Tim Gels
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Tim Gels
@timgels.bsky.social
150 followers 150 following 93 posts
Environmental educator and conservationist. Occasional poet and writer. Lately, I really like birds. Near Huntsville, AL.

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I heard my first White-throated Sparrow of the season this morning!
October 6, 2025 at 12:14 PM
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From Camperville on Facebook
October 4, 2025 at 6:05 PM
timgels.bsky.social
I love a “three woodpecker” morning at the house! #birding #birds #slowbirding
A screenshot from the Merlin app showing a Northern Flicker, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
July 11, 2025 at 11:17 AM
timgels.bsky.social
This picture was a gift. I was just standing on the porch with my phone! #birds #birding
A brilliant yellow American Goldfinch standing in the midst of some purple coneflowers.
July 4, 2025 at 12:42 AM
timgels.bsky.social
Some folks just have the hardest time with boundaries!
#birding #greatblueheron #birds
A great blue heron standing in shallow water behind a no fishing sign.
May 16, 2025 at 11:45 AM
timgels.bsky.social
This was a real gift today. I’d been standing still for a while when this Summer Tanager landed just above me. She seemed as curious about me as I was about her! #birding #birds
A female Summer Tanager in a tree. The bird is a dull yellow with a tan beak and gray legs.
May 4, 2025 at 11:16 PM
timgels.bsky.social
One of my favorite things about being a relatively new birder is seeing birds that I never even knew existed. I heard a bird and saw a silhouette in flight after a late evening at work. I’d never heard or seen it before, but Merlin helped me out: a Common Nighthawk. Beautiful flyer!
#birding #birds
The silhouette of a bird in flight. It has a narrow body and long narrow wings. There are white marks outside of the wrists.
May 2, 2025 at 1:43 AM
timgels.bsky.social
It seems that the White-throated Sparrows have finally headed north. I heard them a few days ago in my North Alabama backyard, but now they’re gone.
#birds #birding
April 26, 2025 at 12:33 AM
timgels.bsky.social
My nature highlight of the day was watching a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher building a nest! #birds #birding
The blue-gray gnatcatcher is a small bird. This picture shows a blue-gray gnatcatcher sitting in a nest that it is making. The nest is gray and brown, and appears to be made of mud and lichen.
April 19, 2025 at 1:26 AM
timgels.bsky.social
I’m sitting on my porch watching birds and was just able to spend some time with a White-throated Sparrow. It’s a bittersweet thrill each time I see one, knowing it might be the last time for quite a while.
#birding #birds
April 16, 2025 at 3:19 PM
timgels.bsky.social
Bird migration is well underway in north Alabama. Yay for spring! #birds #birding
April 14, 2025 at 10:33 PM
timgels.bsky.social
Want to see just a few more species before you wrap up for the morning? Go ahead and hit “Submit” on your eBird checklist!
#birding #ebird #birds
A poor picture of a Purple Finch seen through tree branches. The bird has a brilliant red raspberry coloration.
March 14, 2025 at 3:15 PM
timgels.bsky.social
Seeing a Bald Eagle in the wild is always a thrill for me!
#birding
A mature Bald Eagle in flight with outstretched wings.
March 9, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Reposted by Tim Gels
in-otter-news.bsky.social
February 16, 2025 at 10:51 PM
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I love the fact that I can stand in my back yard for 7 minutes and observe 16 species of birds! I’m happy to have Red-winged Blackbirds back in the neighborhood. #birds
January 26, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Tim Gels
in-otter-news.bsky.social
January 25, 2025 at 11:08 PM
timgels.bsky.social
Yesterday was a slow day birding, but I did see my first Red Fox Sparrow. What a beautiful bird with striking grey feathers on its neck and head!
#birding #birds
A large sparrow with reddish-brown feathers and grey features around its head and neck. A large sparrow with reddish-brown feathers and grey features around its head and neck.
November 29, 2024 at 1:12 AM
timgels.bsky.social
Yesterday I added the one-hundredth species to my eBird list. It was a purple finch, one of several that were present at a local bird blind. #birds #birding
A purple finch sitting on a piece of wood. It’s a small bird with purple shading on its head and breast.
November 13, 2024 at 11:01 AM
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Oddly enough, I knew what bird this was despite having never seen one before!
(See the alt text if you don’t know!)
#birds #birding
A golden-crowned kinglet sitting on a branch. It’s a small bird with a bright yellow patch on the top of its head.
October 24, 2024 at 12:55 AM
timgels.bsky.social
One of my favorite things about being a new birder is seeing birds that I never knew existed. Yesterday it was the Blue-Headed Vireo. I also saw the Bay-Breasted Warbler and the White-Throated Sparrow, which I knew of but had never seen.

#birds #birding
A Blue-Headed Vireo sitting on a branch in the shade A Bay-Breasted Warbler standing on a branch A White-Throated Sparrow standing in a shallow pool of water.
October 22, 2024 at 10:33 AM
Reposted by Tim Gels
rosemarymosco.com
Spooky bird stories.
A four-panel comic titled Spooky Bird Stories. In each panel, it's a dark night and a bird holding a flashlight is telling a story to other birds who are listening. In panel 1, a turkey vulture is telling stories to other vultures, and it says, "She walked toward the source of the terrible smell. She got closer and closer, and then, to her horror, she saw... No dead body." A black vulture says "No!" and a turkey vulture says "Did someone already eat it??" In panel 2, a northern cardinal is telling a story to some songbirds. It says "They peered through the windows of the house at the gory scene. Zombies had smashed through the door in the night. The homeowner was dead. But worst of all... He hadn't refilled the feeders." An eastern bluebird says "Aaah!" and an American goldfinch says "It can't be!". In panel 3, a screech owl is telling a story to other owls. It says "And then the ghost fluffed itself up really big to appear scarier." A saw-whet owl gasps, and a long-eared owl says "Horrifying!". In panel 4, a downy woodpecker is telling a story to other woodpeckers, and says "The eerie sound rang through the dark woods. Tap-tap. Tap-tap. It was the distinctive two-part knock of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The species had returned from the dead... FOR REVENGE." A red-cockaded woodpecker says "Yesss".
October 21, 2024 at 1:44 PM
timgels.bsky.social
With the brown thrasher, its stare makes me imagine it having the supraorbital ridge of a raptor. A beautiful bird!
A brown thrasher standing in front of a piece of wet wood. The bird has what appears to be a harsh stare.
September 26, 2024 at 11:44 AM
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I’m a big fan of common birds, especially the ones that are probably smarter than me!
A Blue Jay standing an a wet log.
September 24, 2024 at 11:57 PM
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Looking out my kitchen window a few minutes ago, I *saw* what I believe is my first neighborhood eastern phoebe. I’ve heard them around the house for years, but don’t know if I’ve ever seen one.

#birds #backyardbirding
A fuzzy picture of an eastern phoebe sitting on a chain link fence. A fuzzy picture of an eastern phoebe sitting on a chain-link fence.
September 22, 2024 at 11:19 PM
timgels.bsky.social
Hello, Bluesky! I’m interested in nature, with an emphasis on birds and trees. That will change with my mood.
September 22, 2024 at 5:55 PM