cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
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turtlesoup.bsky.social
cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
@turtlesoup.bsky.social
1.1K followers 180 following 1.2K posts
Cartoonist, illustrator, fanperson. Budding professional science writer & hobby naturalist/nature photographer. They/them. http://linktr.ee/alliekleber

Expect lots of bird photos (and sometimes plants, bugs, etc).

GenAI is not welcome here.
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turtlesoup.bsky.social
cranky ol’ Auncle Allie @turtlesoup.bsky.social · Feb 21
To my steady & confusing stream of new followers: welcome! I'm a sporadic poster who treats this as more of a personal account than anything publicity-oriented. I'm an enthusiastic amateur nature photographer, a somewhat lapsed cartoonist, and sometimes share political posts but try not to deluge.
Photo of a downy woodpecker perched on a stalk of dried-out phragmites reed bent horizontal. He's a small, fluffy woodpecker with black-and-white barred wings and tail, a white belly, a black-and-whtie striped head with a bright red patch at the back, a short pointed black bill and a cartoonishly oulined eye. He's looking off into the distance in profile, his beak a little parted and his little tongue sticking out. Computer-colored drawing of a pair of people in unusual/futuristic scuba gear swimming underwater holding hands; in the foreground, a tall, slender person of Filipino descent wearing a purple-blue suit and an odd organic bubble for a helmet, and further back, a Black woman with a scuba mask and simplified rebreather tank that fits around her neck, wearing a grey bodysuit. Behind them, a small black-and-white underwater drone shines beams of light forward; shelves of rock can be seen directly below the swimmers, and in the background, the silhouette of a submerged city. A nine-panel black-and-white comic strip titled "uncomfortably numb," credited to Allie Kleber in 2020. Panel 1: Depicts someone's pale-skinned hands and part of their lap; two fingers of their right hand are brushing against their bare left wrist. Caption: Something's missing. Panel 2: shows a white person with short hair and glasses facing away, standing at a kitchen counter and peeling a banana, with a steaming mug and bowl of something on the counter in front of them. Caption: I get up, make breakfast. Panel 3: The same person (wearing a different shirt) sits with their chin in their hand in front of a black laptop against a backdrop of book cases. They have a thought bubble with music notes and a Sarah Bareilles lyric" "... stirring in the cinnamon ..." Caption: Work's boring, but fine. Panel 4: A purring tabby cat sprawled on a blanket; feet are sticking out further back in the image. Caption: The cat's a bit clingy, but that's hardly unusual. Panel 5: Close-up on part of a phone being held in a pale hand, reading "1:52 Thurs, June 4" at the top and showing a social media feed and an email notification at the top. Caption: The world continues to be on fire, so I boost and listen. Sub-caption: (I know it's not enough.) Panel 6: Shows the person riding a bike up a hill while wearing a face mask and looking over at a car next to them; word balloons read "puff" "puff" Caption: Today I finally got off my ass and went for a ride. Panel 7: The person is lying on their back, head on a pillow and eyes closed, wearing Airpods from which a word bubble emerges: "... bringing the attention back to the breath." Caption: I've even been meditating. Panel 8: The person sitting sideways on a couch with a book, looking up and out a window where a bird is flying past. Caption: But I feel like I'm ... waiting. Panel 9: A white blank with just the caption in the middle. Caption: Though I know there is nothing to wait for. Photograph showing a Common Eastern Bumblebee in profile, clutching a cluster of goldenrod blossoms as though hugging them, its fuzzy legs and abdomen coated in yellow pollen.
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
coreopsismajor.bsky.social
I'm Coreo. I can't work full-time anymore, and I need help paying down my revolving debt. Can you share this to people who might want to see some kittens? (1 more pic in my latest update on the GFM page!) gofund.me/4903591f2
Two orange and white kittens lounge, one on top of the other, next to a human laying down on a futon. One of the kittens has a paw on the other's shoulder. Two orange and white kittens lounge with their bodies pointed in opposite directions on a scratching pad, but their faces are both turned toward the camera, and they're both looking alertly and adorably at the camera.
January 27, 2026 at 4:03 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Wish I could have gotten decently crisp shots, but still. WILD TURKEY BORB. #birds 🪶
A wild turkey perched high in a tree amid bare branches, in profile. Its feathers are puffed up and it looks VERY round.
January 27, 2026 at 4:11 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Not the most amazing quality (it was very overcast, and my camera kept trying to focus on snowflakes), but - some of my neighbors, undaunted by the storm and freezing weather yesterday afternoon. #birds 🪶
A tufted titmouse clinging to dead plant stalks against a cracked cement wall, body titled downwards at a diagonal. It's a small grey songbird with a white face, breast and belly, a black patch over its beak, a pointy crest, and warm streaks of peachy yellow peeking out from beneath its wings. A red-tailed hawk perched in profile among bare tree branches, viewed at a truncated angle from below, its feathers very puffed out with cold. It's a stocky buteo hawk, mostly brown with a white belly and breast with some sparse brown barring. A mourning dove perched on a twig amid some flying snow, body puffed up and head lifted and turned to the side to stare at the viewer. It's a pinkish dove with grey wings and white undertail coverts. A pair of house finches munching on seeds from a green hanging feeder. They're small brownish finches with brown-streaked white breasts and bellies; the male has bright scarlet plumage on his head and beneath his wings.
January 27, 2026 at 4:07 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
... I thought the Onion was supposed to be satire.

