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booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Curiosititis
@booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
370 followers 390 following 470 posts
Avid reader, lifelong learner, birding, love all things open source, R user, love data analysis and visualization. All photographs posted on this account are taken by me unless explicitly noted otherwise or shared as reposts.
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booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Alan set today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme as #BerriesandBeaks. The alternative is #corvids.

Here are three corvids: A bluejay, a rufous treepie, and the Indian (greynecked) crow.

The bluejay photo was taken in Charlotte whereas the other three in Kolkata.

#birds #bluejays #treepies #crows
A blue jay perched on a horizontal wooden beam. The view of the bird is sideways with its head pointed towards the greenery that fills the background. The beak, the head and the top of the back are blue with a distinct crest. The wing and tail feathers are alternating blue and black with white tips. The underparts are grey and transition to white just above the legs. The area around the eyes and the neck are white. A rufous treepie perches on a tree, facing the camera directly with the head turned to the left. The backdrop is filled with various branches adorned with long, narrow green leaves. The bird's beak is grey with a black tip. Its head and neck are black, while the underparts below the breast are reddish-brown. The tail feathers are white with black tips. A rufous treepie is standing on the ground sprinkled with food crumbs. The view of the bird is from the front and above. The tail is long, white with black tips. The body is reddish-brown whereas the head and uppeer breast are black. The ground is partially covered with occasional grass patches, with the remaining area appearing wet and dark, interspersed with small stones. A close-up of a grey-necked crow with black head, eyes, and beak. The neck is grey, contrasting with the black torso. The mouth is partially open. Metal bars stretch from top to bottom against a blurry white background. The crow's body is angled toward the left while its beak points toward the top right corner of the frame.
November 30, 2025 at 11:35 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
I photographed this house finch a couple of days ago. Its upper mandible appears distinctly smaller than the lower. I wouldn't have noticed this without a camera.

November 27 2025. Charlotte NC US.

#birds #backyardbirding #housefinches
A male house finch perches on the rim of a bowl-shaped bird feeder. The base of the beak and the neck are red. The breast is red, whereas the belly is white with black streaks. The back is reddish brown.
November 29, 2025 at 5:18 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
I don't have any photos of #Garnetts or #Bluetits for today's #BirdofTheDay theme.

Here are two that come closest to bluetits in my collection.

Left: A Titmouse, April 22 2025.
Right: A Carolina Chickadee, June 25 2025.

Charlotte NC US.

#birds #backyardbirding #chickadees #titmice
A titmouse perches on the steel rail of a tube-type birdfeeder, its head turned toward the feeder. One leg reaches into the birdseed port while the other remains on the perch. The bird's neck and belly are white, contrasting with its head and back, which transition from light grey to dark grey. Green trees fill the background. A Carolina Chickadee perches on the top rail of a deck, with its head pointing to the left. The head and neck are black with white in between. The wings are grey with its tail feathers alternating between white and black. The belly and breast are white. Blurry green trees fill the background.
November 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
I believe this is a black crowned night heron. Saw him/her in March 2025 in Kolkata, India.

Image brightened slightly to improve bird details.

#birds #herons #BirdsofIndia
A bird is perched on a branch of a tree extending from bottom right to top left. The bird is oriented with its head positioned to the right. The neck and belly are white. The beak is somewhat long and dark. The upper mandible is slightly curved down. The bottom mandible is flat the head and the wings are black.
November 28, 2025 at 4:39 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Alan ( @alan678.bsky.social ) selected today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme as #MorningLight a bird bathed in morning sunlight.

My contribution is this pigeon basking in sunlight.

A repost.

July 2025. Porto, Portugal.

#birds #pigeons #Porto
A close-up of a pigeon whose left side is brilliantly illuminated by sunlight, making the feathers shine with a glossy sheen. The head, neck, and back are grey, while the tips of the wing feathers are white. The beak is black with a whitish stripe above its base, and the eyes are yellow. The background is blurry.
November 28, 2025 at 1:56 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Gift link: wapo.st/4p5A9WJ

#birds #woodpeckers #EndangeredSpecies
Why a rare bird that vanished 30 years ago might soon return
More than three decades after that last known sighting of the red-cockaded woodpecker in the summer of 1994, state and federal officials have an ambitious plan to bring back the imperiled bird to the ...
wapo.st
November 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Per Rob ( @robcrank68.bsky.social ), today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #HeadShots.

