Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron)
@carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social
Active-transportation-based non-driver who loves birds and car-free places, and who travels with a plush heron.
Virtual assistant in the market for opportunities to help people help birds.
Virtual assistant in the market for opportunities to help people help birds.
Pinned
On the Aesthetic Preferability of 1/4" Dots over Bird Carcasses
A Plea for Bird-Safe Windows in Holiday Homes (and Everywhere Else)
carfreebirdnoticer.substack.com
Like most modern humans, I spend most of my time indoors and value glass windows for natural light and views of the outdoors. Glass CAN be treated to greatly reduce #bird deaths while still delivering these goods; it just seldom is.
New post from me:
carfreebirdnoticer.substack.com/p/on-the-aes...
New post from me:
carfreebirdnoticer.substack.com/p/on-the-aes...
Me: "I already have so many pictures of birds from Guernsey; I don't know how much I'll even bother taking my camera out this trip."
30 minutes later... 🐦 🇬🇬
30 minutes later... 🐦 🇬🇬
December 14, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Me: "I already have so many pictures of birds from Guernsey; I don't know how much I'll even bother taking my camera out this trip."
30 minutes later... 🐦 🇬🇬
30 minutes later... 🐦 🇬🇬
They say there's no place like home for the holidays, but they also say that home is where the #heron is.
It feels like a homecoming to return to Guernsey and see the reliable herons of La Clare Mare lined up in their favourite spot, right where I left them last January 🇬🇬 🪶
It feels like a homecoming to return to Guernsey and see the reliable herons of La Clare Mare lined up in their favourite spot, right where I left them last January 🇬🇬 🪶
December 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM
They say there's no place like home for the holidays, but they also say that home is where the #heron is.
It feels like a homecoming to return to Guernsey and see the reliable herons of La Clare Mare lined up in their favourite spot, right where I left them last January 🇬🇬 🪶
It feels like a homecoming to return to Guernsey and see the reliable herons of La Clare Mare lined up in their favourite spot, right where I left them last January 🇬🇬 🪶
Saturday Morning Travel Story
The host called me at the airport after I'd checked out from my apartment, in a panic because they couldn't open the door.
I explained that I had locked the door and returned the key to the lockbox.
Then everything was okay.
The host called me at the airport after I'd checked out from my apartment, in a panic because they couldn't open the door.
I explained that I had locked the door and returned the key to the lockbox.
Then everything was okay.
December 13, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Saturday Morning Travel Story
The host called me at the airport after I'd checked out from my apartment, in a panic because they couldn't open the door.
I explained that I had locked the door and returned the key to the lockbox.
Then everything was okay.
The host called me at the airport after I'd checked out from my apartment, in a panic because they couldn't open the door.
I explained that I had locked the door and returned the key to the lockbox.
Then everything was okay.
A Grey Heron that was initially banded at a @marillion.com Weekend in Utrecht has been recaptured at an H Natural show in East Sussex. This is perhaps the first evidence of Steve Hogarth groupie behaviour among Ardea cinerea.
No idea who that lady is.
No idea who that lady is.
December 13, 2025 at 1:34 AM
A Grey Heron that was initially banded at a @marillion.com Weekend in Utrecht has been recaptured at an H Natural show in East Sussex. This is perhaps the first evidence of Steve Hogarth groupie behaviour among Ardea cinerea.
No idea who that lady is.
No idea who that lady is.
"A job for Christo, wrapping the sun with silk..."
Glancing through my archives, I couldn't find a decent photo of a crow squawking at the sky, but nonetheless tonight's bird grid is crow-themed in honor of the spectacular @marillion.com Weekend that just wrapped up in Utrecht 🪶
Glancing through my archives, I couldn't find a decent photo of a crow squawking at the sky, but nonetheless tonight's bird grid is crow-themed in honor of the spectacular @marillion.com Weekend that just wrapped up in Utrecht 🪶
December 10, 2025 at 9:26 PM
"A job for Christo, wrapping the sun with silk..."
Glancing through my archives, I couldn't find a decent photo of a crow squawking at the sky, but nonetheless tonight's bird grid is crow-themed in honor of the spectacular @marillion.com Weekend that just wrapped up in Utrecht 🪶
Glancing through my archives, I couldn't find a decent photo of a crow squawking at the sky, but nonetheless tonight's bird grid is crow-themed in honor of the spectacular @marillion.com Weekend that just wrapped up in Utrecht 🪶
As someone with extensive experience travelling solo, I believe that there are barely any downsides other than the obvious economic ones. However, far and away the worst of those few downsides is not having someone to watch your luggage at the airport bar when you need to take a leak.
