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mrtoads.bsky.social
@mrtoads.bsky.social
2.9K followers 400 following 10K posts
Grouchy old fart, enjoys books, birds, baroque music, alliteration and, of course, spiders (but then, who doesn’t?). Semi-skilled at a number of unimportant things like game-playing, computer surgery and natural history story-telling. Lazy.
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mrtoads.bsky.social
It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Full set of Gameboy cartridges, so my recently unearthed Gameboy Colors can start working again!
December 20, 2025 at 2:17 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
I was already happy that I fired up the feeder area on a limited basis this week, but especially now. The dozen juncos and resident Song Sparrow and Cardinals are having a quiet morning with the bark butter before the Mockingbird, House Sparrows and squirrels finally roll out of bed!
December 14, 2025 at 1:15 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
A bit esoteric, but reminds me of grad schl
A small Avetheropod dinosaur perfectly fossilized in fine-grained sandstone to be lovingly admired an immensely long time later, on the cover of New Perspectives on the Origin and Early Evolution of Birds, Gauthier and Gall, eds. New at the time, of course.
December 8, 2025 at 8:46 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
A Song Sparrow figure on the cover of Dover reprint of Studies in the Life History of the Song Sparrow, by Margaret Morse Nice The gold standard
December 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Im getting my pancake hand back! This is the first of the batch; the „pan‘s cake“ is usually for the cook, since it’s crap, but this one looks ok!
December 5, 2025 at 12:59 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Really wanted this when I was starting out!
Prothonotary Warblers in a swamp (the best place to see them), on the cover of: The Warblers of North America, Griscom and Sprunt, eds; JH Dick illus
December 5, 2025 at 10:46 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky

Booksale!
A Tern for the better on the cover of The Bird Watchers Anthology, ed Roger Tory Peterson
December 4, 2025 at 10:25 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Our day-after excursion was to the best Little Lamplight in the Appalachians. A mile and a half of trudging through delightful* caverns and tunnels. It got us out of the cold and into the temperate humidity of the caves.

* if you’re not claustrophobic, anyway.
Green moss growing on the damp rocks under limestone deposits Different colored stalactites (mineral icicles) formed by the deposit of mobilized minerals. Calcium carbonate (white) stalactites reflected in the mirror surface of an underground pool Wedding cake column next to traditional stalactite formation
November 29, 2025 at 4:10 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
maybe stretching the brief a little..
An erect-standing, hairless primate with a big old brain, on the cover of The Third Chimpanzee, by Jared Diamond.
November 24, 2025 at 5:58 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
This morning was a bit cold, raw and breezy, but it turned out to be a good day for sparrows! No exceptional ones, but lots of the normal ones: White-throated, Song, Swamp and Field, plus Juncos. Some singing, all active and noisy.
Weedy field really hopping with sparrow activity despite the nasty November morning. Same field, different angle, just as many sparrows Bigger scrubby field about an hour later, after the low overcast broke up and washed away. Sparrows still active, though.
November 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Big Dragonfly perched on a bud of an aquatic plant, waiting for something tasty to fly near, on the cover of The Insect World of Jean Henri Fabre (selections from Fabre's writings on insects), edited by Edwin Way Teale
November 23, 2025 at 4:05 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Almost forgot!
Two large swans on final approach, on the cover of The Audubon Society Book of Wild Birds, by Les Line and Franklin Russell
November 22, 2025 at 4:34 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Last view of the fort, plus some Shovelers that got close enough for the phone camera.
The brick-faced earthen walls made the fort almost impervious to naval cannons. Only mortar-fired „bombs“ setting off a powder magazine with a lucky shot had any real chance of damaging such a fort. Northern Shovelers - the Wrong Mallard (white front, red sides). 3 males, 1 female
November 20, 2025 at 6:22 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Fort McHenry still guarding the approaches although the Key Bridge is gone. Lots of ducks and grebes near the shore, as well.
The guns of the fort still show. Where the Key Bridge was. Some Mallards
November 20, 2025 at 4:42 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Colonel Armistead still watching over Fort McHenry, making sure the flag is still flying.
Statue of George Armistead, the then-commander of the fort, with the fort in the background.
November 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Ladybird Beetle embossed in gold on the cover of Insects, by Bernard Durin Title page of Insects, by Bernard Durin Harlequin Beetle; painting, representative of the contents of Insects, by Bernard Durin
November 20, 2025 at 12:01 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Evolutionarily convergent future animals cavort on the cover of After Man: A Zoology of the Future, by Dougal Dixon I bought it new..
November 19, 2025 at 10:18 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Remains of long-dead fish overlaid and entombed within a former silt sea or lake bed, now very fine-grained sedimentary rock, on Prehistoric Life, from Dorling Kindersley, by a bunch of people
November 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Big round-headed owl (Barred Owl?) alighting on the cover of The Owl: A Photographic Essay, by Manabu Miyazaki
November 17, 2025 at 9:23 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
The wind is a mixed blessing: stirs up some, quiets others. But in the feeding zone of shrubs and vine tangles, there can be a lot of activity including Purple Finches and friends.
Also, some tasty-looking pancake Polypores(?)
Shrubby understory (mostly invasive Amur Honeysuckle) and bare streamside trees. More Amur Honeysuckle under a mixed former field woods Female Purple Finch feeding on invasive Bittersweet do close I can take a photo with the crappy phone camera. Very yummy looking. Must be lunchtime.
November 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
It’s a bit too windy for my favorite habitat; everything is moving, so sparrows and late warblers don’t show up as much and drop down faster. Alas..
November 16, 2025 at 3:23 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
The raptors are up, but no big boys yet. Lots of activity at all levels, but a bit challenging!
November 16, 2025 at 2:22 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
It’s a cool, windy morning as a cold front approaches. With more Golden Eagles seen moving through in the past couple days, I have a good feeling about the birding!
Nice red maple still hanging on to its leaves.
November 16, 2025 at 1:37 PM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
A parent Bigol' Owl (Eagle Owl?) with the Owlets backup singers, on the cover of Owls of the Northern Hemisphere, by Karel H. Voons (Ad Cameron, illus) Note the normal size discrepancy in the young birds, caused by sequential hatching.
November 16, 2025 at 11:52 AM
mrtoads.bsky.social
Nature book challenge. A book per day in no particular order, until you’ve shared ALL of the best nature books in your personal library. No explanations, no reviews,

#Books #Nature #Naturewriting
#naturebooks #conservation #naturebookchallenge #booksky
Clockwise from top right: Baltimore Oriole (probably McNally), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (poor memory for lyrics), Cardinal, American Goldfinch and Indigo Bunting (all males, of course) on the cover of The Gardener's Bird Book, by Tom Carpenter
November 15, 2025 at 9:29 AM