Rebecca Heisman
@rheisman.bsky.social
Part-time bird writer for hire, part-time school garden educator. Author of Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration. She/her. https://linktr.ee/r_heisman
Happy Monday from this tiny garter snake who showed up in my little backyard water feature recently and has no idea who the president is.
August 25, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Happy Monday from this tiny garter snake who showed up in my little backyard water feature recently and has no idea who the president is.
Hey friends! It's been a hectic summer—I've been figuring out how my new garden education job & my freelance writing work fit together, my spouse has been traveling for work a ton, we've been dealing with home renovations & eldercare issues... [cont'd]
August 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Hey friends! It's been a hectic summer—I've been figuring out how my new garden education job & my freelance writing work fit together, my spouse has been traveling for work a ton, we've been dealing with home renovations & eldercare issues... [cont'd]
Okay, bird people of Bluesky: A reader just emailed to ask if I know why the swallows using one of his nest boxes might have blocked up the entrance with twigs. I have some guesses but no firm idea; maybe one of you out there is familiar with this behavior? 🪶
July 29, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Okay, bird people of Bluesky: A reader just emailed to ask if I know why the swallows using one of his nest boxes might have blocked up the entrance with twigs. I have some guesses but no firm idea; maybe one of you out there is familiar with this behavior? 🪶
Happy Monday from this gray hairstreak I spotted at the school garden I manage.
July 28, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Happy Monday from this gray hairstreak I spotted at the school garden I manage.
I've been pretty quiet here lately (way too much going on in my real, offline life, plus I'm not convinced social media is great for my mental health at the moment), but I thought Bluesky would enjoy these snippets from recent adventures in rural eastern Washington.
July 21, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I've been pretty quiet here lately (way too much going on in my real, offline life, plus I'm not convinced social media is great for my mental health at the moment), but I thought Bluesky would enjoy these snippets from recent adventures in rural eastern Washington.
It finally happened — I finally spotted a copy of my book in an airport bookstore! (Friends had sent me photos of airport sightings but I'd never had one myself.)
June 26, 2025 at 4:33 PM
It finally happened — I finally spotted a copy of my book in an airport bookstore! (Friends had sent me photos of airport sightings but I'd never had one myself.)
A few more photos from recent family adventures in California (from our Channel Islands day trip and the La Brea Tar Pits). Always trying to find that balance between activism and fighting for a better world and still enjoying the rest of life...
June 25, 2025 at 5:28 PM
A few more photos from recent family adventures in California (from our Channel Islands day trip and the La Brea Tar Pits). Always trying to find that balance between activism and fighting for a better world and still enjoying the rest of life...
Yesterday I had the incredible experience of visiting Channel Islands National Park (specifically Santa Cruz Island), which involves a 3-hour round trip on a boat. And yes, we saw the scrub jays! My spouse & kid are flying home this morning but I'll be in CA several more days for #WOS2025.
June 23, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Yesterday I had the incredible experience of visiting Channel Islands National Park (specifically Santa Cruz Island), which involves a 3-hour round trip on a boat. And yes, we saw the scrub jays! My spouse & kid are flying home this morning but I'll be in CA several more days for #WOS2025.
Snapped these photos of native wildflowers in bloom in my backyard a few minutes ago. There is a lot to be sad and angry about right now, but this is your reminder that it's okay to continue enjoying the things that are still good.
June 17, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Snapped these photos of native wildflowers in bloom in my backyard a few minutes ago. There is a lot to be sad and angry about right now, but this is your reminder that it's okay to continue enjoying the things that are still good.
Happy first Monday of June! We spent the weekend camping at Wallowa Lake in Oregon, admiring rocks and waterfalls and wildflowers.
June 2, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Happy first Monday of June! We spent the weekend camping at Wallowa Lake in Oregon, admiring rocks and waterfalls and wildflowers.
Happy 38th birthday to me! The fifth birthday I've gotten to celebrate since being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2020.
May 27, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Happy 38th birthday to me! The fifth birthday I've gotten to celebrate since being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2020.
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
Birds don't pee. We get rid of extra nitrogen by filtering urea out of our blood via our kidneys & peeing it out mixed with water; birds get rid of extra nitrogen by converting it to uric acid in their livers, then excreting it as a white paste alongside their poop.
