Dead center in the middle of the photo is an American Woodcock, a football shaped bird with a long beak, a round dark side-facing eye, and beige, brown, and gray feathers reminiscent of leaf litter. Her beak is about one third of the way from the left edge of the photo and her tail is about one third of the way from the right edge of the photo.

Want to play a game? Each of the ten photos in this thread contain an American Woodcock, a shorebird species adapted to living in the forest floor. In each photo, the bird is mostly in focus, not blurry.

Their camouflage is legendary. Can you spot her in each one? Let's start easy

1/10

a tan long-haired dachshund with incredibly floofy ears sits with his front paws on a window sill and his nose pressed up against the window. he's accompanied by his stuffed squirrel friend. their reflections stares back at them. Stevie the dachshund does not see the irony in watching for squirrels with his squirrel friend. he's too busy being locked in on the happenings outside his window.

This is Stevie. He's on squirrel watch. His stuffed friend is also a squirrel, but he's one of the good ones. 14/10 (IG: longdogstevie)

This is actually what peak masculinity looks like.

A small white sea slug with a pair of brown rhinophores and pale yellow spots in two rows. The sea slug is oval and slightly domed in the middle.

A small white sea slug with a pair of brown rhinophores and pale yellow spots in two rows. The sea slug is oval and slightly domed in the middle.

#tidepooling A cute "sea buny" like nudibranch - yellow spotted Cadlina, Cadlina flavomaculata - spotted last month in #tidepools near La Jolla. 🦀🦑

Me and a colleague helping to secure a lemon shark for a research workup in Florida. The water pump in its mouth allows it to breathe while out of the water

The shark doctor is in!

For the next two hours or so, ask me anything.

Have questions about shark? About marine biology? About ocean conservation? About me? About...anything?

Ask me anything!

Please share, and tag friends who might have questions.

#SciComm 🧪🦑🌎

Mom and baby hyena

Spotted hyena cubs take a while to exhibit their spots. But how cute are they!?!

Photo is from a recent work trip to Botswana

What a pose!

Wisdom, standing among grass, is a white bird with black eyes and wings, and pale bill and legs.

The queen returns! 👑 At an approximate age of 75, Wisdom the #albatross returned this week to Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for nesting season. She is the world's oldest-known bird.

Read about Wisdom at: buff.ly/MFkj4H9

📸 USFWS/ Jon Plissner.

Happening TODAY! Nature Forward and our partners are rallying to stop Dominion Energy from clear-cutting trees along the W&OD trail. If you live in Northern Virginia, sign the petition to #StoptheChop!
waba.org/action-page/...

What is common knowledge in your field, but shocks outsiders?

In general, it takes about 1000 years to form 1cm of new soil.

Gingerbread cookies shaped more or less like scorpions, made with a modified lobster shaped cookie cutter, YES I know the tail should be segmented

Quick scorpion cookies for the invertebrate zoology crew, bc it’s Scorpion Week

Illustration of a singing female American Redstart on a bright sunny spring day. Her head is tipped back, beak open, while she is perched on a mottled brown branch. She is overall grayish on the body but has a patch of bright yellow at the side of the breast, and a black and yellow tail. Behind her are pale pastel well-lit dogwood flowers and soft green leaves.

I'm delighted to be able to share my latest artwork for the @songbirding.com podcast and audiobook series! Singing female American Redstart, because female birds definitely do sing and we're finally starting to pay attention. 🎨🪶 #SciArt #BirdArt 🧪

Silenced Science Stories Explore the people and groundbreaking science research affected by federal firings, budget cuts, and grant terminations. Featuring scientists via art.

The U.S. is facing an unprecedented dismantling of science, research, and higher education.

As scientists are fired + research is frozen, so too are all the resources and outcomes that would have benefited society.

In their own words, the stories of scientists whose work has been abruptly ended:

Map showing a heatmap of forecast migration traffic for the night of May 6th in the continental USA. 366 million birds predicted.

If you want to get up early and look for some birds tomorrow before work, I'm leading a walk at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

We'll start at the main entrance at the bottom of Old Fulton, at 7:15am.

goo.gl/maps/aGFzdjL...

The ol' Birdcast forecast is looking pretty good.

🪶

Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population Nearly Doubles The population wintering in central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres, up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter.

Who wants some good news?

The overwintering monarch population, which had plummeted last winter, has doubled this winter! www.worldwildlife.org/stories/east...

Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm More than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development.

Breaking News: The EPA plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists.

True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help! YouTube video by Ze Frank

True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help!
youtu.be/czt_io0h-CA

Honored to have my firefly footage and photographs included in this True Facts episode highlighting the critical importance of firefly conservation. Thanks @zefrank.bsky.social for including me (and thanks to @alexwild.bsky.social for recommending my work!). This is a must-watch! ✨

Are you a scientist studying whales, birds, bats or other wildlife?

Journalists like me need to hear from you now more than ever.

Here’s some advice for how to do that from some of the most media savvy conservation scientists out there (aka your colleagues!) 👇

A photograph of a book called Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than-Human World. It's propped upright on short grass, with a fat-cheeked chipmunk perched on top.

Hi! An introduction 🍻

I'm a science journalist who writes mostly about nature and animals.

My latest book is Meet the Neighbors: Animal Minds and Life in a More-Than-Human World. It's about the science of animal intelligence, the idea of animal personhood, and our relations to nature.

🌎💚🦝

Love this!

10 Charming Facts About Chickadees These active backyard birds are more than just cute—they’re hardy survivors that have conquered our continent.

I wrote a thing for Mental Floss! If you need something fun to get your post-time change Monday started, here are ten fun facts about chickadees. 🪶 www.mentalfloss.com/chickadee-fa...

Hanging in there… hope our paths cross one of these days. Until then- thanks for the garantee that you’ll take care of the gar needs :)

Thank you, need more gar from afar content!

They just always look like you’re interrupting them!

"Dude, that is so cool!" A group of hikers were left in awe when they spotted a Giant Pacific octopus in a tide pool near Bellingham, Washington!

They’re intelligent and adaptive creatures. It’s crucial we ensure their conservation and protect their habitats for future generations.
#Octopus 🐙

A duck with bright yellow eyes and a long wide bill stares directly at the camera

Magnificent northern shoveler from today looking nice and weird

🦆 #weirdducktime
🪶

My Office Is Apparently a Dog Sanctuary. I Can’t Take It Anymore. Who can work like this?

This is the most anti-science administration in U.S. history, and suppressing science is central to its mission. Here's some advice on how to support scientists (as well as deal with bad office dogs & a long sick leave) from our GOOD JOB column in @slate.bsky.social slate.com/advice/2025/...

Queen of the vernal pool out for a stroll on this rainy night, Ambystoma maculatum, Spotted Salamander

Turkey Vulture sunning itself, photo by Wendy Miller

Around this time of year, Turkey Vultures start making their way back to our area. One of their coolest superpowers? Their stomach acid is so strong it can digest carcasses infected with anthrax, tuberculosis, and rabies without harm. They are nature's clean-up crew, keeping ecosystems healthy.