These photos were taken at the #CarolinaRaptorCenter a few months ago.

Left: A Harris's Hawk
Middle: A King Vulture
Right: An Andean Condor (female?)

Charlotte NC US.

#birds #hawks #vultures #condors
A headshot of a hawk behind a metal mesh. The top of the head is light grey, while the neck and chest are dark grey. The area around the eyes and above the neck is yellow. The beak is light grey at the base and black at the tip. The upper mandible is noticeably curved downward and hooked. The hawk is looking to the right. A King Vulture looks to the left behind a metal mesh. The head of the vulture is very colorful with orange beak, white eyes with red rings around them. The upper mandible curves sharply downward. A wrinkled yellow growth sits atop the base of the beak. The back of the neck is dark grey. The back is white and transitions to black towards the tail. An Andean Condor, behind a metal mesh, oriented from left to right with the head turned towards the camera. The condor's beak is dark grey with some white. The upper mandible curves sharply downward. The eyes are red. The head is grey. The neck has hues of yellow and red. The base of the neck has distinctive white collar. The rest of the body is mostly black.
November 27, 2025 at 12:53 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Alan ( @alan678.bsky.social ) set the #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #OnTheEdge , any bird at the edge of a body of water. The alternative is #pigeons.

This photo might fit both the theme and the alternative.

July 2025. Porto Portugal.

#birds #pigeons #BirdsofPorto
A concrete slab rises from a pond partially filled with algae. On the top of the slab rests a bronze statue of a man with his arms stretched out. A pigeon stands at the base of the slab on the edge of water, looking to the right.
November 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Rob ( @robcrank68.bsky.social ) set today's #BirdOfTheDay theme as #HangingAround, which is 'Birds at Unusual Angles'.

A Starling, a Common Grackle, a Goldfinch, and a Downy Woodpecker. Not great pics but sharing them out of FOMO!

2025. Charlotte NC US.

#birds #backyardbirding
A starling perches at a suet feeder against a backdrop of green leaves. The feeder holds a suet cake that birds can reach through a metal mesh. The starling is oriented across the feeder from right to left. The top of the bird is visible. The head and the back are black with white spots. The tail is brownish with horizontal off-white stripes. A common grackle perches at a suet feeder against a backdrop of green leaves. The feeder holds a suet cake that birds can reach through a metal mesh. The grackle's legs are in the top left corner of the feeder. The top of the bird is visible. The head and the back are brown. The black tail feathers are spread out. A goldfinch perches horizontally on the vertical bar holding a hummingbird feeder. It is oriented from left to right and looking to the right. The backdrop is greenery. The goldfinch's belly is yellow with white on the underside of the tail. The wings have black tips. A Downy Woodpecker is perched on the side of the top railing of a deck. Seen from behind in the photo, the woodpecker is black with white stripes and patches on its head and back. The backdrop is greenery.
November 25, 2025 at 1:08 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
A Northern Mockingbird that I ran into this afternoon while on a walk on a greenway.

November 24, 2024. Charlotte NC US.

#birds #mockingbirds #birdsofnorthcarolina
A Northern Mockingbird perches on a tree branch, oriented with its face to the left and tail extending toward the lower right corner. The bird displays its characteristic plumage: an off-white belly contrasts with a dark grey back and head, while the wing feathers show distinctive white tips. Several tree branches frame the scene against a soft, dull light blue sky in the background.
November 24, 2025 at 9:37 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Per Alan ( @alan678.bsky.social ), today’s #BirdOfTheDayTheme is #warblers and the alternative is #yelloweyes any bird with yellow eyes.

Of all the birds that visit our deck, the brown thrashers have the brightest yellow eyes.

Charlotte, NC US.

#birds #backyardbirding #brownthrashers
A side view of a bird, a brown thrasher, looking to the right while standing on a wooden beam. Its neck and belly are white with streaks of dark brown streaks and spots. The back is reddish brown with black and white feather tips. The eye is bright yellow. The beak is black. The backdrop is out-of-focus leaves of trees.
November 24, 2025 at 11:10 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Rob's (@robcrank68.bsky.social) choice for today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Mr&Mrs (any male & female of the same kind).
And the Alternative theme is #Pigeons.