December 10, 2025 at 11:00 AM
As someone with extensive experience travelling solo, I believe that there are barely any downsides other than the obvious economic ones. However, far and away the worst of those few downsides is not having someone to watch your luggage at the airport bar when you need to take a leak.
December 9, 2025 at 10:27 AM
I am greatly enjoying Jantien de Boer's book Wondervogels (Wonder Birds)!
...but is this really the sort of material I want my Heron to be reading? 😬 🪶
www.birdeyes.org/book-launch-...
...but is this really the sort of material I want my Heron to be reading? 😬 🪶
www.birdeyes.org/book-launch-...
December 8, 2025 at 9:24 AM
I am greatly enjoying Jantien de Boer's book Wondervogels (Wonder Birds)!
...but is this really the sort of material I want my Heron to be reading? 😬 🪶
www.birdeyes.org/book-launch-...
...but is this really the sort of material I want my Heron to be reading? 😬 🪶
www.birdeyes.org/book-launch-...
Traveller Heron was excited to discover a café in Utrecht serving bird-friendly coffee - something we don't think we've previously encountered outside of the US (or, for that matter, outside of Audubon meetings in the US) ☕️ 🐦 🇳🇱
December 8, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Traveller Heron was excited to discover a café in Utrecht serving bird-friendly coffee - something we don't think we've previously encountered outside of the US (or, for that matter, outside of Audubon meetings in the US) ☕️ 🐦 🇳🇱
"He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything."
(Sometimes self-preservation requires following the news back in the US only very selectively.)
apnews.com/article/drun...
(Sometimes self-preservation requires following the news back in the US only very selectively.)
apnews.com/article/drun...
Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floor
A raccoon broke into a closed Virginia liquor store and drank alcohol from the bottom shelves over the weekend.
apnews.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
"He fell through one of the ceiling tiles and went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything."
(Sometimes self-preservation requires following the news back in the US only very selectively.)
apnews.com/article/drun...
(Sometimes self-preservation requires following the news back in the US only very selectively.)
apnews.com/article/drun...
When people ask if I would like to live permanently on a #carfree island, I usually ask them whether bears shit in the woods. (Car-free islands typically have only small wooded areas, so it might be unpleasant if bears often shit in them.)
(Pictured: Hiddensee 🇩🇪 / Anholt 🇩🇰 / Sark 🇨🇶 / Tunø 🇩🇰)
(Pictured: Hiddensee 🇩🇪 / Anholt 🇩🇰 / Sark 🇨🇶 / Tunø 🇩🇰)
November 30, 2025 at 8:30 PM
When people ask if I would like to live permanently on a #carfree island, I usually ask them whether bears shit in the woods. (Car-free islands typically have only small wooded areas, so it might be unpleasant if bears often shit in them.)
(Pictured: Hiddensee 🇩🇪 / Anholt 🇩🇰 / Sark 🇨🇶 / Tunø 🇩🇰)
(Pictured: Hiddensee 🇩🇪 / Anholt 🇩🇰 / Sark 🇨🇶 / Tunø 🇩🇰)
November 28, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Same here every time I leave a nearly car-free island for the mainland, and then every time I leave a European city for America.
Melissa Bruntlett is an urbanist storyteller. This is her story.
𝙊𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, “𝙊𝙆, 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤.” 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘.
NYTimes 🎁 article
@modacitylife.com
𝙊𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨, 𝙬𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙, “𝙊𝙆, 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙤.” 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙖𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘.
NYTimes 🎁 article
@modacitylife.com
She’s on a Mission to Make the World More Bike-Friendly
www.nytimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Same here every time I leave a nearly car-free island for the mainland, and then every time I leave a European city for America.
Drieteenstrandlopers! 🪶
November 27, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Drieteenstrandlopers! 🪶
"It boggles the mind that these guys can fly over the Gulf of Mexico [...] It's just amazing. But then we take them out, with some glass." 🐦 🪶
...but there are solutions! (No, not hawk decals - "The only thing that does is keep the bird from hitting the hawk decal.")
www.npr.org/2025/10/17/n...
...but there are solutions! (No, not hawk decals - "The only thing that does is keep the bird from hitting the hawk decal.")
www.npr.org/2025/10/17/n...
As hundreds of millions of birds head south, the invisible danger is glass
It's the peak of the fall migration season. This is when bird deaths from window collisions tend to spike, even though simple solutions can prevent this.
www.npr.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:17 PM
"It boggles the mind that these guys can fly over the Gulf of Mexico [...] It's just amazing. But then we take them out, with some glass." 🐦 🪶
...but there are solutions! (No, not hawk decals - "The only thing that does is keep the bird from hitting the hawk decal.")
www.npr.org/2025/10/17/n...
...but there are solutions! (No, not hawk decals - "The only thing that does is keep the bird from hitting the hawk decal.")
www.npr.org/2025/10/17/n...
🎶 Car-free highway, let me slip away on you… 🎶
I always misremember those lyrics – must be the way I always feel so free whenever I am out walking or cycling in a #carfree (or nearly so) place, like Schiermonnikoog here 🇳🇱
I always misremember those lyrics – must be the way I always feel so free whenever I am out walking or cycling in a #carfree (or nearly so) place, like Schiermonnikoog here 🇳🇱
November 22, 2025 at 9:11 PM
🎶 Car-free highway, let me slip away on you… 🎶
I always misremember those lyrics – must be the way I always feel so free whenever I am out walking or cycling in a #carfree (or nearly so) place, like Schiermonnikoog here 🇳🇱
I always misremember those lyrics – must be the way I always feel so free whenever I am out walking or cycling in a #carfree (or nearly so) place, like Schiermonnikoog here 🇳🇱
November 22, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Sometimes people assume I'm anti-tech because I'm #carfree, enjoy nature, am sensitive to light/noise pollution, etc. Nope. I love telecommuting, for one... I just think the point of technology should be to make life more pleasant and less stressful, rather than of unleashing "lions" upon us 24-7...
This paper finds the same thing I did in my book research. Today's stressors–traffic, work demands, social media, light pollution & noise etc–trigger biological responses for acute stressors but without any recovery. "Our body reacts as though these stressors were lions.” phys.org/news/2025-11...
Humans are evolved for nature, not cities, say anthropologists
A new paper by evolutionary anthropologists Colin Shaw (University of Zurich) and Daniel Longman (Loughborough University) argues that modern life has outpaced human evolution. The study suggests that...
phys.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Sometimes people assume I'm anti-tech because I'm #carfree, enjoy nature, am sensitive to light/noise pollution, etc. Nope. I love telecommuting, for one... I just think the point of technology should be to make life more pleasant and less stressful, rather than of unleashing "lions" upon us 24-7...
Expert Wasted Entire Life Studying Anteaters
YouTube video by The Onion
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Infinite wine glasses. Infinite Traveller Heron.
November 13, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Infinite wine glasses. Infinite Traveller Heron.
The hotel staff asked if I was expecting company, because I had booked a room with a second bed...
November 11, 2025 at 2:16 AM
The hotel staff asked if I was expecting company, because I had booked a room with a second bed...
Stopping to admire the street art, part 2 ("Invasive Species" by Bernard Palchick)
#Heron #AsSeenInColumbus
#Heron #AsSeenInColumbus
October 23, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Stopping to admire the street art, part 2 ("Invasive Species" by Bernard Palchick)
#Heron #AsSeenInColumbus
#Heron #AsSeenInColumbus
Perfect day for a Heron bike ride!
October 17, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Perfect day for a Heron bike ride!
Well, that's depressing news, but also an important wake-up call for this #WorldMigratoryBirdDay
"This devastating loss underlines the urgent and sustained need for stronger, coordinated conservation efforts for migratory #birds and migratory species in general."
"This devastating loss underlines the urgent and sustained need for stronger, coordinated conservation efforts for migratory #birds and migratory species in general."
Today IUCN has officially declared the Slender-billed Curlew extinct, marking the first known global extinction of a formerly widespread migratory bird species whose range included mainland Europe, North Africa, and West Asia.
Read more here ⬇️
www.unep-aewa.org/fr/node/6632
Read more here ⬇️
www.unep-aewa.org/fr/node/6632
October 11, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Well, that's depressing news, but also an important wake-up call for this #WorldMigratoryBirdDay
"This devastating loss underlines the urgent and sustained need for stronger, coordinated conservation efforts for migratory #birds and migratory species in general."
"This devastating loss underlines the urgent and sustained need for stronger, coordinated conservation efforts for migratory #birds and migratory species in general."