Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

#Birds I need to find a decent, free book on birds/ornithology. I know about the Cornell Lab of Ornithology resources, but I'm looking for any ornithology text/resource that is free and preferably online or as .pdf Anyone know of any? This red-bellied woodpecker was photographed in late 2025 in MN

A red-bellied woodpecker perched on a branch with it's belly and face illuminated by the rising sun. It has a red cap, stippled black and white back and wings and a dirty white-brown belly.

January 14, 2026 at 1:52 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

Folks outside of Mpls/St Paul/Twin Cities, someone I really admire on here wrote this summary of what is going on here. David Brauer wrote this. Please read.

David Brauer
5m • 6
••.
A friend said those of us who live in Minneapolis should write about what's going on here for folks who live elsewhere. You need to know that whether you're a Republican, Independent or Democrat, the Constitution is being violated by our federal government. This is not about catching criminals, or even deporting people. It is about punishing an entire state, including citizens, for not supporting the president.
Everyone in my part of Minneapolis is affected. On our streets, ICE is stopping people of color and demanding their papers. In America. US citizens do not have to prove citizenship to ICE. Yet people are being intimidated, some cases beaten up and detained, for requiring ICE to follow the law. ICE needs a judicial warrant to enter homes. Yet there are documented cases of them ignoring the law - violating a bedrock constitutional principle.
Americans of color are staying home, afraid to go to work, school, to grocery shop, or fill their cars with gas. This isn't just "illegals" or immigrants with valid work permits, it is citizens who have had their cars rammed by ICE for merely looking Hispanic. Businesses are closing. Schools are 50 percent full. When they are open, fascists are calling in bomb threats because the president decided to make us a meme.
After a daycare teacher with a valid work permit (through 2030) was snatched from her workplace, parents (and grandparents) have had to organize to watch their SCHOOLS, to make sure conditional rights are observed. This is being repeated throughout Minnesota. Imagine trying to do your job or live you life while also taking volunteer shifts to make sure the federal government doesn't act extrajudicially.
Because of ICE's documented abuses, neighbors have organized to monitor federal actions.
This observation is legal, as long as it doesn't interfere with a valid action. Yet since ICE killed Renee Good, they are increasingly stopping this observation, breaking car windows and pulling observ…

January 14, 2026 at 12:38 AM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

US Flag Code violation by BORTAC on their uniform. Minor point, but it's clear they are not acting as agents of the USA, but rather, another nation they are seeking to establish.

An adulterated US flag being worn by a BORTAC agent in Minneapolis, MN. This is a direct violation of the US Flag Code. It is the US flag with a winged-like symbol over the stars and stripes.

January 13, 2026 at 7:24 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

I took a break from looking at this book to watch your diving video. Weird timing that I was literally looking at this diving image a bit ago.

A drawing of air sacs in the neck of a bird that are offshoots of the lungs. It looks like two coffee beans with grapes hanging off of them on the sides and bottom. the text box reads: The energy requirements of a flying bird are huge and suggest the need for extra large lungs to fuel this output. In fact the lungs represent only 2 to 3 percent of a bird's total body volume--5% of mans. Birds satisfy their oxygen requirements in 2 ways. 1st, by an efficient system of air movement in the lungs and second, by an expansion of the other air spaces known as air sacs, which are offshoots of the lungs. thus the total air space volume of a bird is nearly 20% of the body volume.

Picture of an American Brown Pelican shown in 3 poses as it dives into the water with an S-shaped neck. The text box with this figure reads: Diving, The American brown pelican dives from the air to catch its prey from as high as 50 ft (15.2m). It is believed to dive with the head held back and the neck curved in an "S" shape as when in flight. This means that some of the initial impact is taken by the front of the body. Air sacs in the skin cushion this impact. The wings are thrown back against the body for a more streamlined outline.

January 13, 2026 at 2:24 AM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

I have the privilege of being able to bike or walk to my office and today I'll walk about 4 miles total. One thing that has changed is I now carry items in my backpack that I took from my camping/hiking supplies and my first aid kit. I don't think I am overreacting. #MPLS

A top-down photograph of items on a brown wooden table. The items are: water bottle, phone charger, whistle, first aid kit, gauze, "Quik Clot" pad, trail mix, meat stick, energy bar, safety gloves.

January 12, 2026 at 1:34 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

I would not be surprised to see some of the Minnesota GOP governor candidates for 2026 recycling ideas from the early 1900s like those of the 19th Gov of Minn, Joseph A.A. Burnquist. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_...

A political campaign poster from 1918 for Joseph A.A. Burnquist who became the 19th Governor of Minnesota. It reads Burnquist for Governor, Keep the Party Loyal and shows an image of the man in a red circle with the state capitol rotunda in the background.

January 11, 2026 at 2:46 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

Just think, this coulda been our state flag. lede-admin.racketmn.com/wp-content/u...

A drawing of minnesotas shape that is tilted 15 clockwise. Geese are dropping feces, but our state space lasers vaporize it. Below the outline of the state is a box with the words “Don’t Turd on Me! A corncob is drawn below the text.

January 10, 2026 at 4:39 AM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

Trying to stay healthy so I rode 18 miles of streets and trails today on the FTB. My watch’s message to me says to tone it down. Boo!

View from my bicycle showing the handlebars and tire and in front of that and below is the Midtown Greenway, which is white and snowpacked you can see bridges in the distance.

