Today’s#BirdofTheDay theme is #ScreenFiller, a capture where the bird takes up a large part of the image. The alt #Migratory, birds you see only in certain seasons. Here’s a variation of a chipping sparrow pic I believe I shared previously. I wish they were year rounders in my area. #Birds 🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 18: A song with a brass section as focus. Here’s “The Day the World Turned Day-Glo” by X-Ray Spex, led by Poly Styrene and featuring Lora Logic on sax. Does one badass woman with a saxophone count as a brass section? I would say so.

What are those republican lawmakers gonna do when this guy comes for Caitlin Clark. He writes how the goal of equity in sports was to make “…a new kind of woman who would be more independent and even dominant and less deferential.” He’s turning his mommy fantasies into policy proposals.

"On the floor, three small sprays of white flowers had been arranged to look sympathetic." Read my newest essay, out now in the "Deception and Gritty Realism" issue that of @underbellypress.bsky.social Click here for the flipbook: heyzine.com/flip-book/15...

today's #BirdOfTheDay theme of #Corvidae, any of the species will do. The alt theme is #BlueSky, any bird with a blue sky in the background. Here’s an American crow taking a break from being brilliant and loud. I rarely see them just sitting quietly, or alone. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 17: A song with a ground base (repeated bass line). The melody for “Good Times” by Chic is built around Bernard Edwards’ slinky bass line (as is “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugarhill Gang).

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #SingersAndWingers, songbirds with wings open. Alt theme is #RSVP. I rarely get clear shots of birds in flight. Sometimes that’s okay, as with this flash of northern yellow warbler. It’s doing its best bird of prey impression: “Look, Ma! I’m an osprey!” #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 16: A song for exploring a haunted mansion. There’s nothing inherently frightening about this song lyrically (though it veers slightly into stalker territory). It’s the whispering and vocal orchestration… It scared me when I was a little kid.😨

Nothing says “Summer in New England” like sepia-colored noonday skies! Instead of getting lobster rolls and Richie’s Slush by the beach I’m stuck inside because of poor air quality (smoke from Canadian wildfires) near an ocean I can’t swim in (high bacteria levels). Thanks global warming 🫤🥵

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Birds&Flowers, birds standing with flowers. The alt theme is #NewLife, any of this year's new broods. This mama Canada goose is like, “No dessert until you finish your greens.” #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 15: A song that uses polychords. I guess pop songs don’t use polychords very often, but “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House does have stacked chords in the intro and in the chorus that mimic the effect. It’s a beautiful song.

I guess the “Again” part in “MAGA” means returning to a time when our government propped up oppressive regimes so long as they catered to our interests. @hrw.org warns that the institutional structures responsible for crimes against the Venezuelan people are still in place, as is Maduro’s successor.

This cartoon by @mluckovich.bsky.social shows what The Statue of Liberty could look like if Trump decides she needs a facelift. I’m sure the President knows a guy who’ll do it cheap. Happy Bastille Day!

The “Mar-a-Lagofication” of America continues. Nothing is “valuable” to this administration unless it can be exploited for and/or gilded in gold

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #PerfectPoise, photographs where balance and posture tell a story. The alt is #MomentsOfMajesty, elegant, regal or commanding poses. Three shots of the same double-crested cormorant in the same spot show how a bird can poised and majestic at the same time.

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 14: A song for a 90s teen movie montage. According to Green Day, “Nice Guys Finish Last.” That kinda runs counter to the standard teen movie trope, but I could see this song soundtracked anyhow. Great video as well.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #ButtShotts, any bird that is showing off its rear, the alt theme is #OpenBeaks, birds with their beaks open. It feels almost immoral to share this pic of a pine warbler’s posterior… Almost. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 13: A song for exploring an alien planet. OMD’s music always seemed a bit ethereal and otherworldly to me, so this track from 2017’s The Punishment of Luxury seems to work. “Climb the mountain of your fear / You should see the view from here.”

I was half-asleep when my wife told me Lindsey Graham died. I spent the next two hours thinking Kentucky republicans finally gave up on trying to Weekend at Bernie’s him before I realized that I got my Machiavellian southern senators mixed up.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #AmongTheRipples and the alt theme is #BestSideEye. Caught these two double-crested cormorants on a rainy day, and neither seemed happy. One was swimming away from me while the other seemed to ask, “Do you mind?” Us humans and our cameras! Amiright?! #Birds🪶🤣

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 12: A song for the friends you’d commit crimes with. I grew up in Las Vegas, occasionally stealing and sometimes listening to lounge singers with my pals. Richard Cheese hilariously swankifies pop songs like this Jane’s Addiction tune. “Cue the dogs.”

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #UpAndDown: birds looking up or down. The alt theme of #FunnyFaces. This was a tough edit, as the original shot came out quite dark, but once I fiddled with it, there was this red-tailed hawk, looking askance at me from above, as if to ask, “Really!?” #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 11: an anthem for your 'hot girl/boy' crew. A bop from when I was young and hot at the end of the Cold War. “Johnny, go get your gun, for the commies are in our hemisphere today / Ivan, go fly your MiG, for the Yankee imperialists have come to play”

If you want to see how this ends just watch Elysium, or WALL-E, or go to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Everything Trump touches turns to shit…

The #BirdOfTheDay themes today are #Rocky, birds perched on rocks. The alt theme is #Contortionist, birds getting into strange shapes. I can’t even get my arms to reach the center of my back when I have an itch to scratch the way this red-tailed hawk is using its head. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 10: a song that uses a I-V-vi-IV progression. I just heard Stewart Copeland tell tales of his life, which of course included stories of The Police. This song didn’t come up in any great detail, but I think it fits the bill. He’s an amazing storyteller!

