#there's a bird feeder just off camera

[bmpmp3]

MAN i need to learn soldering properly i took computer tech for like 3 years in highschool but we learned to get rid of flux residue by going at the pcbs with a barbecue wire brush which makes every electronics nerd i know physically recoil to think about which is very funny but also. maybe i should. learn to use a solvent

[magistralucis]

@absolut--kurant!

[octopiys]

Lost and Found

I. roll call and rainy nights

Next

Maybe Simon doesn't have any kids. Not yet at least. Maybe he doesn't know anyone we'll enough, or maybe he's not sure if he wants them in the first place.

But I'll tell you what.

Every time he goes on leave, without fail, he has an army of critters showing up to his house in the country. He never turns anything out to the streets, or to the cold night. The bottom of his pantry is stock full of dog and cat food. He's got three bird feeders in his back yard. There's four refillable water bowls by his garage.

The raccoons show up first without fail. They're named One and Deux, and they just recently had a baby named Tres. Hes pretty sure they live on his roof. He checked his cameras one night, after a long mission, and found them holding up Tres to the camera.

He didn't cry about that, what are you talking about?

Then the dogs show up. They're all mutts of varying sizes. One looks like some sort of lab, named Dog. Another is about the size of a pomeranian, but looks like a shaggy chihuahua. That's Barrow. He found her in his garden shed. She's got a mean bite, but a sweet face. The third is a big dog, almost the size of a Dane, but... not. He's not very smart. He's named barkmulch. Get it, cus- cus he barks- the fourth has gone unnamed. It's a furry little white thing, and it yaps at him a lot, nipping at his ankles anytime he enters the room. Behave, and it'll get a name.

There are a few cats that show up too. None of them have names except for one: Scraggle.

Scraggle is the ugliest fucking thing you can imagine. Scraggle is that shade of grey that white cats get when they're dirty, except you can't wash it off. The poor cat is missing patches of fur, and it seems permanent. It only has one eye. It's nose is flat, and gives it's face the illusion of a squished tomato. There's a scar going from it's whiskers, across it's nose and up to it's missing eye. Simon doesn't actually know what gender this cat is. It is only Scraggle.

Scraggle is also... very stupid, as far as cats go. It gets squished between the couch cushions, and yowls when Simon accidentally sits on him. How could he have seen him anyways? Scraggle screams when his food bowl is empty. Scraggle screams when everyone else's food bowls are empty. Scraggle screams when it manages to find it's way on top of the kitchen cabinets, and needs Simon's help to get down. Scraggle is a full time job when he's off duty.

Scraggle is his favorite.

He finds you in the rain.

Not nearly as run down as the rest of his animals, but just as lost.

Covered in scratches, blood, and muck, he finds you on the edge of his property, being screamed at by Scraggle, because it doesn't do much else.

Your clothes are torn, and you look a bit more haggard than you should. Wet, and cold, and hungry. Like you had missed a turn off the trails, or you were running away from them. From something.

You look up at him with wide eyes, but decide to trust him, to follow him like a lost creature, because he could not be worse than what you escaped from.

He makes soup. He gives you soup.

He's not the best conversationalist. He's not used to things he finds actually talking back to him in a language he can understand.

You tell him your name. He calls you Honey. You'll earn your name. Behave, you'll get it.

Scraggle is on thin ice with you. Attention stealer. Food giver. You get the cat down from places it shouldn't be. But Simon pays more attention to you than he does Scraggle. You fool. Scraggle is all. Scraggle is life.

You don't leave, much like the other things he feeds. You make yourself useful, because you're afraid of being turned out. If you're useful, then nothing will happen. And you go to bed every night warm with a full belly.

You're just another lost thing he's taken in. You don't leave when he disappears. You know he'll come back. He always does.

And he watches the cameras, while he's on a mission. He watches you diligently fill the bowls, the bird feeders, the waters, the bath. You trot out to the fish pond, and throw handfuls of feed out in the early hours of the night. Then you make your way back through the tall grass, and into the house.

Scraggle screams. You feed it too, and then pick it up. And carry it around like it's a little baby.

Hm. Maybe....

You were a sweet like honey, a pretty little thing. You weren't lost anymore. He'd found you, you're his now.

He'll take care of you.

Scraggle agrees. Scraggle likes you too.

masterlist

[venerablemonk27]

Now that spring is here, we're starting to see some changes in the local bird population. New faces are starting show up, and even the year-round species are out singing and generally being visible. There's territory to claim and potential mates to attract, after all. But while many species are just arriving or passing through, one that's dear to me is just about ready to depart.

[ID: A male Dark-eyed Junco stands in the newly-revealed grass and dead leaves. Juncos are small birds, about the size of a sparrow. This one is the slate-colored variety, with a dark grey head and upper body, contrasting with bright white underparts. He's facing the camera and looking slightly to the left. His eye is dark brown, nearly black, and his triangular bill is pale pink. End ID]

The Dark-eyed Juncos are strictly winter residents of southern Wisconsin, preferring to nest in Canada, the Northeast US, and parts of Appalachia. This past weekend, I could tell they had migration on their minds.

[ID: Another male Dark-eyed Junco, standing among dead twigs and sunflower seed shells. This one is darker grey in the head and breast, with lighter grey on the wings and a bit of rust color on the back. End ID]

For most of winter it's fairly common to see a solitary Junco or pairs or small groups picking through the snow under the birdfeeders in our backyard. But now they're forming a flock of at least 30 birds, foraging together and singing their loose trilling song. It's as if they know they have a long flight ahead, and every moment of daylight must be spent filling the tank and gathering their compatriots.

[ID: A male Dark-eyed Junco forages in the twigs and leaves for scattered birdseed. Juncos scrape at the ground with both feet simultaneously in a little hop, then inspect the freshly-exposed ground for tasty morsels. This one is mid-scrape, with debris flying around it. End ID]

So I decided to sit on the deck with my camera for a while to bid the Juncos farewell until next winter. I've been scattering seed back there every so often, and the other birds aren't exactly neat or careful when digging through the feeder above. As such, the Juncos have lots to choose from while poking around between the squirrels and the Mourning Doves. Once I sat down, they didn't seem to mind me at all.