Birds don't pee. We get rid of extra nitrogen by filtering urea out of our blood via our kidneys & peeing it out mixed with water; birds get rid of extra nitrogen by converting it to uric acid in their livers, then excreting it as a white paste alongside their poop.
May 13, 2025 at 7:18 PM
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
Birds don't pee. We get rid of extra nitrogen by filtering urea out of our blood via our kidneys & peeing it out mixed with water; birds get rid of extra nitrogen by converting it to uric acid in their livers, then excreting it as a white paste alongside their poop.
Birds don't pee. We get rid of extra nitrogen by filtering urea out of our blood via our kidneys & peeing it out mixed with water; birds get rid of extra nitrogen by converting it to uric acid in their livers, then excreting it as a white paste alongside their poop.
Started Monday morning with my first Lazuli Buntings and Yellow-breasted Chats of the year at one of my local birding haunts, followed by a lavender latte at my favorite coffee shop while catching up on email. Not bad.
May 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Started Monday morning with my first Lazuli Buntings and Yellow-breasted Chats of the year at one of my local birding haunts, followed by a lavender latte at my favorite coffee shop while catching up on email. Not bad.
Not as birdy as I hoped it would be at the local spot I checked out this morning, but I did get my first Black-headed Grosbeaks of the year, and the cottonwood "snow" blanketing the paths was fun.
May 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Not as birdy as I hoped it would be at the local spot I checked out this morning, but I did get my first Black-headed Grosbeaks of the year, and the cottonwood "snow" blanketing the paths was fun.
Yes... it's time for another SOOTHING BIRD FACT. 🐦
Birds' sex chromosomes work opposite to how ours do: Males have two copies of the large, gene-rich sex chromosome (ZZ), while females have one copy of that chromosome and one copy of a different, smaller sex chromosome (ZW).
Birds' sex chromosomes work opposite to how ours do: Males have two copies of the large, gene-rich sex chromosome (ZZ), while females have one copy of that chromosome and one copy of a different, smaller sex chromosome (ZW).
April 29, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Yes... it's time for another SOOTHING BIRD FACT. 🐦
Birds' sex chromosomes work opposite to how ours do: Males have two copies of the large, gene-rich sex chromosome (ZZ), while females have one copy of that chromosome and one copy of a different, smaller sex chromosome (ZW).
Birds' sex chromosomes work opposite to how ours do: Males have two copies of the large, gene-rich sex chromosome (ZZ), while females have one copy of that chromosome and one copy of a different, smaller sex chromosome (ZW).
Adventures I never would have had if not for my rock-obsessed kid: We spent the weekend collecting obsidian on BLM land in rural eastern Oregon!
April 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Adventures I never would have had if not for my rock-obsessed kid: We spent the weekend collecting obsidian on BLM land in rural eastern Oregon!
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
Chickadees add additional "dees" to their "chick-a-dee-dee" alarm call depending on the severity of the threat they perceive. Captive chickadees presented with a predatory pygmy owl were so freaked out they strung together 23 "dees"!
www.sciencenews.org/article/dee-...
Chickadees add additional "dees" to their "chick-a-dee-dee" alarm call depending on the severity of the threat they perceive. Captive chickadees presented with a predatory pygmy owl were so freaked out they strung together 23 "dees"!
www.sciencenews.org/article/dee-...
April 23, 2025 at 6:26 PM
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
Chickadees add additional "dees" to their "chick-a-dee-dee" alarm call depending on the severity of the threat they perceive. Captive chickadees presented with a predatory pygmy owl were so freaked out they strung together 23 "dees"!
www.sciencenews.org/article/dee-...
Chickadees add additional "dees" to their "chick-a-dee-dee" alarm call depending on the severity of the threat they perceive. Captive chickadees presented with a predatory pygmy owl were so freaked out they strung together 23 "dees"!
www.sciencenews.org/article/dee-...
On Saturday afternoon I handed my six-year-old my phone and told him to take photos of as many different blooming flowers as he could find in our yard. Result: time for me to read a book on the patio with a glass of wine, and a really fun camera roll to to look back through. (These are just a few.)
April 21, 2025 at 4:58 PM
On Saturday afternoon I handed my six-year-old my phone and told him to take photos of as many different blooming flowers as he could find in our yard. Result: time for me to read a book on the patio with a glass of wine, and a really fun camera roll to to look back through. (These are just a few.)