(Sob)
January 25, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
franwilde.bsky.social
In lieu of saying a lot of things I will regret to folks talking out of their asses right now, here’s @naomikritzer.bsky.social’s excellent post on how to help Minnesota right now : naomikritzer.com
Will Tell Stories For Food
Naomi Kritzer's blog
naomikritzer.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
runwithskizzers.bsky.social
I know it’s not healthy to be so angry all the time but also “stay angry, little Meg” runs through my brain like a lifeline these days
January 24, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
johnrogers.bsky.social
Part of this is that thanks to the specific Christianity that evolved in the US over the 20th Century -- which then permeated culture -- is that many Americans are unable to effectively differentiate between shame, guilt, and responsibility.
courtneymilan.com Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 5d
I'm not saying to dunk on this person AT ALL but because I want this point elevated.

I don't want you to be ashamed to be a white American. The history of white Americans who sided against whiteness and acted in solidarity with others has been suppressed as ruthlessly as the history of violence.
suza27.bsky.social Suza27 @suza27.bsky.social · 5d
At this point in the history of our country, I am very ashamed to be a white American! I don’t want to be mistaken for a thug who is so brain dead they convince themselves that they are better than anyone else because they are white!
I have never & would never BELIEVE THEIR CONVICTED FELON!
January 22, 2026 at 5:42 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Post a picture YOU took, just a picture, NO description.
Photo shows a brightly (and unrealistically)-painted statue of a turkey standing on a brick plaza under a cloudy sky.
January 15, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
jamellebouie.net
the question to ask about this is, okay, he wants to cancel the midterms. how does he get the VA state board of elections to cancel the midterms? how does he get the georgia board of elections to do it? how does he convince republican house members to quit their jobs and give up their paychecks?
ryanhatesthis.bsky.social Ryan Broderick @ryanhatesthis.bsky.social · 12d
Trump says a lot of deranged shit, but, per this Reuters article — and the threats of invoking the Insurrection Act in Minnesota this morning — he is very clearly exploring how to cancel the midterms.
www.reuters.com/world/us/fiv...
January 15, 2026 at 4:29 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
judedoyle.bsky.social
She was married. Her wife raised the child with her. Her father put it out that the boy "didn't have anyone," seemingly as a means of pre-emptively assuming custody over the child. To continue this narrative both insults the dead woman and adds to the surviving parent's grief.
amyklobuchar.com Amy Klobuchar @amyklobuchar.com · 19d
Renee Nicole Good was a mother of three, including a 6-year-old boy who is now an orphan.

