David Hope
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davidhope.ca
David Hope
@davidhope.ca
260 followers 1.1K following 270 posts
Quantitative Biologist. Happiest on a bike or knee-deep in peat (Ottawa, Canada).
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davidhope.ca
I'm an expert at Bad Bird Photos, but actually like the way this one turned out.
Very blurry picture of a piliated woodpecker in a forest. The woodpecker is flying from right to left with one wings feathers splayed out. The sun is shining through on the left.
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
davidhope.ca
How did this vehicle manage to get past the magical paint?
Bike symbols and arrows point direction of bicycle flow in new contra-vehicle flow painted bike lanes. A vehicle is parked directly in. The bike lane, blocking it completely.
November 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
davidhope.ca
In a day without cars, I'm picking up my newly arrived copy of "Life After Cars". Excited to dig into it @thewaroncars.bsky.social
View from behind a bike with a tray containing the book Life after cars.
October 17, 2025 at 6:36 PM
davidhope.ca
Some personal proof that ebikes and protected bike infrastructure are life changing. Spouse just hit 1k on her new bike in the 2 months since she got it. Went from almost never riding to daily commute of over 15km each way.

#OttBike #BikeSky
Close up of ebike odometer showing 1000km. On the right is cellphone camera showing William Commanda Bridge.
October 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM
davidhope.ca
Astronaut meme: Wow, right on red is dangerous! Always has been.
October 11, 2025 at 11:40 PM
davidhope.ca
Another day, another #Ottawa driver sailing through a red light. All I can do is wave I guess.

#OttBike
October 8, 2025 at 4:11 PM
davidhope.ca
Why is Canada's public broadcaster live streaming this? There was one small article yesterday about the national protests for climate action and against the genocide in Gaza. Yet the memorial to a hate monger gets front page coverage?
Front page screenshot from cbcnews.ca. Headline is "Live updates | Tone of Charlie Kirk funeral ranges from mournful tribute to fiery call to action Mourners shown video of Kirk’s last moments before he was killed Sept. 10"
September 21, 2025 at 9:37 PM
davidhope.ca
Flexiposts sure are flexible these days.
Flexipost bent over onto the bike path at a crosswalk.
August 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
davidhope.ca
Back on my BS (BikeSky). So many #ottbike bike lane closures, trucks parked in the bike lanes and very good chonks suntanning in dangerous locations.

I moved them off safely, but likely will be back.
Multiuse pathway with a giant snapping turtle lounging on one side. Bushes line either side of the pathway. Pathway is paved with a yellow centre line. Electronic sign warning of bridge closures that is entirely blocking the bike lane.
July 28, 2025 at 6:57 PM
davidhope.ca
Paint is not protection. Bike lanes in Toronto are a mess this weekend.
Race car driving over a painted bike lane. Shot is from a TV broadcast of the Toronto F51.
July 19, 2025 at 8:17 PM
davidhope.ca
Back in the old stomping grounds.
View of a river valley with sparse trees in the foreground and two larger mountains in the background. Habitat is semi-desert.
July 18, 2025 at 8:38 PM
davidhope.ca
Duolingo, bienvenue de la guerre contre les voitures.

@thewaroncars.bsky.social
Screenshot from Duolingo story. Car-Free Zone Je suis Béa, et aujourd'hui nous allons parler d'une solution pour diminuer la pollution des voitures. Mais d'abord, voici quelques mots que vous devez connaître : J'ai fait un voyage en Italie. Là-bas, j'ai rencontré Manon, une ingénieure qui travaille sur un projet écologique. Bonjour ! Nous avons créé une zone spéciale dans la ville. Les voitures ne peuvent pas y entrer. C'est une idée super intéressante ! Manon m'a expliqué pourquoi cette zone est importante pour l'environnement. Avec moins de voitures, la pollution diminue. Les habitants utilisent maintenant des vélos ou marchent plus souvent. Waouh ! Cela change aussi la vie quotidienne des habitants. Ils sont plus actifs et plus tranquilles. 00 Oui, et de plus, il y a moins de bruit ! Les enfants peuvent jouer dehors en toute sécurité maintenant. Quelle belle initiative ! Cela montre comment une petite idée peut vraiment faire uno arando diffóronco 41
June 30, 2025 at 10:55 PM
davidhope.ca
Hey @ncc-ccn.bsky.social,