[ID: A female Dark-eyed Junco inspects the ground for bits of seed. The females are distinguished from the males by their paler grey upper parts, sometimes with more brown and tan shades mixed with the grey. End ID]

Though, the birds did seem to mind when my kid joined me on the deck, brandishing his bright green snow shovel. They scattered to the trees or the fence and stayed there until I convinced him to put the shovel away in favor of coating the deck boards in a thick layer of sidewalk chalk.

[ID: A female Dark-eyed Junco sits on a wooden fence, waiting patiently for the danger posed by a nearby four-year-old to pass. The wind is catching the white feathers on her left hip and flipping them up like the flounce of a skirt. End ID]

As the sun sank lower in the sky, I figured I better get dinner started. I spent another minute or two listening to the evening birdsong before capping my lens and helping to knock the chalk dust off my kid's coat and pants. This sudden activity caused the Juncos to scatter once again. Have a safe trip little ones. I'll see you when the snow flies.

[ID: A female Dark-eyed Junco stands in the dirt, looking at the camera with head cocked to one side, as though she's wondering what this person finds so interesting about her. End ID]

[hal-o-ween]

Well, while we're all experiencing The Horrors, here is a post about some of my favorite local birds as a bit of relief <3 All pictures are from the Audobon and Merlin bird identification apps

First off is Chickadees! We have two kinds around here, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed:

[ID: First image is a black-capped chickadee facing left while perched on a thin branch amongst orange leaves. Second image is a chestnut-backed chickadee facing left while perched on a coniferous tree, holding a seed in its beak. End ID]

I always think of them as very brave and outspoken little birds. I've actually had a black-capped land on the scoop I use to fill my bird feeders so it could eat from it! It took me a while to notice we were actually getting two different kinds of Chickadee, rather than just seeing what I assumed was maybe subtle sexual dimorphism or breeding plumage. They're always the last bird to fly off as we approach them, and the first to come back once we leave. Chickadees are especially fun because they say their name; their call sounds like they're saying "chick-a-dee-dee-dee"!

Next up are the ""blue jays"", aka the two birds around here people often call blue jays, the Stellar's Jay and California Scrub Jay!

[ID: First image is a Stellar's jay perched on a branch. Its body is facing right, while it's head it turned to the left. Second image is a California Scrub Jay facing left and slightly towards the camera while perched on what appears to be the end of a broken branch. End ID]

Stellar's Jays are very vocal birds, and with their mohawks and dark colors, they'd be great in a metal band. I think they're absolutely beautiful, seeing their blue feathers in the sunlight is amazing. And they're smart! They're known to mimic hawk calls at times, possibly to scare off other birds. Hearing them do this is super cool.

The California Scrub Jay is also a very beautiful bird. I personally find them to be a bit less vocal than the Stellar's, and I always love the time of year when we have little families of them visiting our yard!

These next two are some of my favorite yard guests, the Mourning Dove and Band-tailed Pigeon!

[ID: First image is three Mourning Doves sitting in a cluster on a thin branch, with a bit of snow collected on the barren tree. Second image is two Band-tailed Pigeons sitting in a bird bath, their feathers slightly fluffed up. End ID]

Mourning Doves are named for their mournful calls, and it's truly a lovely sound to hear. For a while, we lived somewhere where every day there would be a whole flock of them near our house in the mornings, it was wonderful. One thing I love about them is that when they take off, their wings whistle! It makes them sound like squeaky toys!

Band-tailed Pigeons are large, I would say similar to Crows, and their call is deeper than the Mourning Doves. The back of their neck gets a bit of a metallic shine in the light. I've found them to be very skittish birds, but we're lucky enough to sometimes get a flock of over twenty in our yard! We've noticed that they send "scouts" to check our yard before the flock comes in. One or two show up alone for a minute, then the rest of the flock practically all fly in at once! And while Mourning Doves squeak when they take off, these guys sound like they're clapping!

Last will be the California Quail and Red-winged Blackbird!

[ID: First image is a California Quail digging through short, dry grass to forage, kicking up grass behind it in the process. Second image is of two male Red-winged Blackbirds. An adult male is perched on a bunch of yellow flowers, tilting his head back to look above him. Above him, a juvenile male is coming in for a landing. End ID]

California Quail are less frequent visitors to pur yard, but always a delight. The plumes on their heads bob as they walk, and watching them dig through the grass is so fun. I especially love when they start bringing their young to the yard. The father will always keep diligent watch while the young (up to thirteen of them!) and the mother eat. One year, we had three nesting pairs coming to our yard, and all of them had large clutches! I think the most Quail I was able to confidently count at once that year was 36. It felt nice knowing that they felt safe enough in our yard to bring their young like that.

Red-winged Blackbirds are a striking bird that I had never seen on our side of the mountains until moving here! The males are stunning, especially in flight, when the red and yellow on their shoulders is on full display. I also love listening to them. They have a distinct whistle sound, short and incredibly clear, like it somehow has better audio quality than the rest of the world. They also tend to come in flocks, and are a regular guest in our yard. I love seeing the young males start to get their black and red plumage, the in-between phase is rather pretty, with dark mottled browns and an emerging patch of red and yellow.

Honestly, I could say every bird I see around here is a favorite of mine. Watching them all, learning their unique habits, it's a wonderful way to feel connected to the world around you. I highly recommend getting to know your local birds, even a little bit. It brings a bit of joy to every outing.

[barcodeboyz]

Top 10 Mortal Kombat 1 Animalities

As it goes, I generally don't find myself getting super excited about announcements when it comes to media I love. I get happy about it, but there's a different level of excitement that comes out of those announcements that's just not common for me to experience. I experienced this excitement when Khaos Reigns was announced, and alongside it, animalities. I LOVE animals, and I love Mortal Kombat specifically for the fatality system. So, pairing them together just makes an amazing combination for me. All that being said, this list was really hard to put together, and a character being absent from this list is no indication that their animality is bad, in fact they're all very good! But I have to pick 10, and here are mine.

10. Baraka

My standard for fatalities and animalities alike are that they play into the gruesome factor. I love creativity when it's added, but it's not necessary to me. I love the blood and gore, and we're starting with a good one. This animality sees Baraka turning into a monstrous porcupine, shooting quills at the opponent and landing them on his back spikes. Personally, I would have preferred to see Baraka turn into a walrus, but for the animal they chose it is extremely fitting.

9. Mileena

This was the first animality revealed to us, and it did not disappoint. We see Mileena turn into an elegant orchid mantis, and honestly, it suits her character. Something so fierce and beautiful, eating the opponent and ripping them in half like only Mileena would do.

8. Kenshi

I really like the animalities in the game that utilize aspects of a character in their fatality, whether it be their appearance or other attributes. This animality nails that concept beautifully by turning Kenshi and Sento into wolves that work together to maul the opponent. You'll see more maulings on this list because I think that really fits the animalistic nature of these kills, and Kenshi does it amazingly.

7. Johnny Cage

Was I hoping for Johnny Cage to turn into a kangaroo? Absolutely. Am I disappointed he didn't? Not necessarily, because this is an amazing reference to the film Jaws and it completely fits Johnny Cage's character, being an actor and all. The animality itself is alright, I really appreciate the camera angles but besides the flair, it really doesn't a whole lot else for me. But I think they really nailed this one for Johnny regardless.

6. Noob Saibot

Going back to what I said about Kenshi, it is great having these animalities utilize aspects of the character. Seeing Noob Saibot turn into 2 alligators, which then grab the opponent and rip them apart makes for good viewing. My only wish is that they had the two alligators death roll the opponent, twisting them in half. But for what we got, this was great.

5. Havik

This is one of the best animal designs in the game in my opinion. It perfectly fits the rotting nature of Havik. And the animality itself shows the absolute brutality that hyenas can really show off, as Havik mauls the opponent to death. Brutal death, and one that starts the top of this list.

4. Kitana

Growing up, my family has always had hummingbird feeders in the summer, so I've always gotten to see the elegance of the bird. And the hummingbird was a perfect choice for Kitana. On top of that, they also recreate Kung Lao's Flowerpot fatality from MKX, which is one of my favorite fatalities in the game. Turning the opponent into a hummingbird feeder that she feeds from before the action shot of her flying at the screen is just so great to me.

3. Geras

We are now getting into animals I love, which definitely put a little bias into this list. I love hippos to death, and Geras' animality goes the extra mile to show the true strength that they have in the wild. Crushing the opponent to death in his mouth like they're a big watermelon is just a refreshing take on an animality that could have taken a boring turn, like Reiko's or Sektor's. Not only that, but they made the hippo design so reflective of Geras' own design, and that is extremely cool to me.

2. Kung Lao

This one is complete savagery at its highest peak. Kung Lao turning into a tiger and not just mauling the opponent but pulling a Sub-Zero and ripping their spine out is a completely gruesome watch, but such a cool one at that. This one almost took the number one spot, but one other animality in this game takes that title.

General Shao

I promise that when I went into my blind reaction of all animalities, I had made it a point to not choose character's animalities based on how I liked them. It's the reason why characters like Kitana or Kung Lao, who I don't really care about, made the list while characters like Reiko didn't. It's no secret that General Shao is my favorite character in the game. So why did I put him first then? Simple. They made him a fucking GRIZZLY BEAR. My favorite animal paired with my favorite character in the game? Not only that, but the animality is absolutely grizzly, pun intended. He grabs the opponent and mauls them before crushing their head in his jaws, before this final shot of him roaring holding the opponent's corpse. Such an amazing animality, and one that I'm happy we get to end the list on.

All of the animalities in this game were great. But these ones were special to me, and so that's my list. What are your favorite animalities?

[selkiechild4998]

Photos in the Snow

It's been a tough few days, so I wanted to share a cute story inspired by @werecatninja 's headcannon! My family is huge with photography, so I was often the model for photos, so it was fun writing this!

TWs- None!

Genre- Fluff

Wordcount- 565 words

"Omega, are you almost done? It's freezing!" Terzo whined as he sat on the snow-covered bench in the frozen garden.

"Just a few more shots, Papa," Omega reassured as he fiddled with the camera in his hands.

"You said that five pictures ago!"

Omega chuckled as Terzo whined with a pout. They had been outside since the snow began to fall, covering Primo's garden with a blanket of frost. The two were glad that during winter, Primo mostly focused on his greenhouse, allowing them to explore the rest of the deadly garden. Omega had insisted the two sneak into the garden, and Terzo couldn't say no, especially when he saw how excited Omega was while holding his favorite camera.

He was regretting his decision now, the Papa shivering in his thick, black fur-lined coat, nuzzling his face into the purple scarf wrapped around his neck. He may love winter, but even he has his limits when it comes to staying out in the cold.

"Here, lean back and tilt your head to the side," Omega instructed.

Terzo did what he asked, leaning back on one hand, and tilting his head to the left.

"Hmm… other side," Omega corrected, and Terzo tilted his head to the right. "Now, look up slightly," Omega added as he knelt down, raising his camera. Terzo then glanced up at the snow clouds above, hearing the sound of the camera shutter a handful of times.

Terzo shivered as he held the pose until he saw Omega pause to look at the shots he got, his tail wagging back and forth. He couldn't help but smile. He adored how excited Omega was to simply take photos of him. He could feel his cheeks heat up, but he didn't know if it was from the chill in the air or him admiring his guard ghoul.

He soon forced his gaze away, looking around the garden his older brother is so protective of. The plants had long since died off, nullifying most of the deadly plants his brother tended to. The snow covered everything as it fluttered down from the sky. The only thing that stood out within the garden was the songbirds that lingered around, pecking at the bird feeders Primo had set up.

Terzo's attention was brought to the songbirds fluttering around, his eyes soon landing on a single, bright red cardinal. He was confused for a moment. Cardinals aren't native to the area where the Ministry was located, yet there it is. The bright red feathers stood out against the white winter backdrop, hoping from branch to branch while chirping.

Terzo was so distracted by the bird, that he nearly missed the sound of the camera shutter. When he looked over, he saw Omega still wagging his tail back and forth, visibly smiling under his silver mask. "There we go," He chirped out, "Let's head back inside before you freeze, Papa."

Terzo smiled at that, standing up as he made his way over to his ghoul's side, "Perfetto! Now, I expect some hot chocolate from you," he lightly teased as he and Omega started the long walk back to Terzo's quarters.

"Of course, Terzo," Omega chuckled, "Extra marshmallows?"

"Si!" Terzo giggled as the two left the garden behind, the cardinal fluttering down to stand on the bench where Terzo once was, watching the two leave while letting out a single chirp.

[shithowdy]

Hi I saw your post about having 12 species of birds in your backyard so now I’m genuinely asking: what’s your advice for bird watching? And getting those birds into my backyard?

so i'm not what anyone would call a comprehensive resource but i can offer a few tips, yeah!

for making your yard attractive to birds:

birds do not like open space, as it makes them vulnerable to predators. they need lots of foliage to hide, so place any feeders or other features in places that aren't wide open. if you do not have a lot of plants in your yard, change that if you can!

diverse plants will also attract nectar-feeding birds and insect-eating birds, and are sort of your "natural" feeder setup. you can check if your area offers grants for pollinator gardens.

a non-stagnant or regularly-changed water feature (fountain, bird bath) is also very attractive to birds. in hotter climates, i would say it's an essential addition.

different types of feeders and food attract different types of birds. you can draw hummingbirds with nectar and bright flowers (they love fuchsia), most songbirds with black oil sunflower and safflower seeds, a whole variety with different suet, corvids with peanuts; doves and juncos and corvids prefer tray or ground feeding, little songbirds like something they can cling to, etc. research what kind attracts what you want to see, or make a diverse setup if you have the space. you can usually avoid feed that has millet, most birds will just hurl it everywhere.

don't feed birds bread; it's empty fluff and just fills them up. seed is boring but fine, they don't really have a concept of food being "boring"

clean your feeders every time you refill them (and change hummingbird feeders every few days regardless); there are several contagious avian diseases and you want to avoid outbreaks. your feeders will become known as foul and the uninfected will move on.

if you live in an area that has them, figure out a way to rodent-proof your feeders, like squirrel baffles. they'll destroy your whole setup and scare away all the birds (you can try to set up a special squirrel feeder, but they do not respect borders).

consider nest boxes! make sure they can be opened for cleaning, and don't have any harmful materials in their construction.

check if your town has a backyard birding store, like wild birds unlimited or a locally-owned equivalent. there will almost always be an old woman who may or may not work there willing to dispense advice about your local birds.

keep your cats indoors

for watchin them birds:

get the merlin app on your phone; it's kind of like Bird Shazam and can help you ID based on its song

if you want to get more serious, you can also get eBird and report your findings/keep a checklist

if you don't have a fancy zoom lens camera, get a pair of binoculars! they're good to have even if you do. you can even take pics through them with your phone.

the best time to watch birds is from about sunrise to late morning

don't interact with the birds, save for outlier circumstances (rescue, one lands on you, etc)

yard-watching and trail-watching are pretty different when it comes to ethics and how much humans and birds should be interacting. in general it's frowned upon to feed birds in wilderness areas to attract them, whereas urban birds are already accustomed to human presence. it's also frowned upon to play mating songs to attract birds.

don't go off-trail trying to find birds you can hear. it's dangerous for you and upsetting to them.

your area might have local birding meetups, or online groups where people report sightings and good spots.

there's uhhh probably a lot more i'm forgetting to add but i think this covers the basics!

[insipid-drivel]

This is why we shouldn't use night vision CCTV in the swamp

As is probably well established by now, I live in a swamp that's in the same region as a lot of Bigfoot sightings. I've grown up in this wilderness my whole life, seen and experienced a whole lot of weird crap that is filed away in the "Hey, don't worry about it," part of my brain with the rest of The Horrors.

My mom also did most of her growing up here, but more in the woodlands and plural spaces around housing developments and cities. Basically, where you're more likely to encounter a homeless person or a pigeon in the underbrush than a cryptid or some cool wildlife.

I grew up so deep in these forests and swamps I stay the hell inside after dark and live in blissful ignorance of what goes on outside my bedroom window every night. Some shit I've seen looking in at me. Sometimes it's animals (which was how I found out a storm had knocked over our neighbor's horse fence one night - I suddenly had a Welsh pony pull up to my bedroom window like it was a Wendy's) - sometimes it's just eyes in the shadows that may or may not speak, who cares? Definitely not my little brother's girlfriend who confirmed she sees them too whenever she's here and goes out after dark for a cigarette and runs inside panicked every time they appear. Let's not dwell on it. Moving on.

My mom decided, after becoming thrilled with the huge amount of bird and squirrel traffic I get with my small seed-and-pollinator garden outside of my bedroom window, to set up a motion-activated night vision camera pointed at my feeders to see what may visit in the dark.

Fully-bragging here, but I pretty much have every single species of native bird (and a couple of fucking starlings) that isn't a raptor visit my garden every day. Yesterday I completed my Pokedex when a family of quail came visiting. It's not weird for there to be 15-20+ birds in my garden at once with at least 5 or more individual unique species eating and (mostly) getting along (which some of us could learn from by example, starlings).

I made the tactical decision to bite my tongue about the camera, because this morning, I found I actually wanted to see some of the footage.

Everything was fine when I woke up this morning; my feeders were still rapidly being depleted of birdseed I spend too much of my disability checks on so I can delight my cat and feel like I'm taking care of some of my local wildlife. I use a small trough that I fill will feed for squirrels and the occasional deer that usually takes a couple of days for the locals to empty.

This morning, after having just ROUNDED OFF the ground-trough-feeder with a fresh supply of food the day before, I found the trough completely clean and empty, and dragged several feet away from where I usually leave it. So I asked my mom if she'd review the camera footage, figuring it was probably the same derpy yearling buck with slightly wonky baby-antlers that I've seen eating out of it before.

Nope.

Just a mom with kids to feed. My mom was appalled at the number of them (one of the ways I know she's still domesticated), but I quietly approved and told her that it was probably a mother raccoon and her adolescent babies. I've seen raccoons raising up to 5 kits at a time in places where food is plentiful and the predator count is relatively low. I let my mom know it's totally fine; that the ground feeder is there to feed the nocturnal as well as the diurnal.

The morning quiets down for a few minutes, and I get ready to snooze to the birdsong outside. My mom is still on her phone, half-birdwatching at the foot of my bed, half-scrolling through clips of footage from the rest of that night (which usually is just moths and a stray cat or two setting the camera off), and that's when I heard what I like to wearily call the "There's A Cryptid On My CCTV Gasp".

Look. If you set up cameras in a place like this, you're GOING to see weird shit you can't explain. Part of why I like living out here is because only other people that understand this also live out here. My neighbors and I are all out of our fucking minds, but that's why The Swamp embraces us. If you don't have the psychiatric diagnostic equivalent of a ghost pepper in your brain, you probably won't do well out here. The Swamp is nature's Void: If you gaze long into it, it will gaze back into you. My System of alter personalities smile like idiots and wave into the Void while some of them full-on make out in front of the Void with reckless abandon.

My mom just stammers at first, and and then is like, "I... don't know what that is? It looks like a cat? But I've NEVER seen a cat that big..." Ironically ignoring my cat, who I rescued as a tiny "standard size" kitten from a shelter and found out the hard way that she's actually very much a Maine Coon.

My mom, shaken, shows me the best still she could get from the clip the camera took of The Creature:

She's pale, and visibly unnerved as she brings me her phone with the actual clip of this animal in it. Of course the footage is shittier than when we just had raccoons out there. Didn't you read what I just wrote? The Swamp will not abide your attempts to spoil its fuckery.

But I nevertheless watched this 2-3 second clip of this animal walking by the ground feeder. It's about the size of a medium dog, has no tail, and walks with a very feline gait. My mom is practically freaking out at this point, her voice actually trembling when she keeps asking me "What do you think it is?"

There's a long, heavy silence as I replay the clip a couple more times, just watching this thing move and confirming that, indeed, it's too big to be a domestic cat, but too small to be a mountain lion, and has no discernible tail.

"Mother, it's a bobcat."

"That can't be!"

>therewere5raccoonsthereandit'sabobcatgoodlordmom.mp4

So I pulled up a google search and showed her:

"Oh."

[rjzimmerman]

You don't have to be a "birder" to appreciate birds. You can sit in your yard or local park and listen to them and watch them, or take a hike along the coast or in the mountains or prairies or grasslands near you and do your listening and watching. I'm not a "birder," and I don't fit the stereotypical image of a "birder" with binoculars and notepads (or smart phone, iPad, etc.). I fell into my interest in birds by doing the listening and watching in our yard, then learning how to feed them (along with the squirrels), then reading about them, then purchasing a few books to help me identify them and learning about them. I also became intensely interested when I read the dire stories about the decline in birds, particularly the decline in bird numbers in North America by 2.9 billion birds since 1970.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is one of the global leaders in bird research. If you click/tap on the photo above, you'll be taken to the Cornell Lab's 2024 Annual Report. You'll learn about birds and what Cornell is doing to advance our scientific knowledge and understanding, so that we can better protect them and stop the decline. The members of our family have eBird, Cornell's internet portal, on our devices so we can learn as we go, and we annually participate in the Feeder Watch program so we can contribute facts to the academic study of birds. It's fun, and a great diversion from the uglies of the world to spend 30+ minutes doing the bird listening and watching daily or just a few days a week.

We also invested in a feeder with an wi-fi enabled camera so we can watch and photograph the birds that visit. Today's visitors include a cardinal, a downy woodpecker, house finch, nuthatch and red-bellied woodpecker, among others, including sparrows.

Unfortunately, we also attract squirrels, but I'm bribing them stay off the feeder by tossing them peanuts:

[butcherlarry]

I was tagged by @burins in a people I want to get to know tag meme! Thanks for the tag!

Last Song: I was actually listening to this in the car as I was coming home from work today, Sexkiller on the Loose by Carpenter Brut. I really like this whole album, Trilogy , and listen to it all the time when I'm traveling. It's nice thinkin' music for me, but I have to be careful because it's very easy to speed when listening to the upbeat songs.

The last podcast I listened to was the most recent Behind the Bastards episode, discussing Michael Lewis and the terrible book he wrote about Sam Bankman-Fried. I also completed a re-listen of BtB's six part series on what a bastard Henry Kissinger was, in honor of his death.

The last book I read was Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis. I might have stayed up until 12:30 am finishing it, and was VERY TIRED when I went birding the next day. Reading this book finally pushed me to get a library card so I can read the next book, Truth of the Divine. I've been holding out on getting a library card for the last couple years because my life has been so hectic with multiple moves. I've finally settled down enough where I can get a library card, and this book was the push I needed to finally do it.

My favorite color: purple! I just really love that color. If you look in my closet, you'll see a lot of purple clothes :)

Currently Watching: What everyone else on the Internet is watching, Hbomerguy's Plagiarism video essay. I couldn't watch it all yesterday and have one more hour to go!

Last Movie: Barbie! I watched it with my two best friends over a discord chat. One of them hadn't been able to see it yet, so we watched it together. It was also lovely to catch up :)

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Hmmmmmm. I'm a sucker for sweet things, but sometimes that gets to be a little too much for me. So sweet and savory or sweet and spicy are always favorite combos of mine.

Relationship status: Single. Not really looking for anyone either. I'm starting to suspect that I'm aro as well as ace.

Current obsessions: BIRDS. Omg, birds. I blame my cats for this, I got a bird feeder to hang outside a large window at my old apartment to entertain them. Well, it ended up entertaining me too. Now I have a nice camera, multiple bird field books, and I go to the local arboretum every Sunday to go birding. It's my "go out and touch literal grass" day. And it's so much fun to see the birds throughout the year, especially seeing which ones stay in the area and who migrates/come back. The dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows are back and I'm SO HAPPY to see those little guys! I post my pictures on my bird tumblr or Bluesky, as well as the Batfam discord server I'm in :)

Last thing I googled: How to take the FUCKING knife guard off our back up meat slicer to clean it. I wanted both slicers going because we had 100 POUNDS (45+ kgs) of deli turkey to slice for my company's holiday party and it was dirty from the last time it was used. I have NO IDEA how the FUCK we got it off the first time. It should be simple! There is a long pin/bar you unscrew in the back! But it still wouldn't come off!! I think there is some kind of safety we're not triggering, but I have NO CLUE what it is. The manual it came with and the manufacturer's videos on YouTube were NO HELP. I blame the French (the slicer was made in France).

I'm tagging @ktkat99, @betta-male, @sunny-in-gotham, @halehathnofury, @froizetta, @superbattrash, @lizyarikus, @sisaloofafump, and anyone else who would like to join! No pressure though! :)

[thededleadragoria]

I found these in the shop today...

All I can think is that Dick would love them. And he would buy or commission a full set.

Sure, he'd buy the 60s comic batman to put by Bruce's office window, just to annoy Bruce. But he'd also commission a full set of the Batfamily in various poses. Carefully purchased so they can be set up around a tree.

Nightwing hanging off a branch around eye level.

Red robin sitting on a slightly lower branch with a camera and a bat-themed thermos of coffee.

Robin clambering up a bird feeder. Carefully made so he can both stay in place and be removed from the feeder.

Red Hood among the roots, carefully peeking over them with a gun, to take shot.

Spoiler a good way up the tree, eating waffles. Signal is sat close beside her, holding a purple phone between them.

Oracle hidden in an artificial tree hollow with a series of computers. False, as Damian would complain if they used a real one.

Black Bat is way up the top of the tree. Sitting, steady, watching all.

Batman, in his modern black suit, is immediately under Black Bat, looking up at her with a look of exasperation and fondness on his face.

Agent A is down amongst the root system, one hand on Red Hood's shoulder and a gun in the other. As a reminder that the family always has each other's backs.

Plus, he'd set up a row along the path outside the kitchen. JLA on one side, their nemesies on the other. By the door, he's got 60s Batman and the various Robins on one side, with Gotham Rogues on the other. (Selina teases Bruce for weeks, because Dick placed little catwoman opposite batman, and gets the artist's details from Dick. She gets a statue of batman and the robins in a pose reminiscent of a mother cat and a litter of kittens. Both she and Dick tip extravagantly.)

There is a figure of the Joker. Or rather, there was one. It is a mess of broken pottery in the direction Red Hood is aiming. (Dick bought at least twenty. Most as gifts for Jason. None of them survive.)

[petirrojo57]

It was a mob scene, a feeding frenzy at my 3 bird feeders yesterday (and now I know how 3 feeders can go from Full to Empty in a day) at least until an uninvited guest showed up!

I went to look at the status of the feeders and could not believe how many birds were gorging themselves at not 1, not 2, but 3 feeders — the crowd clustered under each one separately would be a normal heavy crowd, but more than triple the usual count was going crazy for it all. I had my phone at hand (not my better camera) and took a few snaps to show my husband later what a mad house it was and was just about to step away when a BIG bird flew in making an attempt at a sparrow in the bushes along the sidewalk. His aim was off this time (and I had one fly in and snag a bird right behind my back during the summer as I walked that sidewalk) and the red-shouldered hawk flew to the small feeder to regain its dignity (hah). I managed to grab a quick shot and another as it flew off (no doubt to menace another bird feeder nearby).

Will I refill the feeders? Yes, I will. It’s a survival of the fittest, bird-eat-bird kind of world out there, so if any of the flocks hanging out aren’t sharp-witted enough to evade a predator hawk, oh well 🤷

*** correction - some sharp eyes have suggested it is more likely to be a Cooper’s Hawk (which we’ve had dining at the all bird buffet as passing-thru visitors) as opposed to a Red-Shouldered Hawk (which we had a pair nesting in a neighbor’s tree, raising 2 chicks this summer)

[venerablemonk27]

Here's a bird that took me completely by surprise. (Content warning for a predator eating/carrying prey. I've put the more graphic pics below the cut.) Last week I was working at my dining room table, waiting for a plumber to show up. I glanced out the window and saw this Cooper's Hawk land on the neighbor's roof.

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk stands on the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's standing at the edge of the roof, looking off to the left. There are grey and black feathers scattered about, but the roof is blocking his prey from view. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

Of course, I immediately jumped up and grabbed my camera. Based on the smaller size and the bluish tint to the wings, I figure the Hawk was male. I noticed right away that he was bending down to pick apart and eat something. I couldn't tell what he was eating, but I could see lots of black and grey feathers scattered about.

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk stands on the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's standing at the edge of the roof, looking down at his prey and lifting one yellow foot with sharp, black talons. There are grey and black feathers scattered about, but the roof is blocking his prey from view. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

He stuck around for several minutes, which gave me some time to find a good position and adjust my settings to compensate for the overcast skies. (Picture me standing on a dining room chair, slightly crouched to line lens up with the top edge of the window.)

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk stands on the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's standing at the edge of the roof, looking down over the edge of the roof. There are grey and black feathers scattered about, but the roof is blocking his prey from view. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

Just as I was taking another burst, the Hawk did a little hop to get a better grip on his meal. Go ahead and scroll past this last photo if you'd rather not see the remains of what appears to be a Downy Woodpecker. All I knew in the moment was that I had held the shutter button through the whole sequence. It was only later while processing photos that I could make out enough detail on the prey for a possible ID.

[ID: A male Cooper's Hawk is shown mid-hop in the air above the roof of a house. The Hawk is mostly bluish grey with orange and white stripes on the breast and legs. He has dark red eyes and a hooked yellow beak with a grey tip. He's just flapped his wings to hop into the air and get a better grip on his prey. The prey appears to be the remains of a Downy Woodpecker, with the head and most of the upper body torn away. However, the remaining feathers appear to have the characteristic black and white pattern on the tail to suggest either a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker. There are grey and black feathers scattered about. The sky in the background is an overcast grey. End ID]

Just after that, the Hawk flew off between the houses and was gone. It made me a little sad to think that one of our regular feeder visitors was now somebody's lunch, but it's somewhat comforting to think that our neighborhood must have a fairly healthy ecosystem. At least we have enough small birds and other prey around to convince the raptors to keep coming back to their favorite hunting grounds!

[sergioguymanproust]

There’s the story ,an urban legend that goes like this ,see that little cardinal outside your window, gingerly singing its life away on that pine tree , while the snow softly is piling up and you enjoy the view and sip on your hot cup of coffee.Well , something more perverse and dark is actually going on , that cute little bird is actually spying on you. Everything in your country home is basically wired and giving off a signal that is being transmitted to a van parked a few miles from your house. The bird is there to listen and take pictures, of everything you do.So ,if you see a cardinal in your yard , take a picture and blow it if you detect any wires coming out of the plumage ,claws ,or glass eyes ,next time put some seeds on a feeder and follow the birds moves. A friend of mine who is an avid bird watcher in the US told me he caught one of these birds and put it on a cage and filmed its every move ,then studied the vids and discover it was a bird with a sophisticated camera and a chip to control the bird’s movements. Well,many countries in Asia are ahead of the spying game are creating electronic farms that are basically using drones that go from insects ,to birds to spy ,selling them to hackers and the dark world of surveillance. Well,in recent years urban legends are simply not true ,we are told just fancy tales that have gone viral .Writers are selling a dime a story to fill the pages of cheap novels , short-stories to fill the markets of young readers. Well urban legends will continue to be created to satisfy the natural curiosity of the masses .Words by Sergio GuymanProust.

[mikedowns]

Get that loan shark from Jersey off your back

I decided to turn an old tweet into an email. Call it lazy or lack of imagination. Either way, I put this out in internet land in hopes that it may help someone who really needs it, especially with everything going on lately. Enjoy!

Don’t have any cash, owe a loan shark in Jersey some duckets, or need some extra lunch money. Here’s a way you can start making some money today. If you’re lazy, unmotivated, or waiting to win the lottery, go away. This isn’t for you. But if you’re struggling, need to pay a couple bills, or you’re curious and wanna read some mediocre writing, read on.

1. Fire Sale Inventory

If you haven’t used it in 2 weeks, get rid of it. Yep, ALL OF IT. That workout equipment that's collecting dust, those expensive skinny jeans, and every self-help book you own needs to go. Create a Google sheet with 3 columns for items, price, and sold for. Once everything is in the items column start pricing. Be realistic here. You’re not gonna get what you paid for it even if it’s new in the box, if you think you will I told you in the beginning to go away. Tip: Check the craigslist free section. Sometimes there’s good stuff there and you can research pricing on the item before hand.

2. Let The Games Begin

Time to start selling, almost. Take 15 pics of everything on that list, yes 15. You’re gonna pick the best 10 to use. Take ALL of the pictures before moving on to the next step.

Tip: This should go without saying but make sure the area that you’re taking pics is clean, the items themselves are clean, and the camera lens on your phone is clean.

3. List, List, List

Now you can start listing. You’re all set up, have your inventory list, and know what you’re selling the items for. Start from the top and get to listing on FB marketplace. All of your items will be listed locally because you won’t have the shipping option, yet. Leave some wiggle room here because people always wanna haggle, trust me. So, you have a pair of jeans listed for $20, you’ll get a message asking if you’ll take $15. It will happen, so get ready for it. Instead of listing them for $20, list em for $25. Again, don’t be greedy or you’re gonna fizzle out fast and say I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

Tip: Psychology plays a huge role here so listen up. Instead of listing an item for $20, list it for $19. You’re more likely to sell it. Think of a car dealership with those huge yellow numbers in the upper left-hand corner. They don’t price it at $30,000 they price it at $29,999.

Shortcut perception works ungodly fast, just look at those 2 numbers again and think about how they make you feel. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.

3. Before your first sale

You got a message, someone’s ready to buy those skinny jeans, great. Before you take that fiat currency remember to ask the buyer for a 5-star rating. Heed my warning, this is the key to open up shipping and have you moving at Mach 5.

4. After your first sale

It’s gonna feel like walking on a sun kissed beach holding an appletini with montage music playing in the background. You’ll probably wanna spend it, don’t. Bad money management is probably why you’re reading this. That or curiosity. Either way this will strengthen the willpower you most likely don’t have so you can level up (More on that later). Log it in that glorious spreadsheet that you made so you can keep track.

Track, every, sale. Tip: They’re rating you, rate them. Sometimes they wait to see if you’ll rate them first so before you drive off Michael Knight style, hop on to your dumb phone and rate them immediately after the sale.

5. You’re makin it rain

Or hail, either way you’re making sales. Great. But maybe your inventory is low so what now? Now it’s time to hit up the trailer park of big box stores, Walmart. The clearance section is a great place to start. Also, we are going into summer.

From personal experience I can tell you that tents, shade sails, planters, bird feeders, fairy lights, end tables, wall art, and anything deck related sell very well. I’ve flipped more tents than I can count.

You can check the item on your phone while you’re in the store on the eBay app (Yes, you’ll need an eBay account so set one up, got it? Good). Just scan the item, hit filter, sold for, done. Now you have a baseline. Don’t be greedy. I’m gonna say it as many times as I want so get used to it. You’re not gonna sell a $49 tent for $90 on FB marketplace consistently.

Tip: You can download the Walmart app, see what’s in stock and check it against eBay to get a baseline. Don’t go overboard here with buying items. You wanna get to a place where you have no overhead and I’m gonna show you how young Jedi.

6. Shipping is open

Aw snaps, game on. Shipping is open, now we run. And by run, I mean list more. But, not the same way. By now most of you’re inventory is probably gone, or you have things that aren’t selling. It happens, so what. Now you can start listing items from sites like Best Choice Products, Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Bed Bath and Beyond, and a slew of other places. How?

7. Arbitrage

I don’t care what people have to say about this, it works. I’ve done it and taught it to many people. If you’re in your feelings with this, I can’t help you. You can just continue to flip and make money, do the final part of what I’m about to share and move at Mach 5, both or nothing. In which case, why are you still here?

Once I got good, I only used eBay to source. But you can use any of the places I mentioned above. You’re gonna be listing items on FB Marketplace and Mercari, so buckle up buttercup it’s about to get fun.

*Side note: If you try to argue with me in the comments, you’ll be arguing with yourself. And do me a favor. Never, never, ever tell your parents that you complained about free information on the internet. It would ruin them.

8. Finding items sell and ship

You’re still here? You must be a glutton for punishment. Just kidding. Now the search for items to ship begins. I told you, asking for those reviews is huge so if you’ve done so great, if not, you obviously can’t follow directions and you’re gonna have a hard time with this part. Everyone gets nervous at this point, it’s normal.

After a few sales you’ll be back on the beach with 2 appletinis this time so listen up. Go to eBay and type in anything. For this example, we’ll say it’s an end table set. Now, you want to find items that have sold at least 40 times. So you found one, great, don’t list it, yet. Click on the item, find the sellers name at the upper right-hand corner-ish and click on it. Now you have access to the seller's other items.

Here, you want to find items that have sold at least 100 times. Why? Because why would you want to try and sell something no one's buying? Get it? Good. Once you find an item click on it and use the pics that the seller has, or right click and do a Google search to find another place to get pics from. Use a 25 to 30% markup on items when you’re first starting, this will save you a lot of frustration, if you don’t believe me do what you want and find out for yourself.

Tip: If it's on Amazon, scroll to the bottom and look at the reviews. There will be lifestyle pics there. If they’re good, use em!

For the body you can copy and paste the description from eBay or Amazon. If you use Amazon, make sure it’s the Amazon description. Now you have an item up, woot. Do this 2 to 3 more times for that same seller and follow them. Don’t be greedy and list all of them, find more sellers with good ratings that you can get items from.

Tip: Save the items too so you don’t have to search the sellers page every time you make a sale. You’ll get alerts for when the stock is low, or they may offer a discount. You’re welcome.

9. Titling Items

Pay attention here, because the title is extremely important. You’re about to list that end table set and need a title. You could use the seller's title, but you can out title them. The first 4 words are crucial when it comes to title. Title, title, title!

Example: Two Piece End Table Set For Living Room or Bedroom: Negative Ghostwriter

End Table Set Couch Sofa Living Bedroom Black: Roger That

Don’t use words like for, to, and, etc. Relevant keywords are what you want. There’s tons of generators out there so Google one if you need to. You’re gonna suck at first, but you’ll get better as you list more.

Tip: The first 4 words are crucial of your title are crucial!

10. Item sold, now we ship

You sold an item that needs to be shipped far, far away. Great, but how? Now we go back to where we sourced it on eBay. You have the item saved if you follow direction well. Click on it and add to cart not buy it now as it will ship to you, no bueno.

Go to your cart and change the shipping to the person that purchased the item. This info is in FB marketplace or Mercari. Click purchase, and off it goes but you’re not done.

You need the tracking info. The seller will mark the item as shipped as soon as possible as they are likely drop shipping it. It’ll be Fed Ex, USPS, UPS, or DHL.

Enter the tracking, and you’re done. Again, you’ll be tempted to spend now that you’ve paid off that loan shark. Don’t. Why?

11. Returns

Returns suck, but they will happen. So don’t go spending all your hard-earned dinar just yet. If you get a return don’t panic and honor the return because it will save you the headache.

I’m speaking from experience here. FB and eBay both have 30-day return policies and if you’ve gained some willpower as I mentioned earlier, you will survive. Just go to eBay, click on purchased items, go to the item, and click initiate return. The seller will email you a return label.

Break out your snipping tool and snip it. DON’T FORWARD THE EMAIL. Yes, I’ve had people do this before and if you’ve suffered through my mediocre writing thus far it means you can follow directions, so good on you.

Email the buyer the return label and instruct them to tape it to the box. Tell them to take it to where the label is from FedEx, USPS, UPS etc. Done.

12. Wash, rinse, repeat

Continue the cycle of listing items that are selling and making moneys. Track those items in a spread sheet. There are tons of spreadsheets available for free, or just make your own. I hope that this helps someone in need which was my purpose of typing it out as I sit here sipping cold brew.

There are people charging upwards of $999 for this information, and they won’t even give you all the sauce. I have nothing to sell you because I don’t do 1 on 1’s, or group training anymore so don’t message me about it.

If you still think I’m full of crap, are one of those “well prove it” people, or you like being a grumbling zygote, check the pics for my past performance. But, if you enjoyed my wonderful sense of humor and or know someone that would benefit from this, like, share, and I’d greatly appreciate it.

One more tip since you’re still here.

Download the Woot app. Check there for items to purchase before the next season i.e. winter items. I purchased 3 snow blowers (That was the max) a couple summers ago for $59 each and I sold them right before winter hit for $129 each. Not bad if I say so myself.

Alright off you go, I’m gonna overload on caffeine and write an email about something. Go enjoy the day you.

Mike “go make moneys” Downs