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lycophidion.bsky.social
lycophidion
@lycophidion.bsky.social
110 followers 140 following 360 posts
Biologist, Ecosocialist, Neurodivergent. Please note that I will block individual solicitations for donations.
"There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen." - VI Lenin
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lycophidion.bsky.social
Some #saltmarsh birds at MNSA, LI, NY on 7/23
#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity
Green Heron perched on a snag against a background of green marsh-grass about to take flight. Greater Yellowlegs striding onto the mud bank of a tidal channel. Short-billed Dowitcher standing erect in shallow water. Clapper Rail standing erect in shallow water, calling with neck extended.
July 26, 2025 at 3:08 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
It's important to be really clear about the facts or we discredit ourselves. I do not support Democrats, but we need to keep our eyes on the prize - an end to Israel's apartheid and genocide. And if AOC or other Democrats support that effort, we welcome that.
July 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Can you document AOC's support for this bill?
July 21, 2025 at 11:19 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
If you're in NYC & vicinity, tomorrow...
#Palestine #gaza #genocide #abolishisrael
July 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Red-tailed Hawk preying on a Gray Squirrel, observed at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, yesterday.

#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity #urbanwildlife #urbanecology
There is a nesting pair of Red-tailed Hawks with two fledged chicks on one a campus dorm building. As I was leaving, this adult soared low over a lawn and up into a nearby tree, pursued by some Blue Jays. A large Eastern Gray Squirrel decided to join in with the Blue Jays, and got way too cocky. The hawk grabbed the squirrel. The Jays eventually left off and the hawk began feeding on its prey, perched on a limb. However, the squirrel was too large for the Red-tailed to take flight, so s/he glided down to a lawn area and continued to feed, while the partner and the offspring called and then perched nearby. Visitors, some well informed, others not, came by and took pictures or watched. I stuck around for a while to urge folks not to crowd the bird, but then had to leave. Hopefully s/he enjoyed their meal and shared it with the fam.
July 16, 2025 at 1:50 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
And summer would not be summer without charismatic Green Herons, brightening the day even with dark clouds on the horizon!
Marine Nature Study Area 7/11/25
#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity
Green Heron striding through the shallow water of a tidal channel at low tide. Small heron, stout black bill, dark cap, brown neck and chest with stark white markings, slatey blue-gray upper. Green Heron foraging for small fish in a tidal channel. Green Heron with neck partially extended, perched on a dead branch Green Heron, neck retracted, perched on a dead branch.
July 14, 2025 at 2:28 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Meet Charlie the Common Tern, one of several denizens of the Marine Nature Study Area in Oceanside NY that lay claim to MNSA Director Michael Farina.
#birds #birding #birdphotography #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity
July 13, 2025 at 3:06 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Little Willets, big feets...

#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity
June 25, 2025 at 2:36 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Happy Juneteenth. The struggle continues!
#juneteenth #BLM #antiracism
June 19, 2025 at 3:27 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
June 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Some Friday the 13th birds at Marine Nature Study Area, NY.
#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity #biodiversitycrisis #climatechange #ecosystem
Little Blue Heron wading in a tidal creek. Uncommon in the NYC area, although increasingly common as the climate heats up. This was one of two present, perhaps a breeding pair. Little Blues are small herons, about the size of Snowy Egrets, whose color pattern the white juvie LBHs are thought to mimic. Adults like this one have slate-blue bodies with purplish heads, green legs and a black-tipped blue bill Forster's Tern taking a bow. Perched on a concrete ledge, Forster's Terns have light gray upper bodies, white breasts and undersides, and black caps, and orange bills with a black tip. Black-crowned Night Heron on the wing. BCNHs are small, stocky herons with a stout black bill, and black caps and backs. The upper body is light grayish and the lower is white. The Black-crowned Night Heron is in decline across the US east coast. Willet perched on a branch loudly calling at the intruder in its nesting area. Willets are large shorebirds, mottled brown above, except during breeding season when their plumage also takes on contrasting reddish colors. They have long bills, a dark eyeline and light undersides.
June 15, 2025 at 8:25 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Some photos of "No Kings!" march in NYC, today. One of NYC's larger protests in my experience, with a boisterous and diverse crowd.
#trump #fascism #nokings #resistance #protest #justice #democracy #socialism
June 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
View of Tuesday's peaceful protest in NYC against ICE kidnappings and illegal detentions and deportations.

#trump #fascism #ice #abolishICE #gestapo #immigration #USpolitics #immigrantjustice #justice #democracy
June 11, 2025 at 4:47 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Some shorebirds at Nickerson Beach Park, NY. Prominent among the 3 bn birds that have disappeared from N. America in the past 50 yrs
#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity #capitalism #extinction #ecosocialism #systemchange #climatechange
Female American Oystercatcher sitting on a sand beach with one of her two chicks, with a food item in its mouth. The adult Oystercatcher is a large shorebird with a black or dark brown upper body and white underparts, with a long, stout orange bill. The down-covered chick is lighter brown above and buffy below. Both parents care for eggs and young. Oystercatcher chicks are semi-precocial, able to move freely about shortly after hatching, but still reliant on parents for food. "Wtf?" Least Tern seems to be expressing how I feel most of these days... An endangered species. Like many sea- and shorebirds, Least Terns are impacted by habitat loss and degradation, climate change, pollution and introduced predators. Nickerson Beach hosts a protected nesting colony of these and other birds. Piping Plover chick, aka "fuzzball with toothpicks," one of a pair scurrying among the dune-grass while mom remains stationary and vigilant, nearby. Piping Plover chicks are precocial, foraging and roaming freely right after hatching. Adults are brown-gray above, white below, with a white-lined black collar and a black forehead line.These small shorebirds are an endangered species, caught between rising sea-levels and rampant coastal development, and predated by feral cats. Black Skimmer shares the sky over a small drainage pond with a Common Tern. The pond is a source of fresh water for drinking and bathing for some of the seabirds. Black Skimmers are members of the gull family with a unique, large lopsided, knife-like bill with a larger lower than upper mandible (both called "mandible" in birds), used to scoop fish from the surface of the coastal waters they inhabit. Another threatened species. Both of these species also nest in numbers at Nickerson.
June 7, 2025 at 5:21 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Happy #WorldBiodiversityDay !

Clapper Rail at the Marine Nature Study Area, NY, 5/10. Salt-marsh species like the Clapper are threatened by unsustainable development, climate change and pollution.
#nature #NaturePhotography #birds #Wildlife #birdphotography #birding #biodiversity
"Clapper Rails are chickenlike marsh birds with stout bills and stubby tails. They are noticeably larger than similarly shaped Virginia Rails. Clapper Rails look thin when viewed head-on, as if they have been squeezed together from the sides. This “lateral compression” helps them navigate smoothly through the dense vegetation they inhabit. Clapper Rails have a gray face; light-colored head, neck, and breast; a darker back; and barred sides and belly. Underparts vary from gray to dull cinnamon. The bill is orange, while legs are light yellow or pink (when not covered with mud)." (AllAboutBirds).
May 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Took a detour through Ft. Greene Park in downtown Brooklyn on Monday and was serenaded by this Ovenbird (a species of ground-foraging wood warbler) and approached by a Swainson's Thrush...
#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity
Male Ovenbird perched on a twig, singing. "Ovenbirds are olive-green above and spotted below, with bold black-and-orange crown stripes. A white eyering gives it a somewhat surprised expression. Like several other terrestrial, or near-terrestrial, warblers, Ovenbirds have pink legs." (AllAboutBirds) Ovenbird foraging among leaf litter. Swainson's Thrush foraging on the ground. "These medium-brown birds with pale underparts have spotted chests and large buffy eyerings that extend in front of the eye, creating “spectacles.” The whitish throat is bordered on each side with a dark brown stripe. Swainson’s Thrushes breeding on the Pacific slope of the U.S. and Canada have warmer brown upperparts (see Regional Differences)." (AllAboutBirds)
May 21, 2025 at 5:19 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
~2-3000 marched in solidarity with the Palestinian people in NYC this evening on the occasion of Nakba Day. As the march ended, we heard a texted report from north Gaza that the IOF was engaged in another bombardment of the trapped population.
#Palestine #Gaza #genocide #Zionismisnazism
May 16, 2025 at 1:47 AM
lycophidion.bsky.social
A few of the Mothers' Day (5/11) #warblers celebrating their day (or season) at Jamaica Bay wildlife refuge, NYC.
