The fancy Redwinged Blackbird with potential bilateral gynandromorphism is still around, here are some more clips from the last couple of days. I have not edited them other than stringing them together for this video. This is how they were recorded. Every time I think it must be a molt, this bird turns around and looks completely like a female. So intriguing. It also has a lot of red on the face.
The male plumage suggests this bird is undergoing its very first molt into the adult male plumage but yeah, birds molt symmetrically. Both sides should be showing the young male plumage, not just one. This is a almost certainly a gynandromorph!!!
Edit: I also just noticed that you can see the right ('male') wing and leg are longer and thicker than the left ('female') side!! Male RWBL are usually a little bigger and heavier than the females so seeing this on the same bird is so cool!!
I think there are too many people throwing around that wasps can recognise human faces for something that has only been confirmed in one wasp species (and not even the species people usually seem to bring up)
Northern paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus) have been found to process the faces of other wasps as a whole, rather than just a collection of individual parts. This is called holistic processing, and it's the same way humans typically process each other's faces. This has been tested in a couple of other Polistes species and they did not process faces in the same way. This is very cool for Northern paper wasps! But crucially, processing each others' faces this way does not mean they process human faces the same. Recognising one another aids them due to their specific social dynamics, but recognising humans wouldn't present the same evolutionary pressures. In one study, their holistic processsing didn't even extend to another paper wasp species, but recognition of human faces has not been tested in paper wasps so we can't say one way or the other even if it looks unlikely
However, it has been tested in other species! Common yellowjackets (Vespula vulgaris) and Western honeybees (Apis mellifera) were capable of discriminating between human faces (although they had to be taught to do so as they probably don't do so naturally) and it seems they also have some capacity for holistic processing. Nevertheless, I feel like I see paper wasps brought up more often than yellowjackets when this fact comes up
There's a lot that still needs studying on this topic, and what we do have points to some really interesting hymenopteran abilities that are not found in many other animals, but it does frustrate me seeing these things exaggerated and overgeneralised to all wasps/Hymenoptera and then presented as facts when there simply isn't evidence for that yet. I love wasps and I typically see this brought up to endear people to them, which I respect, but spreading misinformation for a 'good cause' is still unhelpful
References
Tibbetts et al. (2021) 'Individual recognition is associated with holistic face processing in Polistes paper wasps in a species-specific way'
Sheehan and Tibbetts (2011) 'Specialized Face Learning Is Associated with Individual Recognition in Paper Wasps'
Avarguès-Weber et al. (2017) 'Recognition of human face images by the free flying wasp Vespula vulgaris'
Dyer, Neumeyer and Chittka (2005) 'Honeybee (Apis mellifera) vision can discriminate between and recognise images of human faces'
Avarguès-Weber et al. (2018) 'Does Holistic Processing Require a Large Brain? Insights From Honeybees and Wasps in Fine Visual Recognition Tasks'
scrolling thru the notes on this p funny. seem to be two large camps of ident. w some indivs but no 100% surety
anyway, I tracked it down. the instagram accnt is a reposter so that did not help, but I tracked it to a tweet repost that had the actual orig accnts name:
tis an Australasian darter chick. which is in fact, apparently, some form of anhinga. Congrats to all of the anhinga guessers!
This nest could produce Northern California’s first wild condor chick in about 130 years, a huge step for a species once nearly wiped out.
A Wild Condor Egg May Have Appeared in California for the First Time in 130 Years
The Yurok Tribe is California’s largest native tribe. The tribe’s biologists, who have been tracking the condor, believe a wild condor pair nesting in Redwood National and State Parks may produce the first chick born and raised in the region in around 130 years.
To be clear, they haven’t seen the egg with their own eyes just yet, but all the behavior exhibited by the condor fits the pattern of nesting. The male and female take turns staying in a nest far away from the reach of predators while the other leaves to feed...
This post is incorrect. First of all, this news is from March of 2026. It's big news, yes. It is not current. Secondly, the headline you wrote is incorrect as well. It is not by any means the first wild egg in California. It would be the first wild egg in the Yurok Region / PNW condor population. [1, 2] There have been many wild hatched condors in California since their release program began.
About the parents-
"A0 or Ney-gem’ ‘Ne-chweenkah’ which translates to “She carries our prayers”, was the only female in the first released NCCRP cohort. She is 6 years and 10 months old and was bred at Oregon Zoo before being transferred to NCCRP for release in 2022.
A1, nicknamed ‘Hlow Hoo-let’ which means “At last I (or we) fly!”, is also 6 years and 10 months old and was bred at the World Center for Birds of Prey."
