Shayna Marchese
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shaynamarchese.com
Shayna Marchese
@shaynamarchese.com
150 followers 230 following 190 posts
photos & comics, birds & nature
she/her
shaynamarchese.com
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Spent some time with cool winter visitors: Purple Sandpipers #birds #PurpleSandpiper
A Purple Sandpiper in profile on a large rock with water behind it. The sandpiper's small and round with purplish feathers (they're more of a gray with a bit of a purple sheen to them) and it has orange-yellow legs. A Purple Sandpiper splashing around in a puddle on a rock. A Purple Sandpiper standing with the sun at its side looking at the camera. Here some of its feathers look more purple than gray, sort of.
February 16, 2026 at 8:14 PM
shaynamarchese.com
p.21-24 #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd
A black-and-white drawing of a White-throaded Sparrow with its head turned just slightly to one side. It looks cute. The text reads: 4:00pm: Sue sends me photos of some yard sparrows. A black-and-white drawing of three cats eagerly awaiting a meal. The cow-cat (Astrid) says "mrr"; Mim stands on her hind legs; Milo (the tabby) is "mroow"ing. The text reads: 5:00pm: Dinner for the cats... A black-and-white drawing of a man and woman sitting at a table with bowls in front of them. A cat has popped up and the woman's shooing him off, saying "Milo, NO." The text reads: 6:00pm: ...followed by dinner for us (cooked by Doug). A black-and-white drawing of a woman with glasses sitting in bed looking at a laptop. The text reads: 7:00pm: the rest of my night's TV & reading. [end]
February 9, 2026 at 1:58 PM
shaynamarchese.com
p.17-20 #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd
A black-and-white drawing of three cat litter boxes; two are flat and one has a dome over the top of it. The text reads: 2. litter boxes; 3 cats --> 3 boxes; * all clean * A black-and-white drawing of a Turkey Vulture flying low over rooftops. The text reads: 1:00pm: I watch a Turkey Vulture fly over the houses. A black-and-white drawing of a woman on a bike trainer; she's wearing headphones and the trainer is making a 'whirr' sound. The text reads: Then ride my bike for a few & shower. A black-and-white drawing of a hand holding a pencil (the pencil's too big, oh well), drawing the panels of this comic. The text reads: 3:00pm: Doug's drawing botanical stuff with a ruler and I'm doing... this.
February 9, 2026 at 1:54 PM
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Here's the second half of my hourly comics... (p.13-16) #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd
A black-and-white panel showing a browser folder list; all the folders have a bunch of items and all take up at least a few GB of space. The text reads: 10:00am: Back home. I have old unsorted photos I try to cull... A black-and-white drawing of a woman in glasses frowning, thinking to herself "Why did I never do this? This is so annoying; these photos all suck." A black-and-white drawing of a place setting for two; each plate has a poorly-drawn half-burrito and some lumps that I assure you are supposed to be plantains. The text reads: 12:00pm: Lunch: leftover takeout burritos & plantains A black-and-white drawing of two buckets; there's a hand siphon in one with the hose going into the other. The text reads: Followed by chores. 1. Clean out rock tumbling stuff from the basement sink. One bucket is labeled as slurry water.
February 9, 2026 at 1:50 PM
shaynamarchese.com
p. 9-12 #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd
A black-and-white drawing of the back of a man as he walks through a big-box hardware store. The text reads: 8:00am: the hardware store A black-and-white drawing of of a person wearing glasses at a coffee shop, asking for a name to go with the order they just took. The text reads: 9:00am: more coffee A black-and-white drawing of the edge of a frozen reservoir that's covered in snow. Animal tracks dot their way across the surface. The text reads: Then a quick, cold stop at the reservoir, which is mostly frozen. A black-and-white drawing of a rock with a lot of dotted lines leading up to and around it. The text reads: a rock sticking out has a ton of tracks to it -- what's the draw?