Renee was deeply loved by many. Her mom described her as “one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.”

This is who we lost yesterday.
January 8, 2026 at 3:10 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
A friend sent me a link to this video and said it made them think of me.

It's just ... such a special thing, when one of your people makes you feel this seen. 🥹

youtube.com/shorts/GrLcr...
Biker Found The Most Effective Way To WARN Pedestrians 😂 (@jaxtomasko IG)
YouTube video by Wave Viral
youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:11 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
My first bird sighting for 2026 was a red-tailed hawk, perched high in a tree a little ways down my street. (Really, it was two hawks - as the first bird and I regarded one another, a second hawk flew in and perched in the next tree over.) Felt like a good way to start the year. #birds 🪶
An adult red-tailed hawk perched among bare branches on a bright, sunny winter day, in profile. It's a stocky buteo with a mostly-white chest and belly, a warm brown head and back, brown eyes, and a curved grey beak. An adult red-tailed hawk perched among bare branches against a deep blue sky on a sunny winter day, its body in profile and its head turned directly towards the viewer. An adult red-tailed hawk perched among bare branches against a deep blue sky on a sunny winter day, its body in profile and its head turned a little in the opposite direction, cocked, one large brown eye apparently fixed on the viewer. An adult red-tailed hawk perched on an evergreen branch in partial sunlight, with its head in shadow and another stripe of shadow across its body. Its body is facing away from the viewer at a three-quarter angle, and it is looking back over its shoulder. The coppery-red color of its tail feathers is just visible.
January 6, 2026 at 6:06 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Seriously, we NEED a way to access community resources of all kinds without Facebook.

I deleted my original one in 2018 only to be forced to create a new one a few years back when I needed housing; all the room/shares listings had migrated.
definitelyvita.bsky.social Vita Ayala @definitelyvita.bsky.social · 22d
We need to be sharing lists of who has what skills they are willing to do/share for free or low cost to help others.

Also finding exchanges of goods and services locally (or setting up if that isn't already set up) that are in person or at least not centered around facebook 😭😭😭
January 6, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
joegross.bsky.social
Literally a publication for eight-year olds 40 years ago
January 4, 2026 at 6:49 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Happy New Year's Eve, friends. I thought about doing a highlights post, but even though I had many lovely moments this year (and the photos to go with) ... 2025 was awful and I'm just glad it's ending. Here's a little late December magic to end it on. #birds 🪶 ✨
A snowy owl sits hunkered down in a snowy cornfield, body turned at a three-quarter angle and eyes closed. It's a large, white owl with dark barring across its chest and wings, and in a sort of "headband" on its forehead. Bare branches of shrubs coated in clear ice, with frozen droplets hanging down here and there. A juvenile sharp-shinned hawk perched on a bare tree at a three-quarter angle, erect, with snowy evergreens blurry in the background. It's a tiny, blue-jay-sized hawk with a pale streaks on its white breast, a yellow eye, thick, widely-spaced bars on its longish tail, and a mostly brown head and back. A photo of a waxing half-moon in a black sky.
December 31, 2025 at 4:56 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Heading home!
Photo of a grey/brown tabby cat in. Red harness sitting in a lap in the back seat of a car. He is looking dubiously over his shoulder at the photographer/owner of the lap, who is holding onto him via a red plaid leash.
December 30, 2025 at 5:51 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
I brought Eugenides home to my parents' house (for Christmas) for the first time ever. I was a bit nervous, but he's made himself at home. ❤️
A gray-brown tabby cat in a red harness standing on a bookshelf with his forepaws resting on the shelf in front of the books, and his hind paws on top of some of them, staring alertly off to the side. A gray-brown tabby cat sleeping draped over someone's legs (covered in a royal blue rocketship-themed fleece blanket) on a red couch with a red plaid blanket draped over it and colorful cushions.
December 25, 2025 at 10:46 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
This time of year can be pretty challenging even when the world isn't so on fire. I hope you'll enjoy these very puffed-up snow buntings from my walk around Castle Island yesterday! #birds #borb 🪶
A very puffed-up, plump-looking snow bunting in non-breeding plumage perched at the edge of a cement wall overlooking blue water. It's a small white, brown and cream songbird with a little orange wedge-shaped beak and black feet. A snow bunting in profile, preening its chest feathers with its little wedge beak. A snow bunting facing away from the viewer at a three-quarter angle with its head turned to the side, its body feathers very puffed out and a little ruffled. A snow bunting with its feathers very puffed up and rounded, in profile.
December 21, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
akaharriet.bsky.social
we can kill them all if we just work together and ✨believe💫
Headline: "Microsoft Scales Back AI Goals Because Almost Nobody Is Using Copilot" by Jan Martindale Dec. 10 2025
December 15, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
unburntwitch.com
PSA: there’s been an exploit for Signal and WhatsApp released that can be used to silently track you.

