Ryan Bebej
@ryanbebej.bsky.social
Calvin Univ professor + alum // anatomist + marine mammal paleontologist // birder + amateur photographer // science + faith speaker // Univ of Michigan alum // fan of St Louis Cardinals + Star Wars + other nerdy things // surname pronounced "BB"
Blue-winged warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) – If you're on a hike & hear that distinctive "BEE-buzz," then turn your eyes to the trees to find this blue-winged worm-eater. Have a great #WarblerWednesday! www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Black-throated blue warbler (Setophaga caerulescens) – From the Instagram archive… It's always a good day when I hear a buzzy song and spot one of these bluish moth-eaters. One of my favorite warblers. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Short-billed dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) – These gray marsh runners aren't super common in West Michigan, so I was thrilled to spot several of them this past spring. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) – For #FlickerFriday, here's a gilded chiseller that I came across this spring. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) – From the Instagram archive… Here's a cute little bunny to brighten up your Tuesday. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography #mammals #rabbits #wildlifephotography
Double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) – This young bird gave me great views as it confidently swam right past me a few autumns ago. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Pine siskin (Spinus pinus) – It’s #FinchFriday, so here’s one of my favorite visitors during Michigan winters. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) – For #WarblerWednesday, here’s the masked bandit caught in the act of singing witchity-witchity-witchity. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Brown creeper (Certhia americana) – These birds have such excellent camouflage on their backs that they frequently climb up a tree without me ever seeing them. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Eastern kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) – Here's a glimpse of the king of tyrants for #FlycatcherFriday. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Very excited to read through this new review of cetacean evolution!
travis-park.bsky.social@travis-park.bsky.social · 3w agoIf you want an up-to-date summary of whale and dolphin evolution, have a read of my new review paper in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com! I’ve tried to cover as much research as possible in this, so apologies if I’ve missed you! doi.org/10.1038/s443...
Cape May warbler (Setophaga tigrina) – From the Instagram archive… Such a cute and curious little bird. Always a pleasure to see this species! www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Gorgeous tooth from an early mysticete.
Robert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️@coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 3w ago#whalewednesday A beautiful molar of the extinct toothed baleen whale Coronodon from the Oligocene (~30 myo) of South Carolina - very similar to the teeth of ancestral basilosaurid whales from a few million years prior. 🦖🐋🧪
Louisiana waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla) – For your #WarblerWednesday viewing pleasure, here's a cheeky waterthrush that I caught singing away this past spring. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
A new article I recently wrote for BioLogos was published last night. Its about vestigial structures & why they are compelling evidence for evolution. I include brief discussions of various examples, including the vestigial external acoustic meatus & eardrum of whales. biologos.org/articles/wha...
biologos.org
@travis-park.bsky.social Just saw your new review article on cetacean evolution and requested a PDF via ResearchGate. I look forward to reading it!
American robin (Turdus migratorius) – From the Instagram archive… Here's another one of my semi-regular reminders to not overlook the beauty of common things. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) – This is still the only time I've seen this species in breeding plumage, and it is quite striking! Photo was taken in May 2025 in Lake Michigan. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) – From the Instagram archive… A young oriole from a couple springs back feeding among some apple blossoms. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Blue-footed boobies (Sula nebouxii) – The brightness of the blue feet of these birds has been shown to be reliable indicator of good immune function and overall health. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) – From the Instagram archive… I'll never tire of seeing and hearing my favorite little swamp lemon. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Northern yellow warbler (Setophaga aestiva) – It's #WarblerWednesday, so here's a shot of the moth-eater of summer (what it's scientific name means) in the early morning light. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Black-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) – From the Instagram archive… How fitting, given that I just heard my first cuckoo of the year while out on a hike this morning. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) – Just another periodic reminder to not neglect the beauty of common things. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
From the USA for #BirdsSeenIn2026
Ryan Bebej@ryanbebej.bsky.social · 4mo agoLeConte's sparrow (Ammospiza leconteii) – This gorgeous bird was found in West Michigan last week, and I was fortunate to see it. As I watched it forage, it almost looked more like a mouse than a bird! www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
RED scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) + WHITE bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) + BLUE indigo bunting (Passerina cyanea) – Some patriotic hues for the country's semiquincentennial. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Black swan (Cygnus atratus) – Native to Australia, this species was introduced to New Zealand in the 1860s and is now fairly common there. This was one of several individuals I saw on Lake Rotorua. www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) – From the Instagram archive… When I look at this photo, I can still hear the bird! www.instagram.com/ryan.bebej.photography 🪶 #birds #birding #birdoftheday #wildlifephotography