A pigeon and a goldfinch couple from my collection.

#birds #pigeons #goldfinches #backyardbirding
A pigeon stands on the corner of a top railing, its eyes closed and beak open, head raised and tilted backward. The bird's back is black with white-tipped feathers, while its belly is tan. Facing from left to right, the pigeon is soaking sunlight streaming from the top left of the frame. A male and female goldfinch perch at different levels on a tube-type birdfeeder. The male displays vibrant yellow plumage contrasted by black wing feathers tipped in white. His tail feathers feature similar black and white markings. The female's yellow coloring is more subdued, with olive tones across her back. Facing away from the camera, she turns her head to the left, while the male peers intently into the seed port for food.
November 23, 2025 at 2:56 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
This dove seems pretty comfortable having the feeder all to itself.

November 22 2025. Charlotte NC US.

#birds #mourningdoves #backyardbirding
A bird is sitting in a seed bowl with its back toward the camera. Its head is turned slightly to the left. The back of the bird is tan in color. The tips of the wings have black spots.
November 23, 2025 at 12:47 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Saturday’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #birdonawire birds on a wire, as suggested by Alan (@alan678.bsky.social).

Here are some #starlings sitting on power lines on a cloudy/rainy day. The first photo was taken by my wife.

December 27 2024. Wilmington NC US.

#birds #cellphonephotography
Two power lines stretch across the bottom half of the frame. Six birds are perched on the upper line, two on the lower. All face away from the camera, most looking to their right. Their backs are black with white spots. The background is muted gray-blue sky. Two power lines stretch from the bottom of the photo frame to the top right corner. A bird is perched on each of the lines. Their backs are black with white spots. The beaks are yellow. The background is muted gray-blue sky. The birds' orientation is from left to right.
November 22, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Reposted by Curiosititis
pematson.bsky.social
Google has started automatically opting you in to let it read your stuff to train AI. You need to turn this off in SEVERAL places in your settings (not just for Gmail), if you want to maintain privacy and confidentiality.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Gmail can read your emails and attachments to train its AI, unless you opt out
A new Gmail update may allow Google to use your private messages and attachments for AI training. Here's how to turn it off.
www.malwarebytes.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Per Rob (@robcrank68.bsky.social), today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #GroundedGulls, that's any Gull not in flight.

I selected these three photos for this theme. The photos were taken in Porto, one of my favorite cities.

#birds #Gulls #Porto #cellphonephotography
A bird sits atop the head of a statue of Prince Henry the Navigator, set against a pleasant steel-blue backdrop. The statue is viewed from behind, with its right hand stretched horizontally to the right and its left hand pointing downward. The bird is predominantly white with a black back, positioned in profile facing right with its head turned backward. A bird is perched on top of a cupola. The bird is largely white with brownish feathers on the back. The bird's orientation is from right to left. The structure (cupola) has a stacked appearance: a round base at the bottom, a neck in the middle, and a large sphere on the top. The bird is sitting on this top sphere facing to the left in the frame. Two birds are present in this photo. Both are gulls. One is sitting on top of a cross made of stone. The cross is attached to what looks like a roof of a larger structure. The second bird is visible from neck and up. Both the birds are looking to the left in the photo frame. The background is a clear, bright blue sky.
November 21, 2025 at 1:45 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
My contribution to #Thrushday. This robin doesn't seem to like suet balls. Probably thought it was a peanut!

Since I learnt this morning that #AmericanRobins are thrushes, the video also fits today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Thrushes.

#birds #backyardbirding
November 20, 2025 at 5:13 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, per Alan (@alan678.bsky.social), is #Thrushes. The alternative: #waders.

Here are a couple of photos of eastern bluebirds which I just learnt are part of the thrush bird family.

Charlotte NC US.