#birds #birding #birdphotography #wildlife #nature #naturephotography #wildlifephotography #biodiversity #aves #biodiversitycrisis #extinction #pajareo
Male Blackburnian Warbler perched on a twig. This guy had us running in circles until it humored us by descending halfway down from its treetop foraging, always characteristically in non-stop motion. This weekend saw a large migratory wave passing through our area. Among the other "wood-warblers" observed by our group: Common Yellowthroats, Ovenbirds, Yellow-rumpeds, Redstarts, Northern Parulas, Blackpolls, Prairies, Wilsons Black-throated Blues and Bay Breasteds."The breeding male [like this one], with vivid orange in face and throat, is unmistakable; females and immatures show at least a hint of this coloration, but more important is the unique triangular facial pattern of black (or gray), also seen in all plumages." (AllAboutBirds) Male Black-throated Green Warbler perched on a pine twig. They were surprisingly abundant today. "These are olive-green birds, white below, with yellow faces and black on the front. Adult males are stunning, with a bright yellow face and extensive black on the throat turning to black streaks on the flanks. Two bright white wingbars. Females and young birds are patterned like males, but duller and lacking the extensive black on the throat." (AllAboutBirds) Male Yellow Warbler singing while perched on a branch. These were the most abundant wood-warblers. "Yellow Warblers are uniformly yellow birds. Males are a bright, egg-yolk yellow with reddish streaks on the underparts. Both sexes flash yellow patches in the tail. The face is unmarked, accentuating the large black eye." (AllAboutBirds) Male Black and white Warbler standing on the vertical trunk of a tree. These birds are often found scurrying up and down tree trunks like Nuthatches as they search for insects in the bark. These were fairly common. "These birds are boldly striped in black and white. Their black wings are highlighted by two wide, white wing bars. Adult males have more obvious black streaking, particularly on the underparts and the cheek. Females (especially immatures) are paler, with less streaking and usually a wash of buff on the flanks. The undertail coverts have distinctive large black spots." (AllAboutBirds)
May 15, 2025 at 4:08 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Happy #mothersday y'all!
Mama-to-be Ruby-throated Hummingbird building her nest from Tent Caterpillar webs in Jamaica Bay, NY, today.
#birds #birdphotography #naturephotography #wildlife #biodiversity #birding
Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird atop a nest she is constructing from tent caterpillar webs. "Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are bright emerald or golden-green on the back and crown, with gray-white underparts. Males have a brilliant iridescent red throat that looks dark when it’s not in good light." (AllAboutBirds). Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird building her nest from Tent Caterpillar webs. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird building her nest from Tent Caterpillar webs. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting atop the nest she has been working on.
May 11, 2025 at 8:08 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
A few more birds from our 4/27 City Nature Challenge in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
#birds #birding #birdphotography #biodiversity #naturephotography #wildlife
Fluffed-up Wood Duck sunning atop a partly submerged log Veery pauses atop a branch on the ground while actively foraging Ovenbird foraging on the ground
May 7, 2025 at 4:18 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Some banners from the Jewish Voice for Peace National Membership Meeting this past weekend: take-off for this epoch's Antiwar Movement!
#Palestine #genocide #fascism #trump #gaza #JVP #abolishICE #zionismisfascism #stopthedeportations
May 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Happy #Mayday! Whose streets?!
May 1, 2025 at 2:25 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Another shot of the Kentucky Warbler last Sunday in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. A passerby in blue made for a nice contrast with the warbler.
#nature #NaturePhotography #birds #Wildlife #naturecommunity #photography #birding #birdphotography #biodiversity
April 30, 2025 at 7:34 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
Another view of the out-of-its-element Least Bittern in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, last Sunday. Next to it, a photo of a Bittern in its preferred habitat in Jamaica Bay last June.
#nature #NaturePhotography #birds #Wildlife #birdphotography
#birding #ardeidae
Least Bittern, an American Robin-sized heron standing on a log athwart a stream. A red-brown upper surface with white lines and darker coverts, and a lighter, buffy under-surface, a dark cap, orange-yellow legs and a black and a long, dagger-like orange-yellow bill. A Least Bittern among Phragmites at the edge of a pond.
April 30, 2025 at 4:19 PM
lycophidion.bsky.social
A few of my star City Nature Challenge birds, today in Prospect Park. Kentucky Warbler, Least Bittern, American Bittern. The two Bitterns were amazingly out in the open and nearby!
#birds #birding #biodiversity #birdphotography #wildlifephotography
American Bittern perched on a partly submerged branch. A medium-sized heron with a red-brown streaked light breast, mottled light brown upper. Kentucky Warbler perched on a branch, small stocky warbler with olive green upper, yellow lower, black cap and eyeline, yellow supercilium. Least Bittern strolling across a log across a stream. A robin-sized heron with a red-brown body with white dorsal markings and darker coverts.
April 28, 2025 at 3:08 PM