Tim McKay
@timmckay.bsky.social
Bird & nature lover; book addict; educator, astronomer, physicist; happiest outdoors. Born at 320 ppm.
Spent part of today working with the Washtenaw Bird and Nature Alliance at our Searles Preserve, making plans for future restoration of this diverse nature area, and removing invasive shrubs. Late fall in Michigan forests, amidst our first snow, is lovely.
November 10, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Spent part of today working with the Washtenaw Bird and Nature Alliance at our Searles Preserve, making plans for future restoration of this diverse nature area, and removing invasive shrubs. Late fall in Michigan forests, amidst our first snow, is lovely.
I voted this morning and was #11.
I'm very happy that there's early and absentee voting, but still love to do it in person.
I'm very happy that there's early and absentee voting, but still love to do it in person.
November 4, 2025 at 5:24 PM
I voted this morning and was #11.
I'm very happy that there's early and absentee voting, but still love to do it in person.
I'm very happy that there's early and absentee voting, but still love to do it in person.
Beautiful fall afternoon for a long ride on the Border-to-Border trail near Dexter MI with our young friends Karl and Emily. The big maples are just spectacular right now.
October 25, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Beautiful fall afternoon for a long ride on the Border-to-Border trail near Dexter MI with our young friends Karl and Emily. The big maples are just spectacular right now.
Signs of foot traffic on the Lake Michigan shoreline Monday morning.
October 23, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Signs of foot traffic on the Lake Michigan shoreline Monday morning.
Mushrooms and lichens in a late fall maple forest near Northport, MI. Some mossy rocks too. They all love this rainy fall weather.
October 20, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Mushrooms and lichens in a late fall maple forest near Northport, MI. Some mossy rocks too. They all love this rainy fall weather.
Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula is blustery and gorgeous this fall weekend.
October 19, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula is blustery and gorgeous this fall weekend.
Overnight rainstorms made for a good #FungiFriday here in Northern Michigan.
October 17, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Overnight rainstorms made for a good #FungiFriday here in Northern Michigan.
Visited the @umich.edu Museum of Art's "Both Sides of the Line", featuring the work of both Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith yesterday. This is a great show, and anyone passing through Ann Arbor ought to see it!
umma.umich.edu/exhibitions/...
umma.umich.edu/exhibitions/...
October 12, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Visited the @umich.edu Museum of Art's "Both Sides of the Line", featuring the work of both Carmen Herrera & Leon Polk Smith yesterday. This is a great show, and anyone passing through Ann Arbor ought to see it!
umma.umich.edu/exhibitions/...
umma.umich.edu/exhibitions/...
Turkey tails! Fall mushrooms are the best.
October 11, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Turkey tails! Fall mushrooms are the best.
Despite everything that is happening in the world, today is Plaidurday, the worldwide celebration of plaid, led from the shore of Lake Superior in Marquette Michigan.
www.miningjournal.net/news/front-p...
www.miningjournal.net/news/front-p...
October 3, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Despite everything that is happening in the world, today is Plaidurday, the worldwide celebration of plaid, led from the shore of Lake Superior in Marquette Michigan.
www.miningjournal.net/news/front-p...
www.miningjournal.net/news/front-p...
Today we launched the @umich.edu Climate Week (climateweek.umich.edu) with HarvestFest at the @umichmbgna.bsky.social Campus Farm.
I was happy to catch up with students from the Michigan Sustainability Community, our living-learning laboratory for campus sustainability (lsa.umich.edu/msc).
I was happy to catch up with students from the Michigan Sustainability Community, our living-learning laboratory for campus sustainability (lsa.umich.edu/msc).
September 28, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Today we launched the @umich.edu Climate Week (climateweek.umich.edu) with HarvestFest at the @umichmbgna.bsky.social Campus Farm.
I was happy to catch up with students from the Michigan Sustainability Community, our living-learning laboratory for campus sustainability (lsa.umich.edu/msc).
I was happy to catch up with students from the Michigan Sustainability Community, our living-learning laboratory for campus sustainability (lsa.umich.edu/msc).
Beautiful morning for a swim at Pickerel Lake. Perfectly glassy morning with Sandhill cranes calling in many directions. Should remain warm enough for a few weeks at least. #PureMichigan
September 28, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Beautiful morning for a swim at Pickerel Lake. Perfectly glassy morning with Sandhill cranes calling in many directions. Should remain warm enough for a few weeks at least. #PureMichigan
Late September, and the Chimney Swifts are still hanging around Ann Arbor. Here's the Burns Park School roost at 7:54, while they're still circling in, and at 7:58, when they're almost done. Soon they'll depart for wintering grounds in northern South America. I think there were around 300 tonight.
September 22, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Late September, and the Chimney Swifts are still hanging around Ann Arbor. Here's the Burns Park School roost at 7:54, while they're still circling in, and at 7:58, when they're almost done. Soon they'll depart for wintering grounds in northern South America. I think there were around 300 tonight.
September is the time to see the thousands of insects that are hosted by oak trees. These 'clustered midrib galls' were on a Burr Oak at the Devine Preserve near Ann Arbor. There are apparently more than 800 different kinds of galls on oaks in North America, enough to keep me busy for a long time.
September 14, 2025 at 11:49 PM
September is the time to see the thousands of insects that are hosted by oak trees. These 'clustered midrib galls' were on a Burr Oak at the Devine Preserve near Ann Arbor. There are apparently more than 800 different kinds of galls on oaks in North America, enough to keep me busy for a long time.
Found a small friend in a wet meadow at the Devine Preserve today - a Leopard Frog enjoying the late summer sun.
September 14, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Found a small friend in a wet meadow at the Devine Preserve today - a Leopard Frog enjoying the late summer sun.
Preserving a bit of summer with roasted tomatillo salsa. Trying hard to take advantage of all the peppers in these last few weeks.
September 14, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Preserving a bit of summer with roasted tomatillo salsa. Trying hard to take advantage of all the peppers in these last few weeks.
Congratulations Danny! What a great achievement. My wife Aprille helped to launch the LEO-GLAM union for librarians and archivists at UM. Their poster still hangs in our dining room.
September 10, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Congratulations Danny! What a great achievement. My wife Aprille helped to launch the LEO-GLAM union for librarians and archivists at UM. Their poster still hangs in our dining room.
Beautiful day at the DeVine Preserve west of Ann Arbor today. This Yellow Garden Spider was a highlight, along with SO much goldenrod, just beginning to bloom.
August 31, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Beautiful day at the DeVine Preserve west of Ann Arbor today. This Yellow Garden Spider was a highlight, along with SO much goldenrod, just beginning to bloom.
Ironweed gets SO tall!
August 26, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Ironweed gets SO tall!
Chimney Swifts settling in for the evening at Burns Park School tonight - probably 350-400.
Soon they'll be off to their wintering grounds in South America.
Soon they'll be off to their wintering grounds in South America.
August 25, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Chimney Swifts settling in for the evening at Burns Park School tonight - probably 350-400.
Soon they'll be off to their wintering grounds in South America.
Soon they'll be off to their wintering grounds in South America.
Spent a great weekend at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend: 4 plays in 2 days.
The highlight was Pearl Cleage's "Blues for an Alabama Sky" an amazing production of a brilliant play.
The highlight was Pearl Cleage's "Blues for an Alabama Sky" an amazing production of a brilliant play.
August 24, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Spent a great weekend at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake this weekend: 4 plays in 2 days.
The highlight was Pearl Cleage's "Blues for an Alabama Sky" an amazing production of a brilliant play.
The highlight was Pearl Cleage's "Blues for an Alabama Sky" an amazing production of a brilliant play.