David C. Simon

Digital drawing of a Superb Fairy-wren (black, blue, grey, and brown, with a long tail held upright) going "Twitality a-tweet twit twit twitta wit a-wit wit wit tweet"

A few days late, but I want to jump aboard the #AvianAugust train (using my own photos as references rather than a prompt list). Day 1: Superb Fairy-wren.
#birds

Screen capture from Blender (3D modelling/rendering software) showing a human figure sitting inside a Dalek casing, sans neck & head sections. The figure's head is where the Dalek's neck would be - which is ideal because Dalek Operators viewed the world through a wire mesh surrounding the neck section.

Good news: At 5"4' I would have been able to operate a Dalek in the classic series of Doctor Who.

Digital painting of an 'I'iwi bird, a red bird native to Hawaii. It has a unique curved beak and black wings and tail feathers.

#AvianAugust day 1: the 'I'iwi! What a unique beak shape 👀
[ 🎨 #art #AvianAugust2025 #birdart #birds #sciart #iwi ]

Photograph of a small honeyeater on a cherry branch with bright pink cherry blossoms. The bird is orange, brown, black, and white, with red eyes and a long curved beak.

Eastern Spinebill.
#birds

Photograph of a Lewin's Honeyeater in a cherry tree. The bird is olive green with yellow and black markings, and blue eyes. The cherry is leafless but budding with pink/red flowers.

Lewin's Honeyeater.
#birds

I love the textures in this!

My autism means I tend to take everything people say very literally unless it's clearly telegraphed that it's meant in jest. As a result, I often interpret even the gentlest of gibes as a sincere and heartfelt criticism of me as a person. Fun indeed.

Photograph of two young male Gang-gang Cockatoos. They are mottled grey with yellow, green and orange, with developing orange/red crests. They are biting each other's beaks.

As before, but both birds have separated and spread their wings.

As before, but there is a standoff between both birds as the growl at each other.

Playtime for a couple of young male Gang-gang Cockatoos.
#birds

Photograph of two young male Gang-gang Cockatoos. They are mottled grey with yellow, green and orange, with developing orange/red crests. They are biting each other's beaks.

As before, but both birds have separated and spread their wings.

As before, but there is a standoff between both birds as the growl at each other.

Playtime for a couple of young male Gang-gang Cockatoos.
#birds

You are definitely not alone in how you feel about that song.

Facts

Photograph of a young Grey Huntsman Spider (Isopeda villosa) eating a Harlequin Red Bug (Harlequin Red Bug). The spider is mottled shades of brown. The bug is on its back, exposing the bright colours of its belly: red, green, yellow, orange, and blue.

As before but a close-up of the spider's face.

Taste the rainbow.
#spiders #bugs

I have this in my setting as Mana Potions. They restore spell slots, but every spell slot restored is taken from the next day (so you'll be underpowered after a long rest), and they're addictive so there are consequences for drinking more than one in a timeframe of 48 hours.

Photograph of a young Grey Huntsman Spider (Isopeda villosa) eating a Harlequin Red Bug (Harlequin Red Bug). The spider is mottled shades of brown. The bug is on its back, exposing the bright colours of its belly: red, green, yellow, orange, and blue.

As before but a close-up of the spider's face.

Taste the rainbow.
#spiders #bugs

Photograph of a large cormorant in flight against a blue sky. It is mostly black with a yellow face, greyish beak, and bluish eyes. Its belly and tail are wet and water drops are falling as it flies.

Great Cormorant in flight.
(They're named "Great" because they're big, not as a value judgement, but they are pretty great anyway.)
#birds

Photograph of a large cormorant in flight against a blue sky. It is mostly black with a yellow face, greyish beak, and bluish eyes. Its belly and tail are wet and water drops are falling as it flies.

Great Cormorant in flight.
(They're named "Great" because they're big, not as a value judgement, but they are pretty great anyway.)
#birds

3D Render of a classic-era Dalek from Doctor Who. It is silver and black, with clear domelights and blue eye rings. The classic Dalek gun has been replaced by the projectile weapon that only appeared in three episodes in 1974.