View from my bicycle of the Minnehaha Trail, bike path. It is snow packed and has arched lines that are brown on top of the light. This is the sand that parks has laid on top of the snow to provide traction. Trees line this white snow covered path.

A screenshot from a phone of the message provided by a watch telling the owner that their exercise this week has been more intense than normal and could lead to injury. At the bottom is the icon of the cycle and the timestamp of one hour 37 minutes and 50 seconds, which was the time of the bicycle ride.

January 5, 2026 at 10:35 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

Hibbing is the obvs place, but such a weird town in many regards. They have the bus museum, they have the Hull-Rust Mining Site "museum", lots about curling, but only his house, the library in the school and now this wall in his honor. School has done the most. Would be good use of IRRRB $.

Tribute to Bob Dylan at Hibbing Minnesota High School. It is a brick wall about 10 feet long and 5 fee high with a metal bust of Bob Dylan (shoulders and head) embedded in it.

Text reads: The Nobel prize in literature 2016 awarded to Bob Dylan. "For Having created new poetic expressions withing the great american song tradition." Nobel Prize Announcement

Bob Dylan's childhood home as photographed from across the street. It is a two-story, beige stucco house with an entrance in the middle and windows above and on each side of the entrance. Lush green lawn and multiple green, leafy bushes and trees surround the house.

January 4, 2026 at 3:57 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

First ride of 2026. Pleasant but a little icy in many spots. #winterbiking #Minneapolis

A map of SE Minneapolis showing the route I took on my bicycle from near Hiawatha Avenue in Lake Street down to W. River Rd. and then down to the Ford Parkway, Bridge across and back up the east side of the river to Lake Street and then back to near Hiawatha Avenue.

A bike with 3.8 inch tires leaning against a fence on the Lake Street/Marshall Ave., Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can see part of the Minneapolis skyline in the far distance. And the mighty Mississippi, frozen, is directly below the bridge, I’m standing on.

January 4, 2026 at 12:23 AM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

No joke, I started this book last night for a different reason than you’d expect.

A book called bananas by Peter Chapman. The subtitle is how the United fruit company shaped the world. The cover is in yellow, white and black the yellow background with the white America’s outline and below that we see military helicopters and a military person with a gun.

January 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

This may cheer you up.

A Minneapolis alley late at night. An alley light illuminated the mist in the air. There are garages, trash cans and a car parked in a driveway. December 2025.

January 2, 2026 at 3:06 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

We closed out 2025 at our favorite local restaurant—Himalayan. Pravin is my friend and fellow community member. When I walk in he greets me by my first name. The food is always delicious!

A table at a Minneapolis restaurant called Himalayan. On the table are dishes and food, including Naan, tofu choyla, palak paneer and rice.

A plate of food including rice, a orangish palak paneer and a red-tinged tofu choyla with onions and peppers.

January 1, 2026 at 2:00 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

One of the masked bandits that showed up with this Shirley guy in Mpls is wearing a hat from what I assumed to be a "progressive" gym in town that I was considering getting a membership at. Guess I'll try Solcana instead.

December 31, 2025 at 10:29 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

I regret to inform you tapes aren’t going anywhere. These two cassette players are brand new from companies that are actively producing cassette players.

Two cassette players and three cassette tapes sitting on a couch.

December 30, 2025 at 10:05 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

Cycling to Sandwiches, Installment 1:
What a day to ride! What a day to eat a sandwich.
After a killer ride to Minnehaha Falls and back on the snowy W. River Pkwy, I stopped at Shepherds Table. Elia was winding down. Had a really excellent pre-made from the hot box. Delicious. 1/2

The storefront for Shepherds Table, a restaurant and fine food store in Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN. Awning over entrance has snow on it and is green and white vertical striped. A table with some chairs are out front, snow covered.

A mostly eaten sandwich held in the air by a hand. A bike is in the distance and Longfellow park beyond that.

Sandwich eater and cyclists in a colorfol (grey, blue, red, green and yellow) reflective vest. Bicycle and Minnehaha falls in the distance. Lots of snow.

December 30, 2025 at 8:21 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

Here's how it looks now. Clear, not too much ice, some grit. No salt. Pretty decent, but I'd still recommend good winter boots and maybe even yaktraks, in general out there today.

A cleared Minneapolis sidewalk. Facing north.

A cleared Minneapolis sidewalk, facing east.

A cleared curbcut in the SoMipple neighborhood of Longfellow. Minneapolis, MN.

December 30, 2025 at 8:03 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

...not getting our sidewalk refilled with road snow/ice, the other side of the street did get it. This photo is from a neighbor's walk near me. My questions for @minneapolismn.gov and @mayorjacobfrey.bsky.social is what is your expectation for a resident to do with this street ice? 3/n

A Minneapolis sidewalk that has been filled in with massive (10-30 pound) chunks of dirty ice from the street. There is also a shovel in the picture showing the chunks are about 2/3 the size of the large black plastic (30 inch wide) shovel.

Blurry, out-of-focus image of the sidewalk after clearing it as best as could be done without owning a bobcat or front-end loader.

December 30, 2025 at 7:58 PM

Reglar Wigler

@daphsci.bsky.social

This is such a great thread. I had many excellent rides here in MN, but during a brief visit to Boulder, CO in late October, I had the most fun ride. Not a great bike, only a 10 mile ride, but the novelty of it and the setting made it the best. Rode the Boulder Creek Canyon and part of B180 trails.