February 8, 2026 at 9:37 PM
shaynamarchese.com
p.5-8 #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd
A black-and-white drawing of a French press with two mugs; one of the mugs is filled with coffee. The text reads: & coffee for the humans. A black-and-white drawing of a man holding a book in his lap; he's sitting at a table with a laptop in front of him and a small cat perched next to it. The text reads: 6:00am: Doug gets up and makes a shopping list. A black-and-white drawing of a hand holding a phone. The screen says it's 6:26 and that it's 0° out; feels like -18°; hi: 15°; lo: 0°. The text reads: Temperature check: it's cold. A black-and-white drawing of a Wegmans. The text reads: 7:00am: the grocery store
February 8, 2026 at 9:33 PM
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I definitely won't post them all today but here are some hourly comics... (of course they start with cats; every day starts with cats) #hourlycomicsday #hourlycomicday #hcd
A black panel with handwritten words saying: hourly comics / February 2, 2026 A black-and-white drawing of a woman in bed with a large tabby cat leaning on her. The cat is licking and kneading her neck. Her eyes are scrunched closed. The accompanying text reads: 3:00am: Milo wakes me up with slobber. A black-and-white drawing of two cats sleeping. One is small and curled up into a ball and the other is larger and more of a long loaf. The text reads: 4:00am: Everyone goes back to sleep. A black-and-white drawing of three cats, all eating from separate bowls in a line. There are labels under the cats: the big tabby says Milo; the little gray cat says Mim, and the cow-cat says Astrid. The text reads: 5:00am: Breakfast for the cats...
February 8, 2026 at 9:25 PM
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Here are a couple I like (why's it so hard to get the horns?). Both taken in Liberty State Park, Jersey City.
A Horned Lark in a brown grassy field in winter. The bird's in profile. A Horned Lark in a snowy field, mostly looking towards the camera. You can see a little hint of a horn on one side.
January 5, 2026 at 10:01 PM
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Weekend birds: Blue Jay and Peregrine Falcon (eating a... pigeon?) #birds
An inquisitive-looking Blue Jay perched on a branch on a gray winter day. Male Peregrine Falcon from a local pair perched on a tree limb on a sunny morning eating a prey item. There's not too much left of it and what can be seen is a pink foot (definitely from a bird) and some whitish-grayish feathers on the leg.
January 4, 2026 at 7:27 PM
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Some highlights from the 90th Boonton Christmas Bird Count #birds
A Barred Owl sits on a branch in a snowy tree with its feathers floofed up. We looked at many clumps of leaves and wasp nests before locating this owl, who was tucked in nicely amongst the trees. A Great Blue Heron portrait. This bird was right next to a bridge with a nearly-solid fence blocking the view and my lens was too long to fit more of the bird in. A Bald Eagle perched high in a tree on a snow-covered branch. The eagle is looking down at a flock of Canada Geese (not pictured). A female Belted Kingfisher paused briefly above a small stream. She sits on a snowy branch, looking down at the water.
December 29, 2025 at 1:25 PM
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From this year's Christmas Bird Count (12/14/2025):
Our route is usually nearly all cemeteries with no ponds; this year we covered Lincoln Park in Jersey City and got to see more species than usual; here's a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron hanging out by the edge of a mostly-frozen pond. #birds
A streaky-brown juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron is perched in some phragmites that are covered in snow. The bird has its head turned to the side; its eye is bright orange. A streaky-brown juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron is perched in some phragmites that are covered in snow at the edge of a mostly-frozen pond. The heron is in a typical hunched position where its neck does not look very long at all; Black-crowned Night Herons are often described as "stocky."
December 26, 2025 at 12:54 PM
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Piping Plover, a little after sunrise, Jersey Shore. It's sporting leg bands, which are difficult to see as the bird's floofed up on a chilly morning #birds #shorebirds #PipingPlover
A young Piping Plover hunkers down on the beach in warm early-morning light. The bird's in profile; it has an all-black bill and soft brown coloring. A small shorebird on the beach in profile in early-morning sun. Part of a green leg band is visible. The Piping Plover has a short black bill and soft brown feathers on its upperparts; below it is white. It has orangey-yellow legs.
October 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
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Milo’s too big for cat beds so we got him a dog bed instead #caturday #catsky #catsofbluesky
A large tabby tux cat is zonked out on a colorfully striped dog bed. The cat has long legs, big ears, and looks very peaceful on his throne.