Maybe some rose water and pistachio mochi for dessert?

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BathTime, any bird taking a bath. The alt theme is #Finches. I’ve posted two of these shots before, but a cute rose-breasted grosbeak taking a bath is worth double-dipping. I’ve included a new shot of an American goldfinch molting into its summer plumage. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 9: A song that uses a vi-IV-I-V progression. Hello… …it’s Adele. The vi-IV-I-V progression is used in the chorus.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Lifer: a capture of the last new to you bird you’ve seen. The alt is #BirdsILove: birds you love to see. I wasn’t able to get a good shot of the king rail hanging out near this mockingbird, but since I do love mockingbirds, it gets top billing today. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 8: A song that uses a I-IV-V progression. After a bit of learning, I’ve discovered “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure is built around an I-IV-V progression…

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Orange, any bird with any shade of orange on it, the alt theme is #Reflections, any bird casting a reflection. This American robin is thinking, “If I don’t move, they can’t see me…. Stay very still, Robert…” He was wrong, and he like a “Robert” to me. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 7: A song for when you’re running late. “Time the Avenger” by The Pretenders is about the ULTIMATE kind of running late, where you’re doing all you can “To help paralyze that little tick, tick, tick, tick…”

This is why we can’t have nice things… this guy, right here.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Cutie, cute bird captures. The alt is #TheWaitingGame, patience rewarded, whether by bird or photographer. This cute gray catbird is serenely perched, taking a break from ruckus-making.

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 6: A song that uses diminished chords. “O Valencia!” by The Decemberists uses subtle diminished transitions in the bridge to build tension as its sad story of forbidden love (à la Romeo & Juliet) builds to a finish.

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 5: A song that uses suspended chords. We’ve reached the portion of our program that requires some research on my part. Today I learned how when “Ziggy,” I mean Mick Ronson, “played guitar” on that iconic opening riff he used a suspended D chord.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Ebony&Ivory, birds that have black & white plumage. The alt theme is #AllWhite, birds with white plumage. Here’s a borbous beauty born for this challenge: a black and white warbler.

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 4: A song with a perfect ending. This version of “This Land is Your Land” by Pete Seeger returns two verses Woodie Guthrie omitted from his original. It also finishes with lyrics others built onto the song. Seems appropriate for America’s 250 birthday.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #WildMotion, a shot showing dynamic movement, and the alt #peekaboo. Northern shovelers are almost filter feeders that strain food through the comb-like edges of their bill. This video shows a group swimming in circles in order to bring tasty morsels to the surface.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Quackers, any duck will do, and the alt theme is #Swans. A camera-shy cinnamon teal swims away from the paparazzi. Can’t say that I blame him.

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 3: A song that balances hope & despair. “America” by Simon & Garfunkel captures the playful sadness of youthful impatience; of counting the stars on a bus ride to a place where, hopefully, you’ll find yourself.

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #QuietReflection, any bird paused in thought. The alt is #SunriseSunset, bird captures taken during either. This pied billed grebe has its cloud-induced silhouette beautifully reflected in a sky-blue break. #Birds 🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 2: A song with a Rhodes piano. My wife and I are finishing up a mini-break in Quebec so I’m going with song from a great Montreal band. “Calendar Girl” by Stars is built on a gentle, flickering Rhodes progression. It’s a beautiful song.

Today's #BirdOfTheDay Theme is #RedBeakFeetEyes, any bird with a red beak, feet or eyes (but not feathers). I’m going with the alt today, which is #Paridae. This tufted titmouse is inspecting some seed for quality assurance. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 1: A song that feels like pure sunshine in your veins. Roddy Frame is a brilliant songwriter, and this one has one of my favorite, all-time lines: “Ambition and love wearing boxing gloves/ And singing hearts and flowers.” Love the contrasting imagery.

The #BirdOfTheDay theme is #TheArtOfSurvival, birds finding food, avoiding predators, enduring weather or raising young. The alt is #LivingLandscapes, Where the environment is as important as the bird. This black and white warbler is getting ready to enjoy a tasty, winged morsel. #Birds🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 30: The perfect song to end a playlist. Yesterday I started my playlist with the first song of Prince’s Purple Rain (“Let’s Go Crazy”), and today I’m ending it with the last song from the album, which happens to be the title track.💜

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BestOfJune26, your best from the month of June. We’ve had a couple of house wrens raising a family in an unconventional nest - a vent cap - and caught this shot before the fledglings left the next day. #Birds 🪶

#IsmuasMonthOfMusic 🎼 #MusicChallenge 🎶 Day 29: The perfect song to start a playlist. I guess it all depends on the purpose of the playlist. What song perfectly starts a playlist for a wedding? A funeral? A road trip? Or simply a party? “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince works for all of the above.