[Condors Believed To Be Nesting In Yurok County[...], Yurok Tribe Website, 3rd March, 2026.] [1]
Other wild-hatched condors include multiple untagged juveniles across all sites, and even 3 last year. [2] The first wild-hatched California Condor since 1898 hatched in 2016 (Pink 28 / #828), at Pinnacles National Park, who unfortunately passed away in 2022 due to lead poisoning. [4] [5]
In January 2020, I attended Dr. Amy Cook's PLAY WAY seminar at Pasadena Humane Society. The seminar was about "social play" as a tool for rehabilitating reactive/stressed/fearful dogs.
"Social Play" has been defined as something different from playing with toys (tug, fetch, etc.) It is literally "goofing around" with your dog in a way that they like, that makes them happy. Body language responsiveness, movement and timing is everything.
Not only did we get to see some inspiring and entertaining video footage of Amy Cook playing with her dogs, some attendees had also brought their own dogs to play with, while Amy offered coaching.
We saw the Play Way live!
It was an amazing and delightful experience and I couldn't wait to get home to play with my 15 year old Boogie (now passed on) who hadn't been interested in Tug or Fetch in over a year due to his vision loss. The Play Way class was like learning a new language, a new vocabulary to play with my dog.
This infographic cannot possibly do justice to all the material covered in the Play Way seminar, which also focused on play as "therapy". For now, I hope this is enough to pique everyone's interest in the subject and how to be mindful and respectful of our dog's body language and of our own body language in conversations with our dog.
Also read: Whole Dog Journal article on The Play Way
Image description and text under readmore.
Description begins.
[image: Five pairs of dogs showing playful behaviors. From left to right: A dog playbows to another, a dog hipbumps another, a dog chases another dog that is running away, a larger dog rolls on its back, playfully wiggling to a smaller dog, and lastly, two dogs play bitey face.]
The Play Way with Amy Cook PhD. playwaydogs.com
illustrated by Lili Chin doggiedrawings.net
Social Play is an excellent way for a dog to be in a happy state of mind and to be physically relaxed or loosened up. Playing also lets us know if a dog is truly relaxed or concerned about anything, so we can more effectively help them feel better.
Good play is an INVITATION. We invite our dog when they are looking at us, not when they are busy. We don't pressure them, as grabbiness, pushiness, and nagging are a turn-off. Pause and greet again before making a new suggestion. If your dog doesn't take up your suggestion but is still attentive, try something new.
FLIRT! Use SUSPENSE.
Not all play involves touching, but good play will have an element of suspense! Take pauses. Do not rush.
Yes: Start with slower, softer energy.
Yes: Give your dog plenty of room to move around freely.
Yes: Invite, wait, listen to your dog's response (body language)
Yes: Take "no" as an answer. PAUSE. Try something different.
No: Don't make your dog feel trapped or overwhelmed.
No: Don't make your dog wrong.
You want your dog to feel SAFE to open up and play with you.
IF you touch your dog, use the 3-SECOND RULE. Pull back after 3 seconds, staying engaged. Does your dog come back to you?
[Image sequence: Greet: A human claps their hands then says hi and reaches their palms out towards a small dog, which wags its tail. Friendly Pause: The human pauses, kneeling on the ground gently reaching out towards the dog, which stands still, confused. The human leans back, bringing their arms back in. The dog orients to them, thinking: “maybe”. Greet Again, New Invitation: The human turns away from the dog, folding down towards the ground and turning their face to look at the dog from over their shoulder. They say, hello! The dog approaches the human. Then, the human taps their fingers along the ground, and the dog playfully investigates, thinking “interesting”. Finally, the human leans back up, still kneeling, playfully wiggling their fingers in the air in front of them, and the dog happily play bows.]
With SOCIAL PLAY, the use of toys or food is not essential because you are not teaching your dog how to play. You are playing with your dog and learning what they like!
[Image: A vertical gradient scale goes from a reddish 8 at the top to a yellow 1 down at the bottom. A dash-line box encloses the numbers 5, 4, and 3, and the happy faces of a human and dog.]
Be in your dog's ENERGY RANGE!
What is your dog's energy level?
If your dog is overexcited (eg, 8) slow down to a 6-7.
If your dog is unsure or shy (eg, 2) try 1-3.
Play is a CONVERSATION. Here are some ideas to develop a "play vocabulary" with your dog:
YOU are the PREDATOR!