Lovely #TenMinMerlin at a local nature area this morning! The Yellow-rumped Warblers were singing & chasing each other, very springlike. Not included are the California Quails that were running around in the bushes or the Ruby-crowned Kinglet that burst into song the MOMENT the 10 minutes were up.
April 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Lovely #TenMinMerlin at a local nature area this morning! The Yellow-rumped Warblers were singing & chasing each other, very springlike. Not included are the California Quails that were running around in the bushes or the Ruby-crowned Kinglet that burst into song the MOMENT the 10 minutes were up.
The concert was AMAZING (I mean, come on, CANADIAN FREAKING BRASS!!!) and also I am very tempted to do a thread of all the music puns in the ads for local businesses in the program.
April 17, 2025 at 3:43 PM
The concert was AMAZING (I mean, come on, CANADIAN FREAKING BRASS!!!) and also I am very tempted to do a thread of all the music puns in the ads for local businesses in the program.
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
The only birds with truly green feathers are the turacos, which produce a unique coppery pigment called turacoverdin. All other "green" birds create the color through light's interaction with their feathers' molecular structure.
📷 René Cortin, via Wikimedia Commons
The only birds with truly green feathers are the turacos, which produce a unique coppery pigment called turacoverdin. All other "green" birds create the color through light's interaction with their feathers' molecular structure.
📷 René Cortin, via Wikimedia Commons
April 16, 2025 at 5:05 PM
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
The only birds with truly green feathers are the turacos, which produce a unique coppery pigment called turacoverdin. All other "green" birds create the color through light's interaction with their feathers' molecular structure.
📷 René Cortin, via Wikimedia Commons
The only birds with truly green feathers are the turacos, which produce a unique coppery pigment called turacoverdin. All other "green" birds create the color through light's interaction with their feathers' molecular structure.
📷 René Cortin, via Wikimedia Commons
For anyone who needs a bright spot on their timeline today: here's a sample of what's currently blooming in my native plant garden. Wild strawberry, prairie smoke, sticky geranium, Oregon grape.
April 14, 2025 at 6:37 PM
For anyone who needs a bright spot on their timeline today: here's a sample of what's currently blooming in my native plant garden. Wild strawberry, prairie smoke, sticky geranium, Oregon grape.
I have returned from Seattle, a rainy land where people throw fish at each other and draw pictures of farm animals in coffee foam.
My six-year-old liked the aquarium and the giant Ferris wheel and the monorail and seeing the first 747 but his favorite thing was the Washington Park Arboretum!
My six-year-old liked the aquarium and the giant Ferris wheel and the monorail and seeing the first 747 but his favorite thing was the Washington Park Arboretum!
April 10, 2025 at 10:02 PM
I have returned from Seattle, a rainy land where people throw fish at each other and draw pictures of farm animals in coffee foam.
My six-year-old liked the aquarium and the giant Ferris wheel and the monorail and seeing the first 747 but his favorite thing was the Washington Park Arboretum!
My six-year-old liked the aquarium and the giant Ferris wheel and the monorail and seeing the first 747 but his favorite thing was the Washington Park Arboretum!
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
Even birds that are almost entirely white or another light color often have black edges on their wings. The melanin that gives these flight feathers their dark color also helps protect them from wear and tear.
📷 Peter Chen, via Wikimedia Commons
Even birds that are almost entirely white or another light color often have black edges on their wings. The melanin that gives these flight feathers their dark color also helps protect them from wear and tear.
📷 Peter Chen, via Wikimedia Commons
April 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
SOOTHING BIRD FACT 🐦
Even birds that are almost entirely white or another light color often have black edges on their wings. The melanin that gives these flight feathers their dark color also helps protect them from wear and tear.
📷 Peter Chen, via Wikimedia Commons
Even birds that are almost entirely white or another light color often have black edges on their wings. The melanin that gives these flight feathers their dark color also helps protect them from wear and tear.
📷 Peter Chen, via Wikimedia Commons
Look yes everything is shit but also a DUCK JUST CLIMBED INTO MY TINY BACKYARD "POND"! 🥹
April 2, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Look yes everything is shit but also a DUCK JUST CLIMBED INTO MY TINY BACKYARD "POND"! 🥹