Russ

I love birds and birding. Accounting and finance, with serious side-trips into I/T support and software development. Pretty much beginning to believe everything needs to be redesigned from the ground up. 
I live in eastern North Carolina in the USA.

Public Key

npub1ugurl452t5nkexzepqq0wcvfcqpauah48j7233fagck90z5j7nzqnjduv3

NIP-05 Address

fitzbew248_at_mastodon.sdf.org@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswywpl66996fmvnpvssq8hvxyuqq77wm6ne09gc575vtzh32f0f3qpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qkwd4zf

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

Author Public Key

npub1ugurl452t5nkexzepqq0wcvfcqpauah48j7233fagck90z5j7nzqnjduv3

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Last Notes

2024-09-04 12:01:05

In peaceful moments, Clarkie would gaze across the valley at distant mountains and wonder where peanuts originated. True, the Two-legged Peanut Emitters always seemed to have an ample supply of peanuts, but they never revealed sources and methods.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/113/079/169/261/219/032/original/194438c9696e26bf.jpg

2024-09-01 11:34:01

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/113/062/078/288/008/555/original/9db1271c7e2ddc89.jpeg

2024-08-31 12:38:08

An apparently neckless Mourning Dove carefully explores my back yard, trying to determine whether the bird bath is safe for a quick visit.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/113/056/667/370/989/988/original/24a45e9b6d750baa.jpeg

2024-08-18 12:10:35

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/982/889/367/190/819/original/a236f5894fdef463.jpeg

2024-08-03 13:02:42

A Broad-billed Hummingbird pauses feeding for a moment to check its perimeter. This bird was at the Santa Rita Lodge feeders in Madera Canyon, AZ in June 2022.
#birds
#birding
#hummingbird
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/898/217/130/455/748/original/74396101b9cf879d.jpeg

2024-07-30 23:31:24

For a while in August 2011, this juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk made our bird bath its base of operations. This was at our previous home in central NC.
We moved in late 2020 and did have some Red-shouldered Hawks that very loudly ruled over our current neighborhood. Unfortunately, they abruptly vanished this past winter. I have no idea what happened.
#birds
#hawks
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/878/040/072/808/343/original/c3ebbcc1dca2f00a.jpeg

2024-07-28 11:55:38

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/863/979/337/988/665/original/22d417d3d8e09ad6.jpg

2024-07-21 12:08:58

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/824/398/209/443/522/original/ad175bef1df2974d.jpg

2024-07-20 15:20:29

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@npub1zhp…60ce lol Jell-O, the Supereagle’s kryptonite! 😁

2024-07-20 13:12:14

We saw this Bald Eagle at Phil Carroll Nature Preserve in Pitt County, NC in November 2023. Its talons are kind've spread out in this view and it's hard to imagine anything escaping their grasp.
#birds
#birding
#eagle
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/818/983/905/986/293/original/8610dd6c7ee86585.jpeg

2024-07-19 21:59:29

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@npub1kmn…8cg8 Yes, that's my favorite bird! 😍

2024-07-18 22:27:12

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@npub1vgs…4tgk Whoa! Compliments to the Maestro for his Ash-throated Flycatcher rendition. (Which this east coaster finds triggering!) 😜

2024-07-17 19:12:37

I'm a Semipalmated Plover lover and I am unashamed.
You can have your godwits,
They're all just odd wits,
And I will never change my ways.
#birds
#plover
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/803/409/173/163/683/original/4eccb735a3a3fc94.jpeg

2024-07-14 11:43:33

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/784/662/306/029/729/original/514ec53c5d7a09cb.jpeg

2024-07-13 14:10:43

Saw a Red-tailed Hawk screaming this morning, so it's not just us.

2024-07-13 11:15:58

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@npub1uld…xht3 To me, it looks like a hand reaching over the wooden beam.

2024-07-07 11:34:39

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/744/991/528/668/733/original/31546c66aa8dffa1.jpg

2024-06-30 12:06:17

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/705/477/473/128/709/original/a89341dd62b4f914.jpeg

2024-06-24 19:41:42

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@npub1v5a…5yax I wonder what the little ripples along its length mean. Was my presence causing it to tense up? 🤷‍♂️

2024-06-24 19:23:47

This snake was just in my back yard! I squealed with excitement when I saw it, now the neighbors won't make eye contact with me.
#snake
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/673/220/481/165/869/original/f2e685ef8ca685f1.jpg

2024-06-19 19:44:22

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@npub1vgs…4tgk remain calm so that you can faint gracefully!!! 😜❤️

2024-06-19 12:26:40

A Scarlet Tanager pauses on a tree branch as it ponders its next move. This image was captured in central NC in May 2024.
#birds
#tanager
#birding
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/643/273/420/994/093/original/5fedeba8490871fa.jpeg

2024-06-18 18:28:18

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@npub14rw…w066 Brown Booby! (?) 😱😍

2024-06-15 17:48:10

A pretty lizard in the process of shedding its skin visited our patio today, and my wife took some pictures.
#lizards
#reptiles
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/621/887/036/769/142/original/f92e069c23fb9089.jpeg
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/621/887/724/466/520/original/63b804e68bc55fad.jpeg

2024-06-13 12:47:29

A Great Blue Heron rests between fishing sessions at a city park in Greenville, NC. This was taken in May 2024.
#birds
#heron
#birding
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/609/380/454/500/292/original/3183d46461d0b33c.jpeg

2024-06-12 12:25:55

This assortment of butterflies and flowers were photographed last month by my wife in eastern NC. There was a lot going on in that little field, wish we had spent more time there.
#butterfly
#nature
#bloomscrolling
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/603/634/488/832/513/original/de1836e6b41583c4.jpeg

2024-06-03 14:35:42

Sing sing sing, my beloved Swamp King.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#warbler
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/553/183/574/872/684/original/1341a54ce70b8649.png

2024-05-27 12:58:03

A Brown Thrasher with some kind of prey in its bill. This is from April 2022 in NC. They are ground-loving birds, but they regularly sing from the tippy top of tall trees in the spring.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#nature
#brownthrasher
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/513/162/715/852/782/original/064aa20d66f62632.jpeg

2024-05-26 15:05:13

This pretty Hooded Warbler my wife and I saw earlier this month in Halifax County, NC met both of our most valued warbler encounter goals: 1) sang prolifically 2) ignored us completely.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#nature
#warbler
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/508/000/687/455/533/original/62cc027cacec3268.jpeg

2024-05-23 12:07:11

This tree is just off a local greenway (eastern NC). I think it is a water tupelo. The diameter of the base is quite large (ten or 15 feet?). If I'm ever there when the ground is dry, I think I will try to measure it. Pareidolia gleefully provides me with what looks like a goblin sitting at the back of the cavity, hunched over with long legs dangling into the water.
#trees
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/490/313/815/391/828/original/2307bb797607a142.jpeg

2024-05-18 13:38:41

A Broad-billed Hummingbird rests between feeder visits in Ramsey Canyon in southeast Arizona in June 2022.
#birds
#birding
#hummingbird
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/462/360/842/899/859/original/cfbd0edcf93220bd.jpeg

2024-05-09 12:37:31

Weird frog.
#frog
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/411/160/470/286/954/original/a0cb3ff806ca6241.jpg

2024-04-28 11:42:02

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/348/655/387/579/554/original/c498adbcafa1b474.jpeg

2024-04-24 14:05:36

Someone posted that they love Box Turtles but now I can't find their post!
Anyway, this August 2017 Eastern Box Turtle photo is for you, unknown box turtle lover.
#turtles #reptiles
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/326/540/338/624/724/original/88cab9f47c634d94.jpeg

2024-04-23 12:11:26

Certainly not the most gaudy of birds, but the Juniper Titmouse makes up for understated plumage by being incessantly active and sociable. My wife took this photo at the George Walker House in Paradise, AZ.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/320/460/857/988/943/original/fe5212aa6d73e992.jpeg