* Stay on the floor
[Image: Four vertically aligned orange squares showing play moves: 1. “Claw” Hands- Hands outstretched, fingers curled into “claws”. 2. Flat Hands- Hand outstretched, fingers pressed flat together, wrist bent back. 3. “Bitey” hands- A variation on “claw” hands where the fingers wriggle to “bite”. 4. “HAR” mouth- a human with their mouth open in a bitey-face gesture.]
[Image: A series of play interactions between a human and a dog. 1. The human play bows at the dog, kneeling with their arms splayed out onto the floor, saying “I’m gonna getcha!” 2. The human holds claw hands out towards the dog- Suspense! 3. The human gently pushes the dog back on the chest, saying “Silly puppy!” The dog pushes back towards the hand. 4. The human uses bitey hand to gently grab at the dog’s muzzle, and says “Bite you!” 5. The human uses a finger to poke the dog’s butt. 6. “Head butt!” The human gets on all fours and butts into the dog’s side with their head. 7. The human uses bitey hand to grab at the dog’s butt. “Bite your butt!”]
YOU are the PREY!
[Image: Four vertically aligned orange squares showing play moves: 1. Hiding face- A human hides their face behind their hands. 2. Pulling away- A human on all fours leans away from the action. 3. Piano hands- a human dances their fingers across the floor. 4. Rolling, flopping over- a human rolls onto their back, legs in the air and arms folded into their chest.]
[Image: A series of play interactions between a human and a dog. 1. A human crawls away from a dog on all fours, then peeks over their shoulder at the dog, asking “Gonna get me?”. Then, the dog jumps up onto the kneeling human. The human rolls onto their back and celebrates with the dog, “You got me!” 2. The human kneels, folded forward onto the floor doing piano hands. They say “Hello”. The dog approaches, and the human hides their face from the dog. Then, the dog fake bites the human’s cheek, tail wagging. 3. A dog watches curiously as a human shakes out a blanket. The human then hides under the blanket and the dog climbs up onto them, thinking “You silly! I get you!”]
How is your dog responding?
[Image: a human kneels on the floor and watches as the dog walks away from them. It thinks “need to look.”]
If your dog disconnects from you and looks towards something more interesting or concerning (that is not too close), let them process the other thing. Don't pressure them to come back to you.
When you let your dog look and dismiss the other thing on their own, the more of their attention that you really have when you get it!
NOPE. You are being WEIRD.
[Image: four examples of a dog showing stress. 1. Look Away: A dog turns and looks away. 2. Shake off- A dog shakes off like they’re wet. 3. Stress yawn- A dog yawns. 4. Busy Sniffing- a dog sniffs the ground.]
At first you may get a lot of "Not Now"s. If your dog shows confused signals or becomes busy doing other stuff, hold back. (Especially with the “shy" dogs) Your dog may not understand what you are doing.
When they approach you again, check your energy level, greet again, and try something different.
[Image: A human wiggles their fingers at a dog, which play bows with an open mouth and says “Bite you!”. Another drawing of the dog play bowing facing forwards and panting, tail wagging.]
When you do something that your dog likes, they will keep coming back to you. Their bodies are loose and curved. They may roll around, jump on you, or fake-bite you. They may even laugh!
Now that you know what your dog likes, you can do it over and over again!
HUGE developments in the big silly baby wearing fluffy pajamas fandom:
Oregon Zoo 05/30/26: This flouf is one of 15 healthy California condor chicks to hatch at our conservation center this season. A new record! #Condorable #KeepCalmAndCarrion
Folk, I’m gonna vaguepost for a sec here, but it’s an important one.
If you are in the United States and not employed by a zoo or sanctuary or a veterinarian working with a facility, if anyone for any reason offers to allow you to touch a big cat, please do not do it.
No matter how much you want to, no matter how much it is a dream, understand that it is a violation of federal law that could get the facility the cat lives at in very serious trouble. It does not matter if it is through the fence, or in the context of a trained behavior, or if the cat is on a leash. Even if it feels “safe” or they swear the facility condones it.
It’s starting to appear that lots of zookeepers have not been informed appropriately about the scope of the law - or in cases where they do know it’s inappropriate, they are sometimes being overridden by their management and forced to allow encounters. (Even at accredited facilities!)
We do not know exactly what the penalties could be for that happening within an accredited zoo (yay badly implemented laws) but it typically comes down to being risk to a) the cat’s welfare b) the facility’s ability to have any big cats at all and c) someone, either the facility owner or the person offering, could go to jail or pay serious fines. There are two instances of this happening at AZA zoos that were leaked recently and we may now find out how bad it’s going to get for them.
Lots of facilities will have big cat pelts as educational biofacts that they will allow you to touch. You do not ever need to take the risk associated with touching a live big cat - generally anywhere, and especially in the US.
And for some reason, if you ever are in that situation and unethical enough to actually touch the cat? Don’t post it on social media and definitely don’t make that post public. 🙄
From the Nashville Zoo’s fb page! Here’s the petition, please please please take a moment to add your name (even if you’re not from Nashville!). If you are from Tennessee, contact your representatives and make it clear that the people do not want this data center. This is an AZA accredited zoo which is home to several species of critically endangered animals, we NEED to protect it. Make your voice heard!
Texas approves controversial wildlife rehab rules despite 95% opposition
Supporters call the changes overdue, but many rescuers remain unconvinced.
Wildlife rehabilitators across Texas are divided after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously approved sweeping changes to the state's wildlife rehabilitation program on May 29, despite overwhelming opposition during the public comment process.
The new rules, which won't take effect until Sept. 1, 2027, are intended to professionalize wildlife rehabilitation, strengthen oversight and create a clearer pathway for training future rehabilitators. But critics warn the changes could reduce capacity at a time when Texas already struggles to meet the public's wildlife rescue needs.
Texas Parks and Wildlife officials said the current system allows someone to become a permitted wildlife rehabilitator by watching a two-hour training video and passing a 10-question exam.
"Wildlife rehabilitation has evolved into a highly complex and technical field," Richard Heilbrun, deputy director of TPWD's Wildlife Division, told commissioners. "We have many experienced rehabbers that are talented and knowledgeable, but in thinking about the future, there is very little way for us to transfer that knowledge to new rehabilitators."
The adopted rules require future permit applicants to gain hands-on experience before receiving their own permit, create new permit tiers based on experience, require a veterinary consultation relationship and increase continuing education requirements...
Ok, I actually read the article instead of just going off the title of the piece and its so stupidly inflammatory imo.
"The adopted rules require future permit applicants to gain hands-on experience before receiving their own permit, create new permit tiers based on experience, require a veterinary consultation relationship and increase continuing education requirements." - A paragraph from the Chron article
This is so basic. This is basic animal handling permitting. If you're administering medical aid to an animal, you should have experience and a working relationship with a vet just in case the animal needs more care than you can provide. Thats common sense.
The next paragraph goes into the actual training requirements, which I could understand as seeing them being a little steep. 600 hrs of training (15 weeks @ 40 hrs a week) could definitely be a limitation-- but this is for someone who wants to obtain their own permit in order to be a fully fledged rehabber. I sure hope someone who wants to do this as a profession could put the time in. Otherwise the person can work as a subpermittee with another (trained) rehabber. Thats not a crazy ask.
The article has comments from various rehab centers, but most of them seem to not be opposed to the rules, just to how fast they may be implemented or how strict they may become. Most of the comments seem to be about people who want to make sure the process stays accessible, not that they dont like the process.
So all-in-all, it seems like these rules going forward are going to be a boon for Texas rehabbers. I'd be interested to know what people out of the state who have rehab experience think. Im assuming Texas is just behind the standards of other states with more robust programs but maybe they're pioneering new change in the rehab field.
condor 1215 (tag yellow 15) being released back into pinnacles national from (as far as i can tell) a checkup. she is 3 years old and was wild born to 589 & 569 ("phoebe the forager"). [1]
hello! you asked about happy things that happened, so i wanted to share that at my wildlife rehab, the first set of baby opossums are large enough to be moved up an enclosure size! theyre 400g and are doing very well climbing everywhere :)
a coyote just swam to alcatraz in case you're curious
¹
in what is said to be likely either the waves of the storms the bay area has had recently, or an effort to find new territory, a coyote was spotted swimming across the san francisco bay and climbing onto the rocky shores of alcatraz. site biologists have apparently never seen this before, but are letting her stay, as there's plenty chicks, eggs, and rats to eat on site.²
[¹- video of the coyote swimming and climbing out of the water]
[²- article with quotes from biologists + more insights]
in a suprising new update: this coyote isn't from SF at all!- after the relocation of the individual was proposed (done because of concerns about native bird disturbances), park rangers collected scat left on the island, and DNA testing has revealed that it came from the angel island population of coyotes! that's 2 miles away from alcatraz- compared to approximately one mile the coyote would've swam from SF proper.
as of currently, there is no sign of the coyote on the island, and it hasn't been spotted since. wish her luck on her marine journeys!³
turnnoffyourmind
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
pixelskylines
romaincrisis
dailybridgerton
amandla