Temp fixes for both can be done in your settings:

For WhatsApp: Settings>Privacy>Advanced>Block unknown messages.

For Signal: Settings>Privacy>Phone number>Who can find me by number>Nobody
December 15, 2025 at 1:28 AM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Things continue to be very rough, but here's my silly little bit of nerd joy for the week.

I'm not really an action figure person per say, but I've also been waiting for this one to exist for about thirty years. It's a tiny piece of plastic but it's also a tiny piece of magic that way. 🤷🏻
A Marvel Legends Phoenix (Rachel Summers) action figure standing on a shelf of graphic novels and comic book trade paperbacks. Titles visible behind her include ElfQuest, Excalibur and Finder.
December 12, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
captainhowdy.bsky.social
Nice one, Spidey.
The fawning TIME cover for the "Architects of A.I." showing some of the worst people in the world sitting on a girder above NYC. In this version, Spider-Man has swung by their steel beam and sent them all tumbling in what can best be described as nothing more than an unfortunate accident.
December 12, 2025 at 11:36 AM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
I have just reluctantly reopened my GoFundMe for Eugenides, and posted a long update (scroll down to find it) on how his medical situation has changed and why we still need help, as well as how the original donations are being applied.

My poor sweet boy.

www.gofundme.com/f/gen-sad-ki...
A happy gray-brown tabby cat in a gray t-shirt snuggling amid fleece blankets, eyes closed in appreciation. A gray-brown tabby cat in a gray t-shirt looking up from the round bed he's curled up in beside a window, as if to ask, "excuse me, did you want something?" A gray-brown tabby cat in a gray sleeveless t-shirt stands on a royal blue fleece blanket, with a space and rocketship pattern. It is clearly laid across someone's lap, and he's standing with one forepaw on each leg. A light-skinned hand is scritching him under the chin, and his head is turned a little, eyes closed in enjoyment.
December 9, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by cranky ol’ Auncle Allie
sarahmackattack.bsky.social
One of my neighbors has been putting up these fish facts posters. All kinds of different fish, marine, freshwater, deep, shallow, all kinds. This is a good one. “Stg this real fish” took me out. Good work, neighbor.
A poster on 8.5 x 11 inch paper saga Fishtown fish facts: red lipped catfish or of ocephalus Darwini. Then a pic of that freaky fish with 4 limbs it rests on the ground and then the words “stg this fish real red-lipped batfish walk ocean floor with they flippers RLBF have RBF, not they fault RLBF have a bioluminescent lure that glows to attract dinner RLBF lipgloss is popping, RLBF lipgloss is cool, all the fish keep jockin, they chase RLBF after school RLBF got scales like armor and shine bright like a diamond Red-lipped batfish will teach you how to dougie, I can promise u that. @yaboyni Take a moment And and realize the moment You took has already passed Thank you See you next time
December 7, 2025 at 3:39 PM
turtlesoup.bsky.social
Floods of fundraising messages are especially hard to cope with when you're in the middle of a period of financial hardship (in my case, due to ongoing pet health crises).
December 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM