Maybe a forthcoming topic on the theme of intrinsic value: "Sake for the sake of sake."

I was a latecomer to nature conservation (no doubt because I spent too much time living indoors and in my head) but writing about "things for their own sake" is nothing new to me. At one point, I even felt compelled to defend "leisure for the sake of leisure." 1/5 medium.com/@ardea_herod...

Taking notes towards near-future philosophy-ish writing. Reading academic journals is overrated.

Apparently this has been #WaderWeek, but not so much here in the South Funen Archipelago. Maybe I've just been on the wrong shores at the wrong time, but there's basically been no... oh, wait, there's one... oh, no, oops, there it goes... bye.

In this inaugural post, I consider this question: "Suppose we do think that nature has intrinsic value. Is that even a thing we should talk about, or should we STFU and just try to sell conservation based on nature's benefits to people?" open.substack.com/pub/philosop...

This skylark (sanglærke) and yellow wagtail (gul vipstjert) might be pretending not to know one another, but they certainly seemed to follow one another's movements... I could easily have stayed in Birkholm longer not only to enjoy the peace and quiet but also to observe these two... 🐦

Sanglærke (Eurasian skylark) without a tail 🐦 Birkholm 🇩🇰

Bluesky logo observed in the wild on Birkholm 🇩🇰 🦋

Oops, I did the thing I said I wasn't going to do: I'm launching a second Substack as a space to explore ethicsy/philosophy-ish topics related to birds and intrinsic value of nature. I'm still open to other opportunities, but I needed a new place to publish. philosophisingsforthebirds.substack.com

“Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” —Robin Wall Kimmerer, #BraidingSweetgrass #WednesdayWisdom #Joy #Earth #Reciprocity

We agree! There is no such thing as a Silly Heron!

"[T]o gain a full understanding of why birds collide with wind turbines — and hence to determine what may be done to mitigate this — it is necessary to take account of the sensory, perceptual and cognitive drivers of their flight behaviours." royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article...

Off-topic, but just a reminder how f--ed up US health insurance is: "the average ACA plan deductible [grew] from $2,759 in 2025 to $3,786 in 2026..." 😳 USD is weak now, but still. Oh, now I guess I have to explain what a deductible is... not to mention copays... www.cbsnews.com/news/aca-enr...

How can anyone not be fascinated by the hadal zone? This is really deep stuff. www.science.org/content/arti...

I'm not much of a podcast listener, except when I'm on a moving vehicle, where reading just doesn't work for me. I was just scanning the Mindful Birding Podcast episode list and am for sure bookmarking this one for the next long ferry or train journey. www.themindfulbirdingnetwork.com/mbn-podcast

I thought it might be liberating to go back and write for Rewilding Earth - to try to show that I'm a more humble and thoughtful person when I'm not under someone else's thumb - but it's really just rekindled a lot of guilt, regret, and anxiety. Need other means to liberate self from past.

A little Strynø passerine collection: Tornirisk, Landsvale (x2), Stillits 🐦 They probably have English names too, but the first European bird ID guide I got was in Danish, and I'm sticking with it.

Anholt in the international news! www.bbc.com/news/article...

Self-marketing post: I'm writing for a Routledge Handbook on various ways of specifying "the intrinsic value of nature" (and how they're not invariably complementary). While my brain's in this space, are there other venues that might be interested in similar...? www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Sometimes other humans see my human photographing me with my beverage, and they just assume that my human would like to be in the picture too. Silly human race - don't they realise that not everything has to be about their own kind? -TH

I love birds I love birds I love birds so much 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Majtræsfest! Fertility festivals aren't generally my bag, but when in Rome... or, in this case, when in Strynø... 🇩🇰

New Substack post outlines (with commentary) my most recent publications for Rewilding Earth, The Ecological Citizen & BirdEyes + a forthcoming chapter for a Routledge Handbook on Nature Pluralism. Still experimenting with finding my voice... 1/2 carfreebirdnoticer.substack.com/p/a-birdeyes...

Jeg elsker Danmark... Skål! 🍻

...and then there are those times when crypto geeks invent tests that are legit more interesting that anything out of philosophy.