My kids and I felt super unsafe crossing the Champlain. What happened to the concrete barriers? We crossed in comfort last year, but those flexisticks do not protect us. Are bikelanes for everyone or not? Are you looking after everyone or just those in cars?
#ottbike
Child biking on unprotected bike lane with giant suv driving past. Flexisticks mark the separation between 60km/hr and bike land.
June 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
davidhope.ca
What athlete’s expression will stay with you for the rest of your life?
Two hockey players, one in dark jersey, Bertuzzi grabs the back of the others jersey, Moore, while winding up to hit him from behind with his other fist.
June 27, 2025 at 12:59 PM
davidhope.ca
This was the highlight for sure and probably should have posted this first, but I'm saved the best for last.
June 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
davidhope.ca
However, the weather definitely turned around by the end.
Patch of small conifer trees with a couple larger black spruce sticking up out of the patch.
June 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
davidhope.ca
We even had a couple weather days stuck in our little base.
Willow branches in front of a small lake. A layer of ice about 1cm thick covers the plants.
June 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
davidhope.ca
It started out pretty cold, despite being late May.
Layer of ice covering a peat bog with moss on the outside and a clump of grass in the middle with leaves of grass spread out under the ice.
June 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
davidhope.ca
The area of work was between Peawanuck, Ontario in the east and the Manitoba in the west.
Meeting of two rivers (Sachigo and Severn) viewed from the air. One river (the Severen) has much muddier waters. There is some reflection from the window on the left side. The forest in the foreground is an old burn.
June 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
davidhope.ca
Had the privilege of a work trip to the Hudson Bay Coastal Lowlands this spring. Just amazing landscape up there. I'll post a few pictures here.
Peatland in a boreal forest. A think layer of snow covers the ground. The foreground is open water with taller trees in the background.
June 13, 2025 at 6:06 PM
davidhope.ca
Still a bit of winter up here in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
Helicopter covered in snow sitting on ground surrounded by forest. Boreal wetland with low bog in foregound Boreal ponds with ice remaining with lowland wetlands in between. View is from a helicopter
May 17, 2025 at 3:30 PM
davidhope.ca
Gonna start a weird nesting locations of geese thread. Today it was beside a sports complex and on floating debris in front of a hydro dam intake.
Canada goose sitting on a nest beside a building. Building has a lower yellow part and metal siding above. Small artificial wetland in front. Canada goose nesting on floating debris caught in debris catcher before a hydro electric dam. Old stone building in the background.
May 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
davidhope.ca
Little flooded out there on KZM west. #ottbike
River covering a pathway with a muddy trail going around. Water from the river on the left overflowing onto the pathway. A biker is on the far side of the water and a bench sides on the right side. Some water covering a pathway with barricades blocking a larger flooded section in the background.
May 2, 2025 at 1:36 PM
davidhope.ca
Wow, Google. Those billions put into LLMs are really paying off.
Google AI overview for search "don't ride that monkey's tail meaning" AI Overview "Don't ride that monkey's tail" is an idiom that means to avoid someone or something considered unreliable, unstable, or unpredictable. It implies that relying on or associating with that person/thing could lead to trouble or failure. It's a warning to be cautious and avoid engaging with something that's likely to let you down.
April 23, 2025 at 10:59 AM
davidhope.ca
Good news: bridge is open.

Bad news: Pathway west is still closed as Hydro Quebec hasn't cleaned up their mess yet.
Wooden bridge stretching away with river underneath. Bike lane ending in construction. Concrete barriers block the way.
April 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM