Take 12 min to listen to this letter from Heather Cox Richardson. I had never heard of the book "Unhuman" before. Have you? #HCR substack.com/@hrichardson...

July 17, 2026

Yesterday President Donald J.

substack.com

BlueSky is for basking, not thinking . . . 🐍

Marsha Pate and I were out birding the other day and this #coyote trotted on past us like we weren't there. #mammals #wildlife

I don't see #bears often at my house . . . #mammals #wildlifephotography

I flushed a #woodcock that began a distraction display. I stood still looking for a nest or young. Not seeing either, I walked away about 2 steps and saw these 4 chicks. Yes, all 4 chicks are alive, they freeze when disturbed. When the hen flushed, she apparently knocked 3 chicks over. 🪶 #birds

An informed opinion that we should heed . . . #election #nokings #democracy

Opinion | The Greatest Threat to Our Elections Is No Longer Foreign

nytimes.com

A link to a gift article in the NYT that you may enjoy. It is an interview with author Michael Pollan. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/m...

Michael Pollan Says Humanity Is About to Undergo a Revolutionary Change

nytimes.com

It's another beautiful day in #Virginia. Please #vote!

This photo, taken on September 5th, shows the difference between summer and winter pelage color of white-tailed deer. 🦊 #Mammals #photography #wildlife

This is not the greatest photo, but one I was so pleased to get. A pair of quail came down mid-morning to a waterhole on a mostly dried up creek near Portal, AZ. I had only heard Montezuma Quail and had fleeting glimpses of them flying before this encounter. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

I had such better looks at Elegant Trogon this year than I had seen before. This is another species that just barely makes it into the states during the breeding season. 🪶 #birding #photography #wildlife

I'm slowly making my way through photos from our western trip. Hummingbirds attract many birders to se. Arizona and I am no exception. This one is the Broad-billed Hummingbird, a tiny one found in the USA only in se. Arizona and sw. New Mexico. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

From my morning walk today. #Fall is in the air. The leaves are colorful up on the mountain, though you can't really see it in this photo. #landscape #photography

Fall #wildflowers ironweed and spotted jewelweed.

I saw some beautiful loon video while watching YouTube today and then remembered that I had some loon photos from a trip last year. I am seriously behind in sharing photos. I found it in my catalog and here is the result. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

The first Hermit Warbler that I saw was way in the top of a huge conifer on Mount Lemmon many years ago. This cooperative male hung around our campground last May in Cave Creek Canyon. It foraged in a blooming mesquite there for days. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife #Arizona

"Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away." -Ismail Haniyeh 💙🏡💙 till next time

Rural Retreat birder Judy Moose found American Avocets at Rural Retreat Lake yesterday evening. She let me know as Marsha and I were headed out for an afternoon walk, so we went to the lake and saw these beautiful birds, a rarity here. Thank you, Judy! 🪶 #birding #photography

I was 13 when I first saw a Steller's Jay while camping at Philmont Scout Ranch. I had seen it in Peterson's field guide and hoped to see it there. Steller's Jay remains one of my favorite jays. 🪶 #birding #photography #wildlife

Beautiful light this evening at home, where we are enjoying the nighthawk migration. #goldenhour #landscape #photography

Chicago this Labor Day… Thousands fighting for what #WorkersDeserve

This Black-headed Grosbeak was attracted to a tub of water that we set out at our campsite. It was quite hot during the day and several bird species visited our"watering hole." 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

Townsend's Warbler is a western warbler, common during migration in the west but cause for much excitement when one appears in tidewater VA during fall migration. The farthest that I have seen one east was in s. TX. This photo is of a female in May in se. Arizona. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

Another warbler from Cave Creek Canyon. The Wilson Warblers were everywhere in May. I don't get to see them often back home in Virginia. I see one there every couple of years during fall migration. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

Cave Creek Canyon is southeastern Arizona is a favorite birding destination. We camped about a week there and saw lots of interesting birds. The mesquite was blooming around camp and we saw many warblers foraging there. This is a female Black-throated Gray Warbler. 🪶 #birds #photography #wildlife

One of my favorite woodpeckers, Acorn Woodpecker, in Portal, Arizona. 🪶 #birding #photography #wildlife

We've been hearing two Great-Horned Owl young of the year calling in the evenings. I have yet to get a decent photo, but here is a nest photo from a campground in New Mexico earlier this year. #owl 🪶 #photography #wildlife

Apples are falling, but they do not lay on the ground long. #wildlifephotography

Rattlesnake Springs in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a favorite #birding location. I got several decent photos of interesting birds on my last visit (Olive-sided Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and Ladder-backed Woodpecker) #photography #wildlife