Ryan M
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distortions.net
Ryan M
@distortions.net
210 followers 210 following 31 posts
Birder. Northern California Native plant gardener. Fujifilm. GIS professional. Geologist. AvGeek.
Views are my own
I regularly delete my posts.
https://distortions.net
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distortions.net
Nass geworden (Got Wet) #FotoVorschlag #Vancouver
At Stanley Park, Vancouver, with copper sculpture of modestly dressed, cross legged, senior lady, with bunned hair and big sun glasses, that has had her nails painted violet and looks like she's crying because of the rain drops
January 16, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Ryan M
nffe-fsc.bsky.social
We are excited to welcome the rest of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (HT) employees to the bargianing unit! From the first year fire and rec folks to the GIS and ologists, all job series are now covered. They'll be joining @nffe-local125.bsky.social

#bettertogether #unionstrong
A glacial lake reflects the partially snow covered craggy peaks beyond. Top center is the nffe eagle and cogs logo. Superimposed on the lake is the text: nffe-fsc welcome all of the non-professional employees of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest! There is a fs an iconic portal sign in the lower right that reads "welcome Humboldt-Toiyabe national forest" At the bottom in a dark blue text box is the web address nffe-fsc.org
January 14, 2026 at 6:19 PM
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May 2, 2025: Lufthansa B747-8 (D-ABYM) SFO-FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) #HumpDay #B747 #Aviation #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #Fujifilm
A Boeing 747, owned and operated by Lufthansa, taxies at SFO to 28L. Its at an angle, but the sun is fully illuminating its right side. It is set against buildings and brown hills of South San Francisco. The bay in front is a bit choppy and the photo was taken somewhere above powerlines, as they are visible at the bottom edge of the photo.
January 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM
distortions.net
December 14, 2025: Emirates A380-8 (A6-EUF), SFO-DXB (Dubai), using 28R  #ThickTailTuesday #A6EUF #A380 #PlaneSpotting #AvGeek #Aviation #Fujifilm
An Airbus 380 is nose-on to the camera, showings its clearly thick tail reaching high above the ground. Its nose gear is turning so it is about to leave the taxiway for a runway. The sky is hazy yet still tinted blue. The bay in front of the runways is calm.
January 13, 2026 at 2:08 PM
distortions.net
‘Kartonagen’ (Cardboard boxes) #FotoVorschlag #Cat
A orange cat is in a box outside a dumpster on blacktop. It is upside-down and open with korean lettering on it along with a tree graphic.
January 12, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by Ryan M
emilydolhansky.bsky.social
"public service sometimes requires standing firm in the face of threats" ✊🇺🇸
January 12, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Reposted by Ryan M
xenolith.bsky.social
Additionally, when teaching biology a focus primarily on genetics prevent students from understanding the importance of ecosystems for living things and how we are interacting with those systems in both positive and negative ways.
January 11, 2026 at 5:34 PM
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#SilentSunday #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm
Dozens of blackbirds are evenly perched in four leafless, dormant trees against a hazy blue sky. Some of the birds may be starlings as they more brown than black,
January 11, 2026 at 7:51 PM
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Today we went to Black Butte Lake and the pelicans were there! This is at the forebay, where a whole lot of water is being released into Stony Creek (tributary of the Sacramento River) mostly in case of future rain & snow melt #AmericanWhitePelican #BlackButteReservoir
Four pelicans floating in some what turbulent water, mostly in shadow, though the back of the neck and wings are lit up by sun. They are big birds!
January 10, 2026 at 11:17 PM
distortions.net
FlightFactor’s 777 version 2 for X-Plane models nearly everything using their own code. This means their Electronic Flight Book is critical for pre-flight weight & balance. I detest the EFBs clunky, opinionated, &... https://www.distortions.net/2026/01/10/flightfactors-version-for-xplane-models.html
January 10, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Ryan M
nffe-local125.bsky.social
With 95% voting in favor of organizing the Humboldt-Toiyabe non-pros will be joining us in 5 days once the agency has had a chance to review the results. #bettertogether #nffestrong #welcome
January 9, 2026 at 10:23 PM
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December 27, 2025: this American Bushtit was perched for an unusually long time, perhaps soaking in the sun’s morning energy like humans do coffee or tea

