Museum Curator, Birds, Evolution, Tropics; Past President, Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA)

Chicago, Illinois
Joined April 2013
So two American economists have awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for their research on economic stability. Was this a one sentence paper saying: Don’t vote for oligarchs, grifters and rubber stamp Republicans?
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Birds persist. There is hope.
Chimney Swifts filtering into a tree cavity shortly after sunset. Right in the middle of UNC’s campus! Draws a crowd every evening while it lasts. They’ll soon migrate south for the winter. Very fortunate to witness them using a natural roost. Shown in thermal infrared. #birds
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John Bates retweeted
iDigBio is pleased to announce an 8-week "Strategic Planning for Biodiversity Collections” online course! Applications close September 9! For more info and to apply: idigbio.gbif.us/post/2026/st…
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About 150-230M birds are predicted to migrate across the U.S. each night this weekend! Lights at night can be very disorienting to birds during their long fall migration. To help prevent deadly bird collisions, turn off or dim unnecessary lights! Graphic: CornellLab, BirdCast
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John Bates retweeted
Big Oil raked in record-breaking profits. The companies that caused the climate crisis are getting rich as they fuel the fire. @ExxonMobil: $55.7 billion @Shell: $39.87 billion @Chevron: $35.5 billion @BP_plc: $27.7 billion Time to make the pay for the damage they've caused.
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John Bates retweeted
Today’s Supreme Court decision effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities - so long as they do it under the guise of “partisanship” rather than explicit “racial bias.” And it serves as just one more example of how a majority of the current Court seems intent on abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach. The good news is that such setbacks can be overcome. But that will only happen if citizens across the country who cherish our democratic ideals continue to mobilize and vote in record numbers - not just in the upcoming midterms or in high profile races, but in every election and every level.
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BREAKING: Trump punishes Pope Leo for criticizing his Iran War by stripping $11 million from Catholic Charities in Florida that was supposed to help shelter and care for children who enter the country alone. Trump is terrorizing kids in America while killing them overseas... “The U.S. government has abruptly decided to end more than 60 years of relationship with Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami,” said Archbishop Thomas Wenski. “The Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country.” "Our track record in serving this vulnerable population is unmatched. Yet, the Archdiocese of Miami’s Catholic Charities’ services for unaccompanied minors has been stripped of funding and will be forced to shut down within three months," he added. The Department of Homeland Security, through its Office of Refugee Resettlement, has paid Catholic Charities in Miami for years to help house children who enter the country without accompanying adults. The Miami Herald describes the program as essentially a "federally funded foster care system." Bishop Wenski said that despite there being a recent decrease in unaccompanied minors “it is baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that it would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence." Robert Latham, associate director of the University of Miami Law School’s Children and Youth Law Clinic, said that the gutting of funding and possible need to move the children elsewhere could inflict serious damage on their developing psyches. "It’s incredibly psychologically harmful to be moved,” he said. “For little kids, moving repeatedly creates bonding issues and destroys the sense of both self and community. They don’t know who they are and where they will be." “This should only be done with a lot of emotional support that you normally would find within a family. Unfortunately, that is not there in a group home setting,” Latham added. Of course, Donald Trump couldn't care less about the suffering of children. This man was friends with Jeffrey Epstein for years and been accused of sexual abuse himself. He started his Iran War by blowing up a school full of little girls and his administration has worked around the clock to strip funding from programs that feed, educate, and house children. While the administration has not admitted that these funding cuts are payback against Pope Leo, the point A to point B is apparent. Trump is the most vindictive man to ever hold the presidency. He has been relentlessly attacking Leo for criticizing his Iran War. This is him using financial leverage in an effort to beat the Pope into submission. It will not work. Please ❤️ and share to demand that the funding be doubled when Democrats take back control!
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Today in Birds at the museum, we host the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors (CBCM) for an annual event. Per tradition, Dave Willard has pulled a catalogued specimen for every CBCM attending.
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A simple message with big meaning: "I am somebody." We are grateful to Rev. Jesse Jackson for helping teach generations of children to believe in themselves and in one another. Thank you for being part of our neighborhood. 💛💚
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John Bates retweeted
A picture is worth a thousand words. The Obamas have always defined class, dignity, and leadership.
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Just six years out from a pandemic that transcended borders, Trump is abandoning global cooperation by withdrawing from the World Health Organization — and it makes all of us less safe. Illinois will continue to work with trusted partners to protect lives and follow the science.
Disengaging from the WHO weakens our ability to track disease outbreaks and puts our communities at risk. Governors are stepping in to coordinate across borders to protect public health.
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BIG shoutout to Evan for predicting Bertuzzi's hatty 🎩🎩🎩 @TonyGranato | #Blackhawks
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John Bates retweeted
Ecuador bans oil drilling to protect 700,000-hectares of rainforest: buff.ly/M0Xg6vx These are the type of announcements we need. No time to waste. #ActOnClimate #climate #energy #IndigenousPeoples #ClimateWeekNYC
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The Trump regime is continuing to destroy our protected lands and endangered wildlife habitats. The damage they are causing will be irreversible and scar the land forever; you can't bring back extinct species. #DemsUnited
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If we switched to #renewableenergy, the number of ships crossing the ocean would fall by 40% because they're just carrying coal & oil & gas!! buff.ly/dpTrSpO We have the solutions. Implement them. #ActOnClimate #ClimateAction #climate #energy #GreenNewDeal
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