#birds #easternbluebirds
A bird is perched on a branch, facing the camera with its head turned to the left in the photo frame. The bird has a reddish-brown breast with white spots and patches, and a blue head. The tree branches in the photo extend mostly from right to left across the frame, with some branches bearing dry leaves that have that characteristic fall look. The background is a clear, bright-blue sky. A bird perches on a branch extending diagonally from the lower right to the upper left of the frame. Its back and head display darkish blue, while the breast shows a warm brownish-red that transitions to a white belly. The bird faces right, set against a backdrop of leafy branches and a pale blue sky.
November 20, 2025 at 11:28 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Per Rob (@robcrank68.bsky.social), today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Round. Alternative: #Sparrows.

My contribution is this photo of a puffed up mourning dove and a photo of a sparrow.

The latter was taken through a glass window at a local Starbucks.

#birds #mourningdoves #backyardbirding
A closeup view of a bird (mourning dove) from behind. The bird is perched on a wooden beam. It's legs are red. The back of the bird is grey with the underpart being whitish grey. The bird is facing away from the camera. A bird (a sparrow) perched on a branch in a bush. The bird is looking to the left in the photo frame. The back is reddish-gray.. The beak is black. The underparts are white with black spots right below the neck.
November 19, 2025 at 1:11 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Happy #twosday!

#birds #peacocks #leucism
Two birds (peacocks) are in the photo. The front bird is white and the one in the back has a blue body. The white bird's head is pointing down. Its tail feathers are very long and white. The blue bird's train of feathers is green and also very long. The green feathers have bluish "eyes" in them. The blue bird is looking over a fence in front of it.
November 18, 2025 at 1:24 PM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
For today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme, Alan (@alan678.bsky.social) selected #mottled birds. Alt is #blurry birds blurred in motion.

Easy to choose since most of my photos tend to be blurry!

I chose a female Indian koel and a couple of starlings.

#birds #koels #starlings #backyardbirding
A bird is perched on a branch of a tree and looking slightly in the downward direction. it's body is black with white spots on the underparts as well as on the back. The eyes are red. In the photo, the bird faces to the right, with its tail extending toward the left side of the frame.The trunk of the tree, behind the bird, goes from the bottom of the photo to the top and is slightly narrower than the length of the bird. A bird with a black head, greyish beak, and a darker-black body appears to be landing on a perch of a bird feeder filled with seeds. The body of the bird has whitish spots on it. The wings are flapping and are blurry. The bird's tail is towards the bottom of the photo frame and the head is near the top. The bird feeder is green in color with greenery behind it. A bird is perched on the top railing of a deck. The neck and head are black in color with white spots on the top of the head. The underpart is shiny black with bright white spots. The back of the bird has black feathers with brownish-white round tips. The background shows blurry leaves of trees. The bird's tail is towards the right side of the photo frame and the head is pointed to the left.
November 18, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Reposted by Curiosititis
gro-tsen.bsky.social
These very nice slides by Marie Farge on how researchers can regain control of publication have been brought to my attention: openscience.ens.fr/MARIE_FARGE/... — I think they're worth spreading more widely!
Slide titled “How can researchers regain control of publication?” by Marie Farge (from a talk given on 2025-09-02 in Milan at the International Conference on Optimization and Decision Science).
November 17, 2025 at 11:26 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Per Rob, @robcrank68.bsky.social, the #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #StareDown, any bird looking at you.

A greynecked crow, a brown thrasher, a bluejay, and a very angry-looking northern cardinal are my contributions. Some may be reposts.

#birds #cardinals #brownthrashers #bluejays #crows
A bird with black head and body with grey on the neck and breast perched on the rim of a plant pot. A bird brownish feathers on the back, white feathers with blackish streaks on the underpart. The eyes are yellow. The bird is staring back at the photographer. A bird with white underpart, bluish back is perched on the top railing of a deck. The bird is staring back at the photographer. The eyes are black. A bird is perched on the rim of an open bowl filled with peanuts and seeds. It's red in color with black around the eyes and around the beak. The look on its face is one of "anger."
November 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
Some beautiful photos of birds in this article (gift link):
wapo.st/4qWWwip
Opinion | Wings against the wall
Claire Rosen’s photo series explores the beauty of birds in a strange and startling juxtaposition.
wapo.st
November 17, 2025 at 1:56 AM
booksbeaksbytes.bsky.social
This downy woodpecker pair was busy at our suet feeder yesterday.

November 15 2025. Charlotte NC US.

#birds #woodpeckers #backyardbirding
November 17, 2025 at 12:21 AM