Katharine Spencer (she/her)
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katharinespencer.bsky.social
Katharine Spencer (she/her)
@katharinespencer.bsky.social
50 followers 72 following 39 posts
♾️ Disabled Birder & nature enthusiast
🐦 Last lifer: Northern Lapwing
📖 What I’m reading: Sea of Grass by David Hage and Josephine Marcotty
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Katharine Spencer (she/her)
mwrdgc.bsky.social
MWRD scientists reported catching the biggest smallmouth bass in over 51 years of MWRD fish monitoring on the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS).

The fish weighed 3.9 pounds (1,770 grams) with a length of 19.7 inches (500 mm).

mwrd.org/news/mwrd-sc...
Two Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago employees stand on a research boat on the Cal-Sag Channel, wearing life vests and gloves as they hold a large smallmouth bass toward the camera. Trees, a bridge, and another MWRD vessel are visible in the background. A graphic overlay includes the MWRD seal and the headline, “MWRD scientists net their biggest smallmouth bass ever on the Cal-Sag Channel.” Below, a close-up photo shows the same smallmouth bass laid flat on a measuring board with a ruler, highlighting its length, while a gloved hand points near the tail fin.
December 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
🐞 Find me crouching down on the sidewalk to take a closer look at the #bugs all summer long.

#cicada #hotcicadasummer
A close up shot of an annual cicada on sidewalk head on. The cicada has two large eyes that bulge out to either side, a light-colored underside, and a green, black, and brown pattern on its back. A close up shot of an annual cicada on sidewalk viewed from the top. The cicada has two large eyes that bulge out to either side, a green, black, and brown pattern on its back/thorax, and a black lower half. The black-veined wings are mostly visible in this image as well.
July 19, 2025 at 10:44 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
🪶 snowy egret on a sunny morning in California
A small-in-frame snowy egret stands in the center of the photo on top of a railing. The egret is in focus and half in shadow, half in light, while the rest of the photo is blurred at very shallow DOF
July 11, 2025 at 12:27 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
New season, new profile pic and banner ☀️ so here’s some beach photos (from fall, because that makes sense):

🪶: Royal Tern, Black Skimmer, and Snowy Plover

📍: #California
Image of a Royal Tern in in non-breeding plumage flying with head in focus just to the right of center of the image. The wingtips are slightly motion-blurred and the background is completely blurred sand. A profile view of a Black Skimmer in flight with wings postured up and back. The background is gray sky and on the left side of the photo there are blurred palm trees in the background. One small, round, snowy plover in non-breeding plumage stands in whitish, blurred sand and background on the right third of the image next to an ascending pile of seaweed.
June 15, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Reposted by Katharine Spencer (she/her)
paigebyerly.bsky.social
A female Western Gull was recorded riding 150km in a garbage truck from San Francisco to a compost facility in Central CA, probably to forage. TWICE. An innovator, an icon, a genius.

This is one of my favorite @waterbirdsociety.bsky.social papers I've ever handled as managing editor #ornithology
June 3, 2025 at 8:24 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
The #GoldenAlexander and #Columbine 🥹🥹😭😭 prairie plants rule!

#PlantNative
Photo of wildflowers at sunset - there is blooming red columbine and blooming golden Alexander in most of the foreground, and the background starting at the top third of the photo shows other green trees and vegetation with the sun shining through and casting a beam on the flowers.
May 14, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by Katharine Spencer (she/her)
jbtheexplorer.bsky.social
Prairie smoke is smokin'. #nativeplants #gardening
May 13, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Reposted by Katharine Spencer (she/her)
chicazul.bsky.social
Today is ME/CFS Awareness Day!

#MillionsMissing refers to the millions of people suffering from ME/CFS who go missing from society because the energy limitations restrict them from socializing, leaving the house, or even leaving bed.

Since getting #LongCovid last year I am one of them!
Poster from ME Action advocacy group, depicting the Statue of Liberty drowning in a sea of red. Text reads: #MillionsMissing SOS I am one of the 2025 #MillionsMissing Save our Support Systems Save our Science Save our Society
May 12, 2025 at 8:53 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
One day you’re young and hip and seeing 17sp of #warblers in the morning and the next you’re getting sh!t on by starlings at the cemetery. 💩 🐦

(It was all one day, this is how migration is going! 💝)
May 12, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Katharine Spencer (she/her)
aba.org
Each year, the ABA produces FREE special issues of Birding magazine, our world class publication for birders. Don't miss our recent special edition on travel. Thank you to ABA members, who support this great work!
tinyurl.com/bdy2nkbx
May 12, 2025 at 3:41 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Nothing beats choosing a place to sleep based purely on one, year-old eBird checklist comment, and having the pay off be watching an #ElfOwl emerge from her hole to start her night hunting ❤️ 🪶
A digiscoped photo of an elf owl sitting upright in her hole that is inside a telephone pole with a blank expression, not looking directly at the camera. There are small indents all over the wooden surface of the pole created by acorn woodpeckers previously using the pole as acorn storage.
May 12, 2025 at 4:20 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
I slept in my car a lot while #camping… I know that isn’t the point, but #autism means being overwhelmed w/ sensations a lot of the time and my car offered the ability to shut out sounds and itchy feelings that my tent just couldn’t. BUT I did set up the hammock a couple times to rest in the shade!
Photo right side foreground shows the lower half of an outstretched pink woven hammock tied to a large shady tree. The background shows more trees and shrubs, as well as ball moss up in the trees.
May 10, 2025 at 12:58 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Clear water and soundscape of Golden-cheeked and Black-and-white Warblers, Vireos, Wrens, and so on and so on - 1000/10
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
May 8, 2025 at 2:50 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
A 500-year-old Live Oak 🌳 was an absolute stunner that I had to stop for while dashing through the bloodthirsty hordes of mosquitoes 😅 Aransas NWR rules even when there’s not that many birds there!

