s important to keep in mind that their time is limited. Most of us will see their fall. In the meantime, here’s some baby duck cuteness to reflect on.
October 29, 2025 at 2:56 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4878: Somewhere in Montana—the summer of 2020.
Marty’s photo of the day #4878: Somewhere in Montana—the summer of 2020.
October 28, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4877: I love the feeling the bison projects for this photo. “Don’t fuck with me!”

#photography #wildlife
October 27, 2025 at 2:17 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4876: Union jack butterfly, photographed in northern Queensland, Australia.

#photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4876: Union jack butterfly, photographed in northern Queensland, Australia.
October 26, 2025 at 2:48 PM
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I updated the Books page on my website (martyessen.com/books), because I’m advertising in the Mother Jones magazine Holiday Gift Giving Guide, and the ad links to that page. Profiting off the ad is unlikely, but it’s important to support journalists who refuse to bend a knee to #Felon47.

#booksky
October 25, 2025 at 7:11 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4875: This photo is from a hike along the Bitterroot River in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana earlier this week. As beautiful as this scene is, 69 percent of the people in the valley voted for Trump—meaning they are bitter about . . . (click ALT for the rest)

#photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4875: This photo is from a hike along the Bitterroot River in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana earlier this week. As beautiful as this scene is, 69 percent of the people in the valley voted for Trump—meaning they are bitter about anyone who isn’t straight, bitter about anyone who isn’t white, bitter about anyone who isn’t far-right, and bitter about anyone who isn’t their kind of Christian.
October 25, 2025 at 3:28 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4874: I named Nellie after the “Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie,” in my first novel, Time Is Irreverent. The real Nellie was so excited about playing in the Bitterroot River yesterday that she outdid the fictional Nellie. She walked on water!

#photography #Montana
Marty’s photo of the day #4874: I named Nellie after the “Holy Smokin’ Hot Nellie,” in my first novel, Time Is Irreverent. The real Nellie was so excited about playing in the Bitterroot River yesterday that she outdid the fictional Nellie. She walked on water!
October 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4873: Whenever I go to Spokane, breakfast at Frank’s Diner (an old railroad car) is on my list. When Deb and I showed up, the morning after the Garbage concert, the wait to get a seat was 30-45 minutes.

(Click ALT and tap text for the rest of the story)

#photography
Marty’s photo of the day #4873: Whenever I go to Spokane, breakfast at Frank’s Diner (an old railroad car) is on my list. When Deb and I showed up, the morning after the Garbage concert, the wait to get a seat was 30-45 minutes. We waited and were awarded two stools at the end of the counter, providing this view. Watching the cooks and wait-staff squeeze back and forth in their tiny space added to my appreciation of the breakfast to come. Then I noticed numerous workers with brown skin, some who had worked there for many years, and all I could think of was how fucking evil ICE is. The chances are good that every one of those workers is here legally, but even if they weren’t, why would any decent person give a shit? They were the dedicated hard-working kind of people that every country needs. Yet if ICE ever showed up in Spokane, you know they’d pay Frank’s Diner a visit—and it wouldn’t be for the scrumptious food.
October 23, 2025 at 3:09 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4872: The many colors of the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, where I live.

#photography #Montana
Marty’s photo of the day #4872: The many colors of the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, where I live.
October 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4871: Iguana, photographed on the island of Bonaire.

#phorography #wildlife
Marty’s photo of the day #4871: Iguana, photographed on the island of Bonaire.
October 21, 2025 at 2:25 PM
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Marty’s photo of the day #4870: Eventually, I’m going to run out of Antarctica iceberg photos. But not yet. I haven’t posted this one before.

#photography #nature
Marty’s photo of the day #4870: Eventually, I’m going to run out of Antarctica iceberg photos. But not yet. I haven’t posted this one before.
October 20, 2025 at 3:16 PM