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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron)

@carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social

170 followers 58 following 320 posts

Childless #heron lady. Itinerantly living #nondriver with a predilection for #carfree places. Cares about bird-safe buildings, noise pollution mitigation, light pollution mitigation, green infrastructure, etc. carfreebirdnoticer.substack.com

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · Jun 30

You don't need to drive to reach the four places below. In fact, you're not even allowed to drive in them.

What's more, they've all been named Dark Sky Places by @darkskyintl.bsky.social.

Anholt 🇩🇰
Sark 🇨🇶
Rum (/ Eigg) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Spiekeroog 🇩🇪

More about 'em:
carfreebirdnoticer.substack.com/i/166560511/...

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 18h

How is the word 'burger' even a "'meat-like' term" when it's derived from the name of a city? There are actually lots of places to get vegan food in Hamburg these days...

www.birdlife.org/news/2025/10...

Press release: European Parliament votes: a burger can’t be a burger anymore

www.birdlife.org

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 1d

Welp, the egret sold me on the Cajun Sunshine hot pepper sauce, but they're still working on the Rolex...

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 3d

I've not driven in 4.5 years, but I've been taking notes on my everyday experiences in honor of #WeekWithoutDriving - from Schiermonnikoog to Columbus and everything in between - and a blog post on the topic should be forthcoming...

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 4d

As seen in the airspace over Schiermonnikoog 🇳🇱

#heron #reiger #spoonbill #lepelaar 🪶

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 4d

I happened to kick off #WeekWithoutDriving with a visit to Schiermonnikoog 🇳🇱

This "car lite" island is pretty close to the embodiment of my dream scenario. Visitors cannot bring cars to the island. Residents are permitted to drive, but it's rare to see anyone who's not on foot or bike.

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 5d

...plus a lot of these cultured creatures! #IWSG2025

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 5d

A few #waders seen on Monday's excursion to Schiermonnikoog with @waderstudy.bsky.social #IWSG2025 🇳🇱 🪶

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 9d

Walking and sometimes cycling (although I hate sharing the roads with cars when I'm in the US). Driving always felt to me like nothing but a waste of time when I could be walking or cycling.

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 11d

Traveller Heron and I love them! 😍

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 11d

Traveller Heron has been learning a lot at #IWSG2025

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 16d

Reminds me of these fishing buddies from last summer!

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 16d

I also must say that once you've spent enough time in largely car-free places, it becomes almost insufferably annoying to move about confined to the margins of infrastructure built for cars. Keep to narrow sidewalks. Wait for "walk" to flash... A better life is possible yet sadly a costly luxury.

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 16d

^ This.

Examples: drivers who don't respect pedestrians' right of way at crossings (i.e. the majority of drivers); the much smaller but vocal group of drivers who yell "get off the road!" at cyclists (despite the fact that cyclists are legally required to ride on the road).

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 16d

If it's not enough to deprive millions of Americans of health insurance, cancel childhood vaccinations, gut health research, etc., then also make sure that no one has a safe place to walk and bike for transportation and exercise. #MakeAmericaHealthyAgain

Streetsblog USA @usa.streetsblog.org · 16d

The latest attack on multimodal transportation is more brazen and destructive than ever before — and the Trump administration is no longer hiding its disdain for walking and biking projects.

How Trump's Latest Multimodal Clawbacks Are Different — And How They Could Devastate Communities — Streetsblog USA

The latest attack on multimodal transportation is more brazen and destructive than ever before; the Trump administration is no longer hiding its disdain for walking and biking projects.

buff.ly

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 17d

Incidentally, I think that most Germanic languages don't draw a linguistic heron/egret distinction and call Great Egrets "Silver Herons" (Silberreiher, Grote Zilverreiger, Sølvhejre, etc).

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 17d

Nice action shots -- that Heron is off to the pub!

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 17d

Herons do enjoy a wee dram and support that analogy 🥃

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 23d

Herons don't just drink wine; sometimes they hydrate too (in this case, following a dinner of delicious seared scallops from the Isle of Coll 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿)

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 28d

Saturday is #WorldSoundWalkDay

"Put your phone away, slow down, and open your ears. Notice the sounds of birds, wind, water, insects, or even the subtle space of silence. Allow yourself to be fully present. A sound walk is not about talking, but about listening."

www.quietparks.org/urban-quiet-...

Urban Quiet Walk 2025 — Quiet Parks International

www.quietparks.org

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Reposted by Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron)

EveryHeron 𓅣 @everyheron.bsky.social · Sep 9

Another Traveller Heron 😉

bsky.app/profile/sorr...

Frankensorrel @sorrelish.bsky.social · Sep 9

DYING at these pictures of a heron rescue from an animal rescue fb group

(credit Sven Shale on fb)

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 29d

Aww! Love it <3

That safety-aware travelling heron looks a bit larger than the one I know.

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · 29d

<3 <3

That one looks a bit bigger than ours...

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · Sep 5

In my experience, not driving has been *the* key thing that allows me to *actually experience the community* instead of merely passing through it to some point B.

Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · Sep 5

Now that would be something! Traveller Heron believes that there need to be more cocktail bars run by Herons, for Herons. As it was, Traveller had to settle for the wine/tuna pairing...

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Kate McFarland (and Traveller Heron) @carfreebirdnoticer.bsky.social · Sep 5

Maybe while I'm at it... #Heron with a cocktail in Kolding 🇩🇰 🍸

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