#Trees
A wide angle photo of a large Live Oak tree with gnarled, expansive, branches. There is a bit of sunlight coming through the tree, and in the foreground there are brown leaves scattered on the grass, dirt, and small slab of concrete. There is an illegible interpretive sign on the left side of the photo toward the middle (in front of the tree).
May 7, 2025 at 3:19 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Say less 😎
Can’t wait to go looking for my neighborhood Coop nest when I get back soon!!

Cooper’s Hawk (Astur cooperii) from last September 💛 🪶
May 6, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Reposted by Katharine Spencer (she/her)
birdsoftheworld.bsky.social
New study finds where birds are declining most. High trend resolution data reveals complexity of bird population changes. “This is the first time we’ve had fine-scale information on population changes across such broad spatial extents and across entire ranges of species,” said Dr. Amanda Rodewald.
Birds of the World - New study finds where birds are declining most; some locales with positive trends
“This is the first time we’ve had fine-scale information on population changes across such broad spatial extents and across entire ranges of species. And that provides us a better lens to understand t...
birdsoftheworld.org
May 1, 2025 at 9:14 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
I’m all for people being excited about birds, sharing sitings, and getting cool shots. I’ve also been blocked out of areas by big dude photographers and their tripods, and sometimes not scaring the birds off means shutting up! Or at least whisper, damn 🫣
A stained white sign posted to a mossy/lichened tree trunk on the right half of the photo reads: “Quiet Zone”. The background is thick tree/shrub vegetation. A white yard sign with black letters reads “No Tripods” and is stuck in the ground next to a concrete path on one side and shrubby, green vegetation on the other side
May 5, 2025 at 10:08 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
On May 3rd:
3 lifers = 3 Celebration Tacos
🪶🪶🪶🌮🌮🌮
Screenshot of eBird Lifelisr with three species listed from Salt Lake county, Utah, US: Juniper Titmouse, Mountain Bluebird, and Plumbeous Vireo Close up picture of three tacos al pastor on a plate, each with a healthy drizzle of salsa.
May 5, 2025 at 1:37 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Why’s it gotta be so cute though?!? 😭🥹😍

Least Grebe
🪶Lifer
A fluffy looking Least Grebe floats on pond water surrounded but clumps of algae and some aquatic plants sticking up a little above the surface.
May 4, 2025 at 5:38 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Lifer Kites!! Mississippi Kites came in hot with a kettle of 34 migrating together and a resident Swallow-tailed Kite made me work to see it, but did not disappoint while carrying a little snack 🖤🩶🤍

🪶 Houston area from April
3 overlapping Mississippi Kites in flight silhouetted against a white sky backdrop. Swallow-tailed Kite in flight against a white sky backdrop on a cloudy day, carrying what appears to be a small rodent in its talons.
May 4, 2025 at 2:04 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Out spotting moose tracks in UT 🫎
May 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
An incredible encounter with lekking Lesser Prairie-Chickens turned even more incredible with a hybrid, Greater x Lesser! He was trying his best but only a few female Lessers on the lek were not interested in his unique vocalizations!

🪶 Photos from a bird blind with #KansasLekTreks
A male LesserxGreater Prairie-chicken hybrid flutters in the air with wings out and pinnae feathers flat against his head. The surrounding grass background is brown and short and fades to blurry in the backdrop. A male LesserxGreater Prairie-chicken hybrid struts purposefully toward the camera (photographed from a blind). The surrounding grass background is brown and short and fades to blurry in the backdrop. A screenshot of an eBird checklist showing 11 Lesser Prairie-chickens counted and one Greater x Lesser Prairie-Chicken (hybrid) with comments and a “rare” flag indicated on the checklist.
May 3, 2025 at 1:55 AM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
An incredible spot for birding in Eastern Kansas, the Baker Wetlands did not disappoint! www.bakeru.edu/history-trad...

#wetlandconservation
May 1, 2025 at 10:12 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
We had a whole squad of young American Robins visiting our deck this past summer, and they’re just perfect 😍

#birding #yardbirds
A close up profile shot of a juvenile American Robin, showing its breast spots and new wing feathers with white edging. The bird is looking up so the photo shows the underside of its bill. The background is blurred, bright yellow, pink, orange, and green. A close up profile shot of a juvenile American Robin, showing its breast spots and new wing feathers with white edging. The bird is looking to the left side of the photo so the pronounced gape is visible. The background is blurred, bright yellow, pink, orange, and green.
April 29, 2025 at 3:35 PM
katharinespencer.bsky.social
Immediately putting this on my list! Way to go, @wiscobirder.bsky.social !!!
Birds of the Great Lakes
From the co-founder of Wisconsin's BIPOC Birding Club comes a fun and accessible guide to birding throughout the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes region is teemi...
www.hachettebookgroup.com
April 14, 2025 at 2:41 AM