2024-04-20 12:14:40

My favorite ever Swallow-tailed Kite...because it was my first! This individual was gliding effortlessly northward on Ocracoke Island, NC in May 1991.
#birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/303/487/020/024/338/original/e859893a44fe4fe7.jpeg

2024-04-18 11:16:16

In January 2023, this Red-shouldered Hawk paused for a few minutes on a metal post in the middle of a powerline cutdown in eastern NC. A BEAUTiful BUTeo.
#birding
#birds
#birdsofmastodon
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/291/932/135/676/056/original/218bdde12411372f.jpeg

2024-04-10 13:58:21

A little Philadelphia Vireo shyly poses for a photo. This was taken by my wife in Wake County, NC in October 2014.
#birding
#birds
#nature
#birdsofmastodon
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/247/266/977/977/841/original/d103627d33a5acfc.png

2024-03-31 02:53:05

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@npub1zhp…60ce lol but it’s candy…I will force myself 😜

2024-03-31 01:37:55

My wife made this for Easter, should I eat from the top or bottom? #easter #candy #bunny
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/187/740/759/224/836/original/672714499a8e333f.jpeg

2024-03-29 19:08:04

Here's a cute brown bunny to start the weekend. (Lots of sports-team yelling at my house this weekend, I'm sure this bunny can hear it.)
#nature
#bunny
#rabbit
P.S.: I am NOT the one yelling, I am just reading like a sane person.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/180/541/066/991/361/original/0d7b795d530da686.jpeg

2024-03-27 14:12:15

A pretty little Broad-billed Hummingbird for your viewing pleasure today. This pearl of iridescence was in Patagonia, AZ in June 2022.
#birds
#birding
#hummingbird
#birdsofmastodon
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/168/052/925/892/781/original/042ee1de8a31c82d.jpeg

2024-03-25 18:16:26

The lake is so immense and the opposite shore seems so far away. And we are just little geese. But if we stick together and swim with determination, we can cross this lake.
#encouragement
#geese
#lake
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/157/687/675/216/272/original/d40079293985daac.jpeg

2024-03-22 13:53:12

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@npub1hx0…0hpe
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/139/667/799/667/663/original/7480262cb0b80789.jpg

2024-03-14 13:03:55

A Prothonotary Warbler pretends to be a woodpecker as it inspects a potential nest cavity. Careful research has shown a million encounters with this warbler is insufficient for most humans.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#warbler
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/094/174/226/700/757/original/ee8e80bddbe037f7.jpeg

2024-03-11 12:49:01

A rather elegantly postured Upland Sandpiper stands amid some grass on the margins of an airport in NC in August 1992.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#sandpiper
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/077/127/939/222/946/original/49ac1ee6d36176a9.jpeg

2024-03-09 21:14:42

This Loggerhead Shrike was singing prolifically last November at a local county park near Greenville, NC. Perhaps it was staking out a winter territory.
#birds
#birding
#birdsofmastodon
#nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/067/791/029/030/685/original/5c15dfbe33fcdd9f.jpeg

2024-03-08 12:18:17

Where are these Sanderlings running? Into the weekend, I think.
#birds
#weekend
#nature #beach
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/060/020/092/100/225/original/f0768f9aad2913aa.jpeg

2024-03-03 12:27:27

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/031/744/935/418/857/original/0c6eba84da319b06.jpeg

2024-03-01 18:40:57

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@npub1hqx…944s @npub1afh…4l67 I’ll bet you felt rather sheepish.

2024-03-01 16:33:37

Patsy's Pond in Carteret County, NC. April 2020.
#MarshMadness
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/112/021/389/951/540/769/original/65d7bd08fea0d8bb.jpeg

2024-02-27 19:22:36

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@npub14ka…um78 LOL they don't breed here so I have only heard them in real life during a handful of west coast outings...but if I may be forgiven I would type the sound as "tink..tink..tink..ske...RARWWWWW!!!!" Oh, and there's a whole physical contortion step that defies human description. 😁

2024-02-27 19:08:02

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@npub14ka…um78 Our Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds are just "Screnching" and Honking (respectively) away from their potential nest sites!