3D render of the Dalek projectile weapon without the surrounding Dalek case, side view. The rear of the weapon is visible, made from a Beretta Model 38A Submachine Gun receiver (stripped of its furniture, magazine, and trigger guard).

As before, but a perspective angle emphasising the front end of the weapon made from the tail of a 2-inch mortar round grafted onto the compensator (which itself is attached to the barrel and perforated jacket) of a Beretta Model 38A Submachine Gun. There is a groove in the compensator where the forward sight has been removed, and an unused bayonet lug underneath the jacket.

Hello, I am a massive nerd so I modelled a Dalek in silver and black livery from the 1974 serial Death to the Daleks and then went out of my way to research and reconstruct the projectile weapons that Bapty & Co bodged together from Beretta Model 38As and 2-inch mortar tails.
#Blender #DoctorWho

By this same argument, shouldn't classic movies never be released on Blu-ray or streaming services?

Humans have been remaking art since the dawn of civilisation: Re-telling old stories, restaging classic plays, making covers of old songs... why should games be any different?

Photograph of a Crimson Rosella on a cherry branch with a blossom in its beak. The rosella is young and still has much of its green juvenile colouring, but also has some of its red and blue adult plumage. Though it has "resting parrot-face syndrome" (ie: most parrots look happy all the time because of the shape of their beak, regardless of how they actually feel), it *does* seem to be enjoying itself.

Photograph of a different Crimson Rosella, also in a cherry tree with a blossom in its beak. It is also young, like the previous photo, but has much more red than green.

The Crimson Rosellas have found the cherry blossoms.
#birds

Photograph of a Crimson Rosella on a cherry branch with a blossom in its beak. The rosella is young and still has much of its green juvenile colouring, but also has some of its red and blue adult plumage. Though it has "resting parrot-face syndrome" (ie: most parrots look happy all the time because of the shape of their beak, regardless of how they actually feel), it *does* seem to be enjoying itself.

Photograph of a different Crimson Rosella, also in a cherry tree with a blossom in its beak. It is also young, like the previous photo, but has much more red than green.

The Crimson Rosellas have found the cherry blossoms.
#birds

I am going to keep screaming this EVERY time:

do you know how fucking many hoops animal behaviorists have to jump through to get research alleging that animals feel happiness or sadness published

and the WALL STREET JOURNAL prints that LINES OF CODE WITH NO BRAIN STEM can SELF REFLECT

Photograph of a Rainbow Lorikeet feeding on cherry blossoms. The bird is brightly coloured in blue, red, orange, yellow, and green, while the blossoms are maroon to pink/white. The bird is is more vivid than the flowers.

Me: Why is the cherry blossoming?!? It's still Winter!
Rainbow Lorikeet: Don't know, don't care.
#birds

You could set up lighting for your hand, but the risk is that if you have to turn on a bright light every time you want to stream, it could make you not want to stream. I'd probably record more videos of myself if I didn't need a keylight to be visible.

That's a lovely bird, but can you credit the photographer please?

Oof. I had all 4 removed at once (many years ago). It wasn't fun, but was totally worth it. I hope you heal quickly.

I *was* about to resubscribe to Paramount+ for the new season of Strange New Worlds, but not anymore. Firing Colbert was a craven act that prizes potential stock value above core principles of integrity, and I'll not give CBS any more of my money.

Photograph of a Golden-headed cisticola on a dead branch with lichen. The bird is a small passerine in light brown and black.

Same bird, different angle and pose.

Same bird, but with its beak open (and its tongue raised) while it goes "ZEEEEEE".

Golden-headed cisticola.
#birds

Photograph of a Golden-headed cisticola on a dead branch with lichen. The bird is a small passerine in light brown and black.

Same bird, different angle and pose.

Same bird, but with its beak open (and its tongue raised) while it goes "ZEEEEEE".

Golden-headed cisticola.
#birds

Photograph of a grey cockatoo with bright red head and crest, perched on a branch in sunlight.

Gang-gang Cockatoo, adult male.
#birds

Photograph of a grey cockatoo with bright red head and crest, perched on a branch in sunlight.

Gang-gang Cockatoo, adult male.
#birds