A few photos from last weeks Bear Lake Buckwheat survey. This species is currently undergoing review to determine if they should be officially protected under CESA. I mean.. they totally should.. they can only be found, and I mean only location, in this small parcel in Big Bear. #conservation

Work morale continues to be a struggle for many of us on the conservation side of things. So, last week a few of us at work decided to visit the Santa Margarita River- the last natural perennial river in SoCal as a reminder that there are still areas to protect and that beauty is still out there.

If there was a time to put in the effort and protect our environment especially in SoCal- now is it! A huge development is in the NOP process, adjacent to the San Jacinto Wildlife Area! I strongly encourage those who can to comment and to spread the message! www.moreno-valley.ca.us/cdd/pdfs/pro...

This week, I've noticed the lack of morale at work. Between the Admins' environmental attacks, Newsom's RTO mandate (saves CA taxpayers millions BTW), CEQA slashing, and working in a field fueled by passion, only for rich people to wave their money and get their way. It's difficult not to feel numb.

Judd Legum explains 7 of the things in Trump's megabill: 1. Cuts $930B from Medicaid 2. 16M lose health ins 3. Slashes food asst for poor families by $186B 4. Lower incomes for bottom 40% of families 5. Increases deficit by $3.3T 6. $45B for new immigration jails 7. Billions for defense contractors

Y’ALL. THE COOLEST SHIT OBSERVATION OF MY LIFE 😭 The crested caracara juvies left the nest a few weeks ago. I’ve seen them around while on my runs…but today one of them WAS IN THE FRONT YARD. AND IT WAS PICKING AT A “MAJOR” MALE ALOEUS OX BEETLE. It flew off without the beetle so I got a photo! 🌿🪶

Almost 30K signatures on this petition to stop the Big Bear Firework Show, and yet Visit Big Bear is still deciding to go through with it. This season was special, not only because there are two Eaglets, but I watched them everyday as I was going though my own mental meltdown. Shame on VBB.

Did my brain deceive me, or did Newsom just sign SB 130 and AB 131? Already feel like CEQA is useless, now it’s about to be hella useless. This only weakens environmental protections. Un-freaking believable.

We won.

This male BUOW was extremely protective of his fluffballs, and was even seen/heard calling for them as they were getting banded. He did not appreciate the extra level of stress ..🦉😬

Somebody somewhere Needs flowers tonight

Under that atrocious“Big Bill” - this is how much of California’s public lands could be sold to private companies/individuals. This includes our National Parks!

Foxtrot Delta Taco

Unfreaking believable…

When Americans raised concerns about RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine views, he said he was "not gonna take away vaccines from anybody." But now he's taking them away from millions of mommas and babies. Vaccine recommendations should be based on science, not RFK Jr.'s political agenda.

Sketches based on my photos and observations of the Little Tern colony at Seaton Carew - all getting ready for the breeding season, lots of sandeels being waved around. 🪶🐡 #ukbirding @teesbirds.bsky.social

According to new research, the proliferation of artificial feeders has allowed Anna's hummingbirds to expand their range out of Southern California up to the state’s northern end. The researchers also found that their beaks got longer and larger, a likely adaptation to slurp up more nectar.

Beautiful 💙

Birds have significantly better eyesight than us which is why I get nice and sexy to go birdwatching

Ohhh, this is interesting. Wonder if this is also seen in other common feeder hummingbirds such as Allen’s or Ruby-Throated.🧐

Woke up in a fowl mood 🦉 Earlier this week, I was able to participate in a BUOW banding event for Owls that we have been monitoring for a while. An amazing moment, especially with so much attention and work over the last few months centered around them. 💙 #burrowingowl#BUOW#birds#conservation

Ugly country. Ugly governance. Ugly society. Ugly choices. We don’t have to be this way. All of this is a choice. Every time you are not kind, in all things, your choice is ugly. My choice, in all things.

Insect Populations are collapsing at an alarming rate. They are vital for maintaining a healthy ecosystem, as just about everything eats them in someway of the other - including hummingbirds and many seed-eating birds (during nesting season). They are also our largest group of pollinators!

2025 has been something to say the least. I have taken the longest social media break to date in order to better navigate what we call “Life”, and to help ground my mental self-being. Although I’ve been socially quiet- behind the screen I have been very active in speaking out against [1/]

"It's not serving anyone for listing to be delayed," said Noah Greenwald, Center endangered species director. "It makes recovery more expensive and harder. The program's broken. It needs reform. The Fish and Wildlife Service has known this is a problem basically forever, and they haven't fixed it."

Some of the species found here are Lazuli Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, California Gnatcatcher, Hooded Oriole, Red-Wing Blackbirds, Yellow-Breasted Chat, Lark Sparrow, Rufous-Crowned Sparow, Phainopepla, and more. All this in a 3.5 acre site!!!

Baby Foxes 🦊

I heard that some of you people prefer to receive your snarky science fact-checking of viral news stories in meme format, and I am here to help.

The Trump administration today fired at least 2,300 federal workers at the Department of the Interior, including 1,000 National Park Service employees, 800 Bureau of Land Management employees and 400 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees — or 4% of the agency’s entire workforce. biodiv.us/40RNlUk

New Species Alert! Say hello to Enica adelphe! This new bee fly is native to the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape of South Africa. NHRE intern Lisa Rollinson and I synonymized the genera Enica and Nomalonia, in addition we described a new species. Happy #FlyFriday ! doi.org/10.3897/afri...

Just got word that USFWS fired everyone on probation this week. This is only going to make conservation work more challenging as the federal government continues to dismantle.

Have spent the past 3 weeks off social media to collect my mental state, but.... I can't believe what's going in the world.

But like…. Why are just about all of these non-native 😑 These are the future plants they will use at the Resorts …lol.

Oooohkay, I see you Disney bringing in your Urban Forester to present 👀👀 Presentation is about “Testing drought-adapted tree species for responsible water consumption.”

My legs made the presentation, what a win! 😂😂

Santa Ana River Watershed Science Symposium at ESRI Campus in Redlands this morning 😁

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” - Dr. Martin Luther King

Snowy Plovers are just the freaking cutest! 🤩🤩

I can’t say I’m surprised- but Trump just revoked a majority of the executive orders issued by Biden, is already opening up the Arctic to drilling, and terminated the American Climate Corps.. I’m both devastated and my blood is boiling.

I’ve tried hard to stay away from the news today, and it’s only been a few hours and … WTF?!? 1,500 criminals pardoned AND withdrawal from WHO!?

My relationship to the federal news for the next 2 years.

This post reminds me of my last unit meeting where my supervisor, who has ties to Hawaiian culture, played this video about the current extinction crisis in Hawaii. It was heartbreaking to watch Islands are so susceptible to extinction that you are watching it at real time.

This gives me such hope for biodiversity conservation, mammals and future mammalogists! Go young people!! 🧪

Same woodland, same gate post this time one of my favourite birds the nuthatch. Hope you like it. #beautiful #nature #wildlife #birds #addbirder

Excited to find out that Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles, will be hosting an event at the Irvine Barclay Theater this April! It was heartwarming to see a Bird Book come out as one of the top books for 2024, and I hope it opened people up to the joys of birding.