Rae Spencer
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raespencer.bsky.social
Rae Spencer
@raespencer.bsky.social
80 followers 170 following 74 posts
Writer. Reader. Quote hoarder. Easily distracted by cats and shiny objects. Often anxious, sometimes depressed, always awkward. she/her

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Rae Spencer @raespencer.bsky.social · 24d
Blog housekeeping: made a page for the Mallard posts.

I've been on a journey through the Mallard literatures, and the Mallard posts have become my "show your work" online notebook. Six parts, so far, with Part VII in production. 🪶

raespencer.com/the-mallard-...
The Mallard Posts
Content Warning: This page and the linked posts contain references to hunting, agricultural, and research practices of killing birds. This page contains a photo of a Mallard hunter with his kills. …
raespencer.com
raespencer.bsky.social
Very cold in coastal Virginia. Like, spherical bird cold. Maximum coefficient of fluff, everywhere. Instead of bluebirds, the yard has bluebOrbs. 🪶
#Birds #Blue
Photograph of a small bluebird perched on a winter-bare limb. The bird's feathers are very puffed, as insulation from the cold, so that her body appears very round. I believe this is a female Eastern Bluebird. Her head is gray-feathered with a prominent white ring around her eye. Her throat and chest feathers are reddish-orange, and her abdominal feathers are white. Her primary wing feathers show a faint blue gleam in a shadow's low light.
January 31, 2026 at 4:06 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Same bird, same setting, varying coefficients of fluff... 🪶

First, a low coefficient of fluff...
Photograph of a small brown-and-white bird perched, in silhouette, on a vertical stretch of tree trunk. The bird has a long-ish beak with a slight downward curve, suggestive of the nuthatch family of birds. In this photo, the bird's feathers are almost entirely flat to its body, showing a slender silhouette.
January 16, 2026 at 9:37 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Blog housekeeping: made a page for the Mallard posts.

I've been on a journey through the Mallard literatures, and the Mallard posts have become my "show your work" online notebook. Six parts, so far, with Part VII in production. 🪶

raespencer.com/the-mallard-...
The Mallard Posts
Content Warning: This page and the linked posts contain references to hunting, agricultural, and research practices of killing birds. This page contains a photo of a Mallard hunter with his kills. …
raespencer.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:55 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Wait...is it really #NationalBirdDay? 🪶
Photograph of a small woodpecker peeking out from behind the trunk of a tree. Perched upright on a small-ish branch, the bird is mostly hidden. The woodpecker's visible feathers are black and white, over its face and head, and pale mottled gray down its chest. It has a stout beak and long toes with sharply curved claws.
January 6, 2026 at 2:16 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
I think cormorants look like they're made of heron parts cobbled together in duck proportions, with the leftover tip of a raptor's beak added as an afterthought.

Plus, their tail feathers seem to be part of their landing gear? (Or, at least, their braking systems...)

#BirdoftheDay #CaughtinMotion
Photograph of a cormorant landing on a small suburban pond in coastal Virginia. The pond has murky brown water that is ruffled by wind, and the background banking is covered by winter-bare trees and shrubs. Here, the landing cormorant has caught the water's surface with its tail feathers. The bird's large webbed feet are extended in anticipation of landing impact, and its wings are at full extension. The mid-sized waterbird has mottled gray and brown coloration throughout its plumage, and its hooked bill is bright yellow with orange highlights.
January 4, 2026 at 12:32 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Today's #BirdoftheDay theme, #GoodLight, reminded me to pull this #egret photo out of the archive.
Photograph of a white egret gliding overhead in sunset light. The egret is gold-tinged by the reflected sunset. The bird's long legs are stretched behind it, its wings are near full extension, and its long neck is tucked into an s-curve. The background sky is cloudless and blue.
January 3, 2026 at 2:15 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Stranger Things, Season 5. Thematic spoiler to follow, but no plot spoilers (I hope...?) #StrangerThings #Review
January 2, 2026 at 12:41 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Theme of the day is #BirdButts, so here's a Bufflehead butt. 🪶
Photograph of a Bufflehead duck diving in a suburban pond in coastal Virginia. Here, the Bufflehead is almost completely submerged, with only its tail feathers showing. The duck's strong dive has thrown up a visible splash. The pond's water is murky brown and slightly wind-rippled. The duck was diving near the pond's edge, so the tangled winter-worn shrubs and weeds clinging to the bank are visible in the background.
December 29, 2025 at 10:37 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Just a perfect little Hooded Merganser dropping in for a perfect water-landing on a sincere little pond in the suburbs. 🪶
Photograph of a smallish duck (a Hooded Merganser) flying very low over the surface of a small pond in the suburbs of coastal Virginia. The pond's water is murky and rippled by wind. The small duck is dark brown over most of its feathers with white patches beneath its wings and across its chest, and the feathers on its head are reddish-brown. The duck's wings are extended in flight, and its tail feathers are spread wide. The water beneath and behind the duck is cross-rippled by eddies of air stirred by the duck's low flight, distorting the duck's reflection on the pond's surface.
December 28, 2025 at 2:07 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
My duck ID skills, in the field, end at Mallard/Not-Mallard. With internet guidance, I'm more competent. But this little flotilla has me stumped. I want to say Mallard, Ringneck, and Greater Scaup, though my confidence level is low...? Photo taken today at a suburban pond in coastal Virginia. 🪶
Photograph of six ducks swimming in a small suburban pond in coastal Virginia. The pond's water is murky greenish-brown, and the lack of water clarity is exacerbated by low light conditions (very overcast day). In the background, decaying branches rise from the pond's shallow edge, and the pond's bank is covered with winter-dull shrubs and weeds. The two largest ducks are typical Mallards—a male (green head and gray body) and female (mottled brown). Two smaller ducks, center frame, I'm calling Ringneck ducks in non-breeding brown/gray plumage(?)—both with white rings around their beaks and white eye-rings (though one has more prominent white markings than its companion). Two other small-ish ducks, left of frame, have markings that I interpret as scaup—brown bodies and darker heads, one with a reddish head and the other with very dark head feathers that look as if they might be slightly iridescent in bright sunshine. Both of the ducks that I take to be scaup have what might be very faint rings around their beaks, and the one with the reddish head has prominent white markings on its face. Both of these (scaup?) ducks have rounded heads and slightly high backs, which I take to indicate Greater Scaup (as opposed to the rather pointed heads and flat backs of Lesser Scaup?). All of that having been said, I am not confident in my IDs for the smaller ducks.
December 27, 2025 at 1:55 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
Our little backyard dragonfly pond tends to accumulate frogs each fall. Last winter's main attraction was a massive bullfrog who loitered until May. The fact that the pond's minnow population plummeted, while the bullfrog was here, is not a coincidence. 🐸
Photograph of a large bullfrog half-submerged at the shallow edge of a small backyard pond. The frog is surrounded by water lily leaves and mats of algae floating on the pond's surface. The pond's border is made up of large river stones, and a single damselfly is silhouetted against a reddish stone. Harder to see, in this photo, is that the bullfrog was in the process of eating a smaller frog that had been hanging out in the pond for a few weeks—three little frog toes are protruding from the bullfrog's mouth.
December 6, 2025 at 9:13 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Writing about another writer's writing is, for me, an anxious process. My OCD circuitry is infinite loops with finite exit functions, and I get stuck in edit cycles with every project. But reviews are a whole different level of responsibility. (1/7)
#books #bookreviews #writing #poetry
November 29, 2025 at 10:50 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
I have a confused relationship with these holidays. Stress, anxiety, nostalgia, overload, silly gifts, glitter, guilt, and that earworm jazz riff from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack.

I want to hide but also be present. Not wholly present, just present enough to breathe.

#addHerper
Surface-level photograph of a mostly submerged bullfrog in our small dragonfly pond. The frog is resting with only its eyes and nose above water. It is surrounded by young water lily leaves, which are shades of purple and brown, along with mature green and yellow leaves, as well as floating mats of green algae. The frog's prominent eyes are opened wide. Its oval irises are brown and shiny, speckled with gold and edged with pale yellow. The frog's skin is smooth and dry, over its nose, and has a dark coloration with green highlights.
November 26, 2025 at 10:21 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
My childhood sky, in Tennessee, was filled with barn swallows. They nested in our sheds and barn, as well as under the bridge that spanned our little creek. Any birds hunting insects, mid-air and near sunset, were barn swallows by default.

(Note: The birds in this photo are not barn swallows!) 🪶
Photograph of two small birds in flight. The birds have pale feathers on their chests and abdomen, with darker feathers across their backs and wings. In this photo, one bird is captured mid-dive while the second bird is veering into a steep climb. The background sky is a deep cloudless blue, making sharp contrast against the gold-tinged sunlight reflecting off the birds.
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
I was a ruthless plagiarist, in elementary, and spent years ransacking our children's encyclopedias. My favorite entry was the Roseate Spoonbill. I traced that bird so often it fell out and had to be taped back into place. All of this is to say that I love this image, despite its grainy flaws. 🪶
Grainy and poorly focused image of a juvenile Roseate Spoonbill. The long-legged bird has very pale pink feathers, a long neck, and a long bill that broadens into a rounded, flat "spatulate" shape at the tip, perfect for scooping through mud and silt underneath the shallow waters it favors for wading. Here, the bird is wading through a fall landscape of yellows, browns, and greens.
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 AM
raespencer.bsky.social
A long time ago, in a refuge not so far away, I happened upon an otter enjoying a dust bath on a gravel path...

#BackBayWildlifeRefuge #otter #addMam
Photograph of an otter resting on a gravel path. The otter is looking at the camera, alert and ready to flee if I prove threatening. The otter has a long muzzle; short ears; a long, limber back; dense, sleek hair; short legs; and a long tail. The gravel path is bordered by mown grass and a tall verge of reeds. The reeds are casting long shadows across the path.
November 15, 2025 at 9:28 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Archive housekeeping means rediscovering images that were saved for a specific purpose, then realizing I forgot the specific purpose.

I remember every mistake I ever made, but I can't remember what I meant to say about this end-of-day silhouette of birds roosting in a pine tree...

#addBirder
A flock of birds settles into a tall pine at Bay Back Wildlife Refuge in Virginia Beach, VA. Most of the birds, too numerous to count, have settled in rows along the tree's sparse branches, though some are still circling. The tree is part of a coastal tree line, and it has a tiered canopy made of long bare branches that splay into dense clusters of needles at the tips. The image was taken near sunset, so the trees and birds are contrasting silhouettes against a pale sky tinged with orange.
November 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
In late July, the neighborhood crows spent most of a morning shouting "danger!" about a branch in a nearby tree. I was intrigued enough to snap a few frames, but I didn't see the owl until I downloaded the photos. If I wasn't so tired from adulting, this year, I'd turn this owl into a poem.
Photo of an owl perched on a high branch in a tree. A thick screen of leaves obscures much of the owl, but its eyes are visible, looking into the lens. I didn't see the owl, as I was taking this photo, but I'm guessing that it saw me. The owl's feathers are shades of gray and brown, mostly mottled-looking but with striping around its face.
November 3, 2025 at 9:29 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
A new blog post! (In fairness, it's longer than a five minute read. I haven't learned, yet, how to correct the automatic "5 minute read" note...)
Focusing on Mallards Part VI: States claim the game
'When you have killed all your own birds, Mr. Bingley,' said her mother, 'I beg you will come here, and shoot as many as you please on Mr. Bennet's manor. I am sure he will be vastly happy to oblige you, and will save all the best of the covies for you.' –from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Content Warning…
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October 23, 2025 at 6:02 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Still blogging about the Mallards...

raespencer.com/2025/08/08/f...
Focusing on Mallards Part V: Hunting by the Numbers
Content Warning: This multi-part blog post contains references to hunting, agriculture, and research practices of killing birds. This installment contains a photograph of a duck hunter with his kil…
raespencer.com
August 9, 2025 at 4:45 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
I am amazed by this deeply thoughtful review of Alchemy (my latest poetry collection) posted at North of Oxford. I am honored that the reviewer spent so much time with my writing.

northofoxford.wordpress.com/2025/03/02/a...
Alchemy by Rae Spencer
By John Zheng Released by Kelsay Books in August 2024, Rae Spencer’s Alchemy is a rare collection of poetry that helps develop a reader’s imagination through reading. Just skimming the titles of po…
northofoxford.wordpress.com
March 11, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
splcenter.org
Black history is U.S. history – and we must safeguard it for our children. #BlackHistoryMonth

Starting with the U.S.'s history of slavery, this #LearningForJustice resource can help you teach this complex history in honest, age-appropriate ways: www.learningforjustice.org/talking-to-c...
February 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
Entry/reentry? Video taken in Virginia Beach, 4 February 2025, about 6:20PM.
February 5, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by Rae Spencer
polgreen.bsky.social
It is truly wild that it is estimated that more than 20 million people died of Covid and the prevailing vibe is that the world overreacted. That is an astonishing toll! More people died of Covid in the US than in the Civil War. www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...
5 years after it appeared, things we know and still don't know about COVID
Five years after the virus that causes COVID emerged in China it still holds some mysteries.
www.pbs.org
January 4, 2025 at 10:47 PM
raespencer.bsky.social
"Expansion" from Alchemy. Saturday book feature at Autumn Sky Poetry Daily.

I probably shouldn't have favorites, among my published works, but this poem is one of my favorites.

#poetry #naturepoetry #sciencepoetry #writing #books

autumnskypoetrydaily.com/2025/01/04/s...
Saturday book feature — Alchemy by by Rae Spencer
Expansion by Rae Spencer from Alchemy (Kelsey Books 2024)
autumnskypoetrydaily.com
January 4, 2025 at 7:14 PM