2024-02-27 15:25:59

The return of which bird species in the Spring makes you say: "Spring has finally arrived!"
Me (in eastern NC): Yellow-throated Warbler, with Northern Parula running a close second.
(No right or wrong answers, and a geography hint would be cool.)
#birding
#birds

2024-02-25 11:06:51

#silentsunday
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/991/791/825/747/595/original/9c2d512b732dedd1.jpg

2024-02-11 16:00:40

This Spotted Owl engaged in some mutual study with us in the Chiricahua Mountains in Arizona in June 2023.
#SuperbOwl
#birds
#birding
#nature
#owl
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/913/673/108/627/117/original/d9899b391a4663f1.jpeg

2024-02-07 13:50:21

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@npub14ka…um78 the image I have that shows the legs is a scan of a print, and doesn’t show the kind of detail that might reveal a band. Of course, these images are from 1994 and taken with the worst possible quality of lens. LOL.

2024-02-07 13:37:30

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@npub14ka…um78 interesting. I don’t recall that it made any sound…I’d hate to think we caused it stress. In other photos from the same event, it’s in a more elevated pose, showing its legs.

2024-02-07 13:06:36

This Burrowing Owl was transmitting a strong "That's close enough" vibe when we encountered it on the Carrizo Plain of California in June of 1994.
This was our first Burrowing Owl, and it was probably puzzled by our excited squealing.
#birds #birding #owl #birdsofmastodon #nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/890/337/925/855/095/original/b0e6f881c600b1ba.jpg

2024-01-23 13:39:43

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@npub14ka…um78 we had a brief and highly charged relationship. Haven't kept in touch. 🙁

2024-01-23 13:19:31

This Russ-ty Blackbird appreciates your compliments on his delicately etched feathering, but wants to make sure you also notice his pretty golden eye and immaculately proportioned steely gray bill.
This very humble blackbird was one of a flock in Wilmington, NC in February 2023.
#birds #birding #birdsofmastodon #nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/805/452/517/494/134/original/239434694c701353.jpeg

2024-01-13 14:08:23

A Lark Sparrow tries to look inconspicuous as it decides what to do next. It's on a narrow strip of land surrounded by lots of water, not ideal for a migrating sparrow. Also, the stream of Merlins and accipiters is not helpful.
This Sep 2001 photo was taken at Pea Island NWR in NC.
#birds #birding #larksparrow #nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/748/989/091/464/633/original/1e34e5a3ae6082fc.jpg

2024-01-05 14:34:02

Keep your eyes peeled this winter for the rare and elusive "Carolina" Canada Goose, a species which hates the water and lives in trees like a warbler.
#birds #birding #nature #joking
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/703/806/654/456/229/original/55ea1ec59f5b9c00.jpg

2024-01-03 12:59:33

A female Broad-billed Hummingbird visits a feeder in Miller Canyon near Sierra Vista, AZ in June 2022.
#birds #nature #birdsofmastodon
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/692/071/811/959/221/original/549d9f2dcc86f1c8.jpeg

2023-12-22 14:24:31

Here's an image of a pretty Song Sparrow, captured in New Bern, NC in January 2023.
#birds #birding #nature #birdsofmastodon
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/624/495/906/052/829/original/691bf15bfaad6552.jpeg

2023-12-20 13:44:41

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@npub17ha…t8va This September 1990 article in Vanity Fair has a section that reports on various Trump acquaintances and family members remarking on Trump's alleged fascination with Nazism.
https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2015/07/donald-ivana-trump-divorce-prenup-marie-brenner

2023-12-19 12:29:16

You're trying to look big and tall for that divine-looking Mourning Dove at the adjacent feeder, but she ain't got eyes for nothing but sunflower seeds.
#birds #nature
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/111/607/060/214/843/808/original/9a431e616ef17214.jpeg