August 2, 2025 at 11:51 AM
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Seaside Sparrow #birds (Cook's Beach, Cape May County, May 2025)
A Seaside Sparrow perched in reeds, looking to the side. The bird is a drab grayish brown with a bit of yellow in front of its eyes and a brown mustache-like stripe running downwards from its bill, which is large for a sparrow.
July 31, 2025 at 11:35 AM
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It's flying lobster season #HummingbirdClearwingMoth
A green and burgundy hummingbird clearwing moth (Hemaris thysbe) visits bee balm (Monarda fistulosa). The moth looks like a fuzzy flying lobster with long antennae and a curled proboscis.
July 29, 2025 at 10:54 AM
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anyone who did not say Piping Plover is wrong (or Red Knot, or Sanderling, or Ruddy Turnstone, or... )
Three floofy, unbearably cute Piping Plover chicks huddled together on the beach
July 12, 2025 at 10:28 AM
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Bees in the bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) #nativeplants
July 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM
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In-progress rock tumble; a soothing break from *everything else*
An arrangement of many small smooth rocks on a black background; the rocks are mostly reddish-salmon or gray in color
July 2, 2025 at 11:27 AM
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Crested Caracaras, Sarasota County, FL #birds #CrestedCaracara
A juvenile Crested Caracara walking on the ground. They're large falcons with big legs (for all the walking). The juvenile has bare pink skin around its face and a light blue bill. The same juvenile Crested Caracara, perched on a fence. An adult Crested Caracara perched on a rock by the side of a road. The adult has orange skin around the face instead of the pink of the juvenile. The adult Crested Caracara, still standing on the same rock, as the juvenile swoops in off to the side. The juvenile's blurry.
June 21, 2025 at 5:21 PM
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Gulf coast shells and other beach finds from Captiva, FL
An assortment of colorful shells. I don't know the names of all of them but the assortment includes Atlantic calico scallops, turkey wing ark clam, and cat's paw. An assortment of colorful shells. I don't know the names of all of them but the assortment includes giant heart cockle, yellow cockle, slipper shell, and calico clam. There are a couple rock-like things too.
June 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM
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So Florida Scrub Jays are pretty great #birds #FloridaScrubJay
A Florida Scrub Jay is perched in a bush (I think it’s sand live oak) on an overcast day. The bird is blue and gray with light gray on its head and front. It’s tilting its head to one side, looking inquisitive. A Florida Scrub Jay is perched in a bush (maybe sand live oak) on an overcast day. The bird is blue and gray with light gray on its head and front. It’s looking right at the camera and appears to have a bit of an attitude. I received this glower after the jay figured out I didn’t have any offerings for it.
June 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM
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A surprise Black-billed Cuckoo seen while kayaking the Rockaway River. I've only seen this species one other time... it did that very cuckoo thing where you've spotted it and it hunches over and just moves a little but somehow disappears completely (what is with them!?) #birds #blackbilledcuckoo
A Black-billed Cuckoo perched on a tree limb, seen in profile. In addition to its namesake black bill, it has a long tail, white front, brown head and back, and bright red ring around its eye.
May 24, 2025 at 10:24 PM
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Yellow-breasted Chat, South Cape May Meadows #birds
Warbler-like bird with a yellow breast, olive back, and white spectacles perched at the top of a shrub that is wrapped in vines. Chats were once thought to be warblers but have more recently been classified into their own family.
May 14, 2025 at 10:34 AM
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Shorebirds on the Delaware Bay #birds #shorebirds
A large mixed group of shorebirds coming in for a landing along the Delaware Bay. Most recognizable amongst the chaos are Ruddy Turnstones and Red Knots. Also present are Dunlin, Semiplamated Sandpipers, and Sanderling. A group of shorebirds taking off: it's mostly Ruddy Turnstones and Red Knots.
May 11, 2025 at 7:40 PM
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Saw some shorebirds! Delaware Bay, NJ #birds #RedKnot
A Red Knot (a medium-sized shorebird with a reddish head and front) stands with its head in profile as a wave hits behind it.
May 11, 2025 at 5:24 PM