Fun Fact 1: Many houses in Rudkøbing have butterflies on the walls; this is because the person who coined the word 'sommerfugl' (Danish for 'butterfly') grew up in the town.

The best maps show where the heron is standing. De bedste kort viser, hvor hejren står.

JUNE COMMISSIONS: OPEN! Hand-sculpted birds🐦 •Small (5-15 cm)$45-110 •Medium (15-20 cm)$110-180 •Big (20-35 cm)$200-350 Please repost/share, maybe your friends would love a custom bird too😅 Examples below👇🏻 Thank you for supporting me! It truly means the world!💖 #birds #bird #art #sculpture

By pure happenstance, I had a layover in London on the day of this conference, so I attended a few sessions. Great lineup of speakers, and I'm glad to hear the event is still having impact! 🌌 ras.ac.uk/news-and-pre...

Traveller didn’t get their own seat on the plane this time… :(

Up, up, and away! ✈️

I received a penguin tracking bracelet for World Migratory Bird Day. I look forward to following the journeys of Simon 🐧

This #WorldMigratoryBirdDay was my last Lights Out collision monitoring shift for the season. I'm only a transient sub, and I just wanna give a shoutout to all the intrepid volunteers nationwide who get up at the sparrow's fart day after day to collect dead birds. www.audubon.org/our-work/cit...

Solsort med rønnebær...

Almost certainly my first and last Blackburnian warbler of the season 💔 😢 Treat glass, save birds! www.stopbirdcollisions.org

"In the blog below Kate McFarland explains how she got to know the research of BirdEyes & why it matters that we take #birds seriously as conscious decision-makers" @birdeyes-gfn.bsky.social @globalflyway.bsky.social "Looking back into the eyes of birds" (6-5-26) www.birdeyes.org/looking-back...

More drinks with friends before Traveller is back on the road! 🍷

"Whether or not cephalopod brains work like vertebrates, studying them should be a win–win situation." 🐙 🦑 🧠 Recent overview of cephalopod neuroscience research, including ethical concerns. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

But sensitivity maps are only one piece of a bigger puzzle... Read more to understand how our Partners contribute to a shift in the sector👉 www.birdlife.org/news/2026/05...

I despise the overuse of AI - image generators not least - but nonetheless wanted to test an idea I had.

I was invited, and agreed, to write a book chapter on intrinsic value in conservation for a Routledge volume. It is not hard to find ways to sneak birdy topics into that, but I thought I'd google "intrinsic value birds" just to see what'd come up. This stock report is what came up, and I was amused.

Umm... That is both a damselfly and a missed opportunity for an excellent pun 🤦‍♀️

It’s International Dawn Chorus Day! 🎶 Birdsong reminds us of something simple. To slow down. To listen more closely and reconnect with the natural world. 🌅 Discover a small part of our chorus that spans across the world. 🐦

Apparently it's International Dawn Chorus Day. Not be a Debbie Downer, but I don't hear any birds so... If you think the dawn chorus has become quieter and less varied, it's not just you (study from 2021, but I'm pretty sure the situation hasn't improved since then). www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The main reason that Traveller and I like Europe is that we don’t drive but also aren’t city folks; there, we can take trains to small but bike-friendly villages. That said, we also greatly prefer urban soundscapes that aren’t dominated by excessively loud muscle cars and motorbikes...

Did someone say Birds and Brews night at the Audubon center?! Traveller Heron is there for it!

On this day in history: "I just took the famed Jacobite steam train from Fort Williams to Mallaig but the photo I'm posting is of a plush heron posed next to a couple tapestries in a hotel."

On this day in history: Traveller Heron encounters their German counterpart, Reisendereiher, at the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof.

"Finding pesticides from flea and tick treatments on common garden birds feathers, and within songbird eggs and chicks, is deeply alarming." Yes, yes it is. www.songbird-survival.org.uk/post/new-stu...

TFW you open your Google Alert to see the most recent research on bird-window collisions, but it's your own damn article (a short reflection piece introducing the issue and solutions to the should-be-sympathetic readership of The Ecological Citizen). www.ecologicalcitizen.net/article.php?...