#AmericanBushtit #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC
An American Bushtit sits perched on a narrow branch. It is looking with beady black eyes slightly up and to the right, fully illuminated by the sun. Its face has brown and the rest of its orb-like body is a light tan. Its tail feathers stick out straight behind it.
January 9, 2026 at 1:44 PM
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This morning, my wife caught early sunlight slowly lighting up our citrus trees #Yarden #HomeOrchard
A mandarin tree and a Valencia orange tree catch early sunlight, illuminating a strip of oranges and foliage with a bright yellow glow. The sky is clear and a eucalyptus tree in the distance is fully lit.
January 9, 2026 at 3:31 AM
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December 17, 2025: At sunrise, a container ship and a helicopter that's coming in for a landing on the Waterfront, Vancouver #Vancouver #Fujifilm #SOoC
A sunrise lit container ship, with its east-facing side lit up and the rest in shadows. There are clouds looming on the mountainous horizon over Vancouver habor waters, including a group of birds flying in front of the clouds. Large cranes are also illuminated from one side. A helicopter is just above the cranes, approaching a nearby landing pad.
January 7, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Ryan M
phaneritic.bsky.social
Quite a lovely day on Don Pedro today. Got a late start and only fished for a couple hours but caught a 2.5lb king salmon and two bass trolling. Surprisingly no top water bite today for trout. But boy, I love this little waterfall coming off the Red Hills.
A 50’ waterfall cascading over cliffs of ultramafic Dunite that are oxidized orange with da few grasses growing here and there. A red 16’ sport boat is near the cliff fishing and used for scale.
January 7, 2026 at 3:11 AM
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December 17, 2025: Sunset over Thurlow Street in Vancouver #Vancouver #StreetPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC
Thurlow Street is still damp from rain as the sun sets between tower buildings along Thurlow Street. Sunlight reflects off damp streets and there are two fire engines parked on the right-side of the road. A nearby traffic signal has a red light.
January 6, 2026 at 2:55 PM
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Today most people will be back at my work. So to celebrate the return of needless office distractions, enjoy a Song Sparrow, if you can find it #SongSparrow #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC
A brown and tan Song Sparrow, borb shaped, is hanging out on a horizontal reed within a mass vertical brown and green reeds. It is looking towards the camera, helping to illuminate the tan behind its eyes.
January 5, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Reposted by Ryan M
distortions.net
The backyard was crowded with hummingbirds enjoying our planted native shrubs, so what the heck. Here’s some photos taken in very poor lighting conditions (cloudy, mid-morning, and winter) #Hummingbirds #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC
A hummingbird is perched in a California rose, showing a red stripe on its throat. It's otherwise gray and brown. There's a blurry branch obscuring the lower part of the bird. A hummingbird is perched on an elderberry branch that has fresh grown leaves. The little bird has an olive head and a dirty-yellow to gray chest and belly. It is looking to the right and the background is blurred out. A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the left, with one eye towards the photographer. It is in a ceanothus bush so there are lots of leaves in the way, but the hummingbird can be seen through a hole in the foliage. It has clear plummage, with a bit of red on its head and greens on its tucked-in wings. Its chest is a light gray. A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the right. It might have a membrane covering its eye? It is another bird with clear sharp individual feathers that are olive green in the back to medium gray to the front. Its long thin beak is pointing straight to the right. The background has blurred ceanothus leaves and branches along with gray skies.
January 4, 2026 at 7:37 PM
distortions.net
The backyard was crowded with hummingbirds enjoying our planted native shrubs, so what the heck. Here’s some photos taken in very poor lighting conditions (cloudy, mid-morning, and winter) #Hummingbirds #BirdPhotography #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC
A hummingbird is perched in a California rose, showing a red stripe on its throat. It's otherwise gray and brown. There's a blurry branch obscuring the lower part of the bird. A hummingbird is perched on an elderberry branch that has fresh grown leaves. The little bird has an olive head and a dirty-yellow to gray chest and belly. It is looking to the right and the background is blurred out. A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the left, with one eye towards the photographer. It is in a ceanothus bush so there are lots of leaves in the way, but the hummingbird can be seen through a hole in the foliage. It has clear plummage, with a bit of red on its head and greens on its tucked-in wings. Its chest is a light gray. A profile view of a hummingbird looking to the right. It might have a membrane covering its eye? It is another bird with clear sharp individual feathers that are olive green in the back to medium gray to the front. Its long thin beak is pointing straight to the right. The background has blurred ceanothus leaves and branches along with gray skies.
January 4, 2026 at 7:37 PM
distortions.net
December 6, 2023: Am Flakturm im Volkspark Humboldthain, Berlin #SilentSunday

#Berlin #Fujifilm #SOoC
A large concrete area with a spiraling ramp, where its walls are covered in colorful street art. A lone person stands at the center in front of looming iron rod fence. There's light snow covering the concrete ground and it's completely fogged in so there's no viewl.
January 4, 2026 at 1:36 PM
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May 2, 2025: San Francisco, Geary and Powell streets just south of Union Square #StreetPhotography #SanFrancisco #Fujifilm #SOoC
A sidewalk view of Powell and Geary streets, with a person looking and smiling at a building-side mural of a family of monkey or lemurs. Various buildings loom with Saks Fifth Avenue, Swarovski, and CK Contemporary signs. Two classic palm trees sit between the Saks building and Swarovski, likely at Union Square.
January 3, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Ryan M
snarkranger.bsky.social
My carbon-emitting internal combustion Mazda is better for the environment than anyone's Tesla because it doesn't directly fund a madman billionaire hell-bent on destroying the very governmental infrastructure which is required to save the planet from climate change.
January 2, 2026 at 2:55 PM
distortions.net
Last weekend, I caught a Northern Harrier in flight. Though the view finder, I only knew it was some kind of raptor #NorthernHarrier #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #CropToZoom
A oblique front view of the Northern Harrier, with its head tilted so one eye is looking at the ground, and the other is angled upward. It is in midflight with both wings visible and outstretched. Its face and upper body is lit by sun against a blue sky. A Northern Harrier, in profile view, with only one outstretched wing visible. It has a white ring of feathers around its mostly brown and tan neck. It is looking straight and there's a glint in its eye.
January 2, 2026 at 2:51 PM
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In 2025, I made big indulgent updates to my XPlane 12 FlyWithLua scripts that add multi-button functions to the Yawman Arrow controller. The scripts became easier to adapt to new aircraft. I also wrote a quick Outdoor Air Temp an... https://www.distortions.net/2026/01/01/in-i-made-big-indulgent.html
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January 1, 2026 at 7:32 PM
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After all that happened in 2025, I’m side-eyeing 2026 like this Towhee side-eyed the space above #HappyNewYear

#CaliforniaTowhee #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #CropToZoom
A sun-illuminated brown California Towhee is in a grassy area, taking up the center third of the photo, with its head cocked and eye pointing up to the sky, as if something caught its eye and it needed a better look.
January 1, 2026 at 2:10 PM