Amanda Dorts
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mx-creant.bsky.social
Amanda Dorts
@mx-creant.bsky.social
660 followers 370 following 600 posts
Evidence-based creative. I learned most of my science and history through reading SF

AuDHD, Disabled, queer, non-binary, anti-Zionist Jew for a free Palestine

Captures birds and politics in pixels

Fights for a better today

Dreams of a better tomorrow
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mx-creant.bsky.social
#BirdoftheDay

Tufted titmice may common further south but the quite rare here. And they’re fast. This is my second time seeing one.

And of course, the relatively common white breasted nut hatch is always a delight, and the black capped chickadee is perhaps Ontario‘s most iconic #Songbird

🪶
A tufted grey titmouse perches on top of a log. A white breasted nut hatch and chickadee perch further down, looking for seeds
December 5, 2025 at 6:16 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Their laughter has taunted me ever since I learned how to recognize it. I’ve caught sight of them, of course, and got my lens on it once or twice, but this a gift. Chased from the river by a neon-blade walker, she ended up flying closer to my home and settling on this low branch for a photo shoot.
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A pileated woodpecker purchase on a thick branch in front of a trunk. Her red crest is bright in the sky and her black and white face are looking forward. Her talons are sharp in the foreground.
December 5, 2025 at 5:43 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
back pain is the worst. I hope you’re up and birding soon. Here is Merp's cousin doing some gentle stretches in solidarity with you.
A white-breasted nuthatch perched on a branch, seen from behind. Its head head and beak stretches up towards the sky while it’s tail points down slightly. A white-breasted nuthatch stretched out flat on a branch, it’s eyes half closed
November 29, 2025 at 8:58 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
To paraphrase Yeats, nature waited patiently while my senses developed.

My first ever #HoodedMerganser 🪶

Also, I just discovered #BirdOfTheDay and I'd say I have both #Couples and #YellowEyes covered

#EastCoastKin
#BlueSkyMonday
A male and female hooded Merganser swim in a blue river. The female is muted browns with a orange beak and blurred in the background. The mail is in front with a reddish belly, black and white chest and back and a black head and beak with a white swoop and a yellow eye.
November 24, 2025 at 10:44 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
I love odd duck season. Even though the mergansers are theoretically here year round the seem to disappear in summer.

🪶 #EastCoastKin
A common merganser perches on a log in a river! Is red head turned and twisted to look up and back. Its hooked beak is open. I’m the background, a wife in floats in the water
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
And I especially love weird duck season at sunrise and sunset.

(forgot the tags in the original post...Bluesky really needs a fully accountable editing option)
#EastCoastKin
🪶
#Ontario
#BirdPhotograpy
#MigratoryBirds
A silhouette of a northern shoveler, with its large beak open, on a glowing river
October 26, 2025 at 10:01 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
I love weird duck season!
A group of gadwall ducks play on a river. A mal3 and female in the middle are facing each other with beaks open and one to the dice is stretched up as though standing at attention A pair of Northern Shovelers swim on a river. The female, with patterns of brown black and white, has its large shovel-like beak to the water and the male, behind her, has it's green head with yellow eye turned to preen it's black and white and brown feathers A common Merganzer floats on an autumnal river and has its head, (with spiky feathers like an 80s punk rock Auburn hairstyle ) turn to free its tail feather in a way that makes it look as though it is reclining on its back. An American Widgeon swims on the water towards the camera. It’s brown chest and green and brown and white face face the camera.
October 26, 2025 at 9:55 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Since I’ve been taking pictures of birds, I’ve lost my neck for more abstract landscape. But autumn colours and changing light makes it very tempting.

#AlphebetChallenge
#QforQuiet
#BlueSkyArtShow
#EastCoastKin
Concrete barriers and in a picnic table interrupt running water with reflections of autumn colours is blurred in the slow shutter speed
October 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
this is pretty #vertical for a Merganzer!

#BlueSkyArtShow #EastCoastKin 🪶
A duck with red spiky hair, a longish beak and grey, black and white wing feathers is stretched vertically, almost standing tall on the water, it’s wings akimbo
October 19, 2025 at 3:19 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
this was one very tall, vertical... #BlueSkyArtShow #Vertical
A very tall, vertically oriented/portrait, oriented banner is being held by a person in overalls with a novelty, backpack and a bike the banner read saving the planet means a free Palestine, and has a globe super imposed on a Palestinian flag
October 19, 2025 at 3:15 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
They’re still pretty elusive to my lens, but I feel like after a year of hunting I can pretty reliably eyeball them when I hear them. And once in a while, they pose for me. All hail the belted kingfisher
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A male Kingfisher… A greyish black bird with spiky head and long beak, and a white spot that sort of fakes an eye in front of the real eye, purchase on a branch with lots of branches and leaves in the background
October 13, 2025 at 4:25 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
I particularly love the cormorant migration. And they often look like a keffiyeh in the sky.

And as an aside, know what? When birds gather they don’t RSVP.

If you’re newer to resisting this level of repression, please listen to those who know. Don’t RSVP to a protest.

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dozens of birds are silhouetted above some wind turbines, against a pink sky Six double crested Cormorant are somewhat silhouette against a blue sky. Their orange beaks shine in the light. dozens of birds are silhouetted against a dark pink sky dozens of birds are spread out with their wings in wavy lines that sometimes intersect, silhouetted against a gray sky
September 17, 2025 at 5:08 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
The Birds feed just passed 14,000 likes!

Do you know what time it is! Post celebratory birb...
🪶

This great egret is celebrating a nice little snack. I don’t think the fish is quite as celebratory though.
A great egret stands with its white body and orange beak against a gray watery background, flipping a small silver fish in its open beak.
September 17, 2025 at 12:35 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Hey guys, where you going? Wait up! Guys… Guys...?

#cormorant
#EastCoastKin
#NaturePhotography
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Five double crested cormorants, flying diagonally across the picture and a small crow trails behind. The orange beaks of the cormorant glow in the sun.
September 17, 2025 at 12:25 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Accessibility matters.

you can turn on a feature that prompt you to include all text every time.

ironically, the share button didn’t work for me so I had to post this as an image, but here’s the link to checkyour own score

cred.blue/alt-text

#photography
#eastCoastKin
A screenshot of a website called: Cred blue bluesky alt text rating. There is a box with the username mx – creant.bsky.social and below there’s an analyze and a share results button below that are the following stats: 62 posts analyzed; 19 contain images; four are replies; 19 posts have alt text Score 100% And then the top half of a pie chart is shown
September 12, 2025 at 10:00 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
I was hoping to catch a night heron in the moonlight last night, but a great blue will have to do.

if only I had a full frame and a tripod, I would’ve gotten some really interesting shots, but this cleaned up OK I think .

🪶
#heron
#naturephotography
#EastCoastKin
#SuperMoon
A dark silhouette of a large bird and it’s reflection standing in orange Moonlight water
September 8, 2025 at 9:59 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Kayaking gives you shakes, but it also gives you great angles.

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#GreatBlueHeron for great #BlueSkyMonday

#EastCoastKin
A great blue hair and takes off from a weedy river. There is a splash in the thick green water. It’s neck is extended and it’s wings are just angled slightly at the end. It’s yellow eye and it’s orange bottom beak are prominent. In the background are rocks and green leaves.
September 2, 2025 at 12:11 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Shooting #birds in flight from a kayak is an interesting endeavor

#BlueSkyMonday
#EastCoastKin
#Kingfisher
A belted Kingfisher flies with its wings in a V shape, its tail feathers stretched and its head and beak peering down. The bird has flashes of white on its head and wings, but his otherwise depicted in black and gray, against the blue sky.
September 1, 2025 at 7:16 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Aziz Ansari, playing Tom Haverford in parks and Rec stands in front of a screen that displays a logo: H2Flow The text reads “the more flow you taken, the more sparkle points you get “
August 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Sometimes it’s worth chasing a rainbow.

🪶
#photography
#EastCoastKin
A female mallard duck is perched on a rock, with a glow of a rainbow reflecting on the water behind her. her back is to the camera, but her head is turned, and her beak is tucked under her wing. A few weeds are lured in the foreground.
August 27, 2025 at 12:59 AM
mx-creant.bsky.social
Icarus? Or maybe it’s a #bird... hard to tell from this distance

#AlphabetChallenge #WeekFForFire #EastCoastKin #Stunday
The sun on the background of a gray sky with pale pink stripes of cloud, appears as an orange globe with stations of red. In the foreground is a tiny silhouette of a bird.
August 10, 2025 at 7:21 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
This is the closest that I’ve ever gotten to a baldy… It’s a juvenile and I almost didn’t take the picture as I thought it might just be a turkey vulture lol
The silhouette of a bird with outstretched wings and a hooked beak against a blue sky
August 10, 2025 at 7:13 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
I just couldn’t choose which ones to share🪶

#birdwatching #birdphotography
The light catches this cedar waxwing in flight, causing it to look a greyish brown. It has a small eye mask and yellow tipped tail. A cedar waxwing as on a pine tree on a branch behind some needles. Has a prominent eye band and a small crest to top it. Tiny brown head and yellowish brown back and wings are gray, and you can’t see any of the waxy features for which it’s named. This juvenile cedar waxwing is fairly gray and colour with a white fluffy, feathered, underside and black feet. It doesn’t really have an eye mask, but it’s black eye is very prominent as it looks over his shoulder. It’s Blacktail is tipped with waxy yellow. perched on a branch with a blurred background of trees, grasses This waxwing also appears to be juvenile. A late eye mask over a beige face and chest and white a shallow belly. It’s black tail feathers are tipped with the classic yellow. It’s perched on a branch amidst some leaves.
August 9, 2025 at 7:04 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
2nd ever Cedar Waxwing (guys, they’re all around us!)

🪶

#birdwatching #birdphotography #EastCoastKin
A bird with a black eye mask, tawny brown head and chest lightning into a yellow belly, greyish tail feathers with waxy yellow tips, is perched with its black feet on the branch of a leafless tree. The sky behind is blue.
August 9, 2025 at 6:46 PM
mx-creant.bsky.social
My first ever cedar waxing. Pretty far from my camera, but it was exciting to catch.

🪶
Against the background of a gray sky, a cedar waxwing (with a smooth and slightly shiny, brownish yellow body, a black eye mask, and a little bit of white and gray ) is perched, I’m looking into its left where a second seat waxing is in flight
August 3, 2025 at 11:00 PM