Carl T. Bergstrom

I am a biology professor at the University of Washington. I study how information flows in biology, science, and society.

I wrote a book: *Calling Bullshit*: http://tinyurl.com/fdcuvd7b

I love ravens and crows.

he/him

Website: http://carlbergstrom.com
OpenCheck: https://opencheck.is/person/Carl_T_Bergstrom
Birds (IG): https://www.instagram.com/ctb_birds/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/carlbergstrom.com

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npub1akyq5qrpenvyydhyduwvme8mpr93wmz2aq2cn6mu5ru0z5pkwnhq6aer57

NIP-05 Address

ct_bergstrom_at_fediscience.org@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswmzq2qpsuekzzxmjx78xdunas3jchd39ws9vfad72p7832qm8fms0qnnzq

Author Public Key

npub1akyq5qrpenvyydhyduwvme8mpr93wmz2aq2cn6mu5ru0z5pkwnhq6aer57

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Last Notes

2024-07-08 19:06:16

Birding can be hard.
Also what kind of weird developmental biology thing is going on to make red feathers atop the head for two months and then say screw it, get rid of them, and make a red spot at the back of the head instead?
#birdwatching #birding
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/752/428/971/211/585/original/73463c4491fb4065.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/752/429/698/578/662/original/f288a95daf2b1744.png

2024-07-08 04:23:35

I love a brave solitary crow that makes eagles freak the fuck out. #birdwatching #corvids #crows
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/748/960/140/619/648/original/a61b2b60d7bc0f4f.jpg

2024-07-07 05:31:36

- reply

Here's a different bird flying with a stickleback that it just snatched from the surface of Lake Washington.
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/743/563/078/191/000/original/77f5638cee4bb347.png

2024-07-07 05:29:35

Crows are such amazing ecological generalists. For several years I've watched various birds in the Seattle area that have learned to pluck fish from the water, sometimes swooping and scooping, other times, hovering almost like a tern.
I'll try to get some footage with a proper tripod rig, but in the meantime here is some very jerky video that I shot with a hand-held 800mm lens.
#birdwatching #corvids #crows
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/743/555/866/962/519/original/9d766ab9bc9b4710.mp4

2024-07-05 07:11:02

Kind of impressive how many people here seem to think that because bad things are happening now, I'm an idiot or a reactionary or both for saying that we should prevent a different bad thing from the past from happening again.
This is why I seldom post anything but bird pictures to Mastodon anymore.

2024-07-04 20:00:55

If you’ve never seen Dorothea Lange’s photographs of the World War II internment camps and the Japanese-Americans who were imprisoned there, today is a good day to see them and to commit to making sure this never happens again.
https://anchoreditions.com/blog/dorothea-lange-censored-photographs
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/729/995/213/809/588/original/4dfabc5eea9530ef.png

2024-06-27 17:51:58

Dancer Brenna Chumacero with Santa Barbara's State Street Ballet was doing this photoshoot with photographer Andre Yew a few hundred yards down the beach; the backlighting was amazing and my 800mm lens revealed a completely different angle on the scene.
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/689/853/270/444/108/original/db85b523b135278d.jpg

2024-06-26 18:48:12

Now accepting gratuities

2024-06-26 04:11:14

Beautiful snowy egret in Santa Barbara.
#birdphotography #birding
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/680/962/605/167/098/original/72db2ed4a26047db.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/680/962/619/102/762/original/4058ff98296ac2e1.jpg

2024-06-24 21:13:17

Meanwhile, the Washington State Ferry System is an absolute gem.
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/673/656/495/742/027/original/168cd895a2760909.png

2024-06-24 21:13:17

Meanwhile, the Washington State Ferry System is an absolute gem.
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/673/656/495/742/027/original/168cd895a2760909.png

2024-06-21 21:09:11

My God there are some Dunning-Kruger ass motherfuckers on this site.

2024-06-21 14:25:15

Prisoners in Florida are forced to work grueling jobs under threat of solitary confinement or worse — and they are not paid for the work they do.
Meanwhile, they are charged $50 a day and have to pay to buy toiletries and food. They leave prison hopelessly in debt with diminished job prospects.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/21/florida-unpaid-prison-labor
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/655/066/787/177/720/original/63e598d5a1eb285b.jpeg

2024-06-20 04:19:22

Gift link. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/19/opinion/juneteenth-slavery-prison.html?unlocked_article_code=1.1E0.bbfU.78E3sGC1itJK&smid=url-share
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/647/021/101/927/905/original/d3aeb0a99faabc60.png

2024-06-16 19:45:18

The Clark's nutcracker is a very fine corvid.
#birding #birdphotography
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/628/013/382/259/918/original/728f70ee5b8e9de3.jpg

2024-06-14 15:04:21

Deliberately undermining one of the most powerful tools against the threat of global pandemics from novel emerging infectious diseases is not only evil — it’s stunningly shortsighted zero-sum thinking that puts the US population at risk as well.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-covid-propaganda/

2024-06-13 04:27:57

Over the years I've been proud to support Seattle's amazing PAWS pet and wildlife rescue organization. Their new rehab facility is phenomenal: https://paws.org/wildlife/
I first learned about PAWS from board member Kris Tsujikawa; crow enthusiasts may know her photography from twitter.
Anyway, if anyone wants to donate $200+ to her current PAWS campaign at https://give.paws.org/fundraiser/5383046, I'll send you a 12x12 metal print (no frame needed) of the crow below, just like the one I have on my own wall.
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/607/409/471/625/871/original/8bdc8d8ddcc93667.jpg

2024-06-10 21:28:23

Y'all know about North American barn penguins?
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/594/444/457/933/646/original/4ee288f367d241f6.jpg

2024-06-02 22:04:49

I love crows.
#crows #corvids #birdphotography #birdwatching
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/549/280/807/811/437/original/5126c0fcc856f206.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/549/280/843/366/898/original/183b0251f89eefd2.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/549/280/854/349/601/original/670af0d093bcac74.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/549/286/938/507/609/original/f52efece1caf618d.jpeg

2024-05-23 04:45:09

What an absolute unit.
#birding #birdphotography #owls
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/488/577/426/456/359/original/d1548cebfe65ef75.jpg

2024-05-11 09:34:51

I've seen the Northern Lights before, but never like this.
Snoqualmie Summit, WA
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/421/734/998/194/855/original/27cf25a5bfc8f207.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/421/756/722/689/564/original/5e52f91badf35807.jpeg

2024-04-30 00:32:12

Next Wednesday, May 8th, I'll be speaking at Harvard's Berkman-Klein center on "Information Foraging in a Social Media World."
I believe the talk will also be streamed live for those not in the area.
https://cyber.harvard.edu/events/information-foraging-social-media-world

2024-04-27 20:55:28

It's International Crow and Raven Appreciation Day, everybody. (h/t [@neurovagrant](https://masto.deoan.org/@neurovagrant) and [@Nonya_Bidniss](https://mas.to/@Nonya_Bidniss) )
Not kidding. No idea who gets to make these things up but I'm not complaining.
Anyway, to celebrate here's a caramel crow photo I've never posted before.
#birding #birdwatching #corvids #crows #birdphotography
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/345/174/423/980/680/original/72136405d3602a80.jpg

2024-04-27 06:08:31

There is losing your mind and then there is this. I don't even know what to call it.
https://newrepublic.com/article/180487/balaji-srinivasan-network-state-plutocrat
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/341/686/415/330/435/original/6a9a4be01e92242c.png

2024-04-25 04:45:50

By now many of you are probably well aware of the H5N1 "bird flu" epidemic sweeping through US dairy cattle.
How on earth are we not deploying wastewater testing?
Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/opinion/bird-flu-cow-outbreak.html?unlocked_article_code=1.nE0.54h4.DdDyUUQIVGKi&smid=url-share
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/330/036/824/241/161/original/ffad6e97e6a60a53.png

2024-04-25 03:43:31

Every thing I think I have my head around what a shithole Florida is, they find a new way to shock me with their evil.
Here, instead of helping inmates get back on their feet, they're charging them $50/day for the cell they would be occupying if they had not been granted early release.
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/pay-to-stay-florida-inmates-charged-for-prison-cells-long-after-incarceration

2024-04-24 04:28:16

It's striking how often non-compete clauses are deployed in contracts for jobs that pay minimum wage, taking advantage of the massive power and information asymmetries between employer and employee to frighten employees out of seeking better wages.
This statement from the FTC is exactly right.
"If you want to retain your workers, pay them well and make the job not suck."
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/324/305/221/262/313/original/5c44f8b49e428b9d.png

2024-04-20 06:47:38

For once this bushtit held still long enough for me to squeeze off a couple of frames.
#birding #birdphotography
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/302/203/440/748/391/original/277aeebf8ba22d7c.jpg

2024-04-19 04:49:58

Golden-crowned sparrow.
#birding #birdphotography
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/296/078/878/062/947/original/01eb521742498cf7.jpg

2024-04-16 02:59:48

1. I'm supposed to be finishing my taxes but I've got another four hours. So let's talk about an absolute disaster in the US science ecosystem.
The NIH's BRAIN (Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) suffered catastrophic budget cuts—under Biden, no less—and now is unlikely to fund any new grants and will likely cut funding to existing grantees.
https://braininitiative.nih.gov/news-events/blog/brain-director-funding-neuroscience-uncertain-budget-climate

2024-04-15 04:29:34

A better view of the wild solar prominences during Monday's eclipse.
(Quick hand-held shot with Nikon Z9 + Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 PF)
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/273/347/384/793/498/original/f04dd21dd89a7fe9.jpg
https://fediscience.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/273/348/299/424/891/original/b87fe2498c343f8b.png

2024-04-10 01:48:33

Next up: Tesla's Autopilot is actually just some dude in India driving your car with a Playstation controller.
https://www.businessinsider.com/amazons-just-walk-out-actually-1-000-people-in-india-2024-4?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=topbar