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Marty’s photo of the day #4747: Today we go artsy with an extreme close-up of beargrass. Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. #photography #nature #plants

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Marty’s photo of the day #4746: This is a gray angelfish, photographed last month off the coast of Belize. #photography #sealife #Belize

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Marty’s photo of the day #4745: Killdeer, photographed earlier this month in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. #birds #photography #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4744: This is a Indian paintbrush, photographed last Sunday at Deb’s and my “secret spot” in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. #photography #nature #flowers

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Nellie’s Theorem: “The speed at which I will jump into Dad’s front porch leather writing chair is directly proportional to how wet I am at the time.” #dogs #writing #authors #humor

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Opposing the U.S. government doesn’t make me un-American. Opposing the Israeli government doesn’t make me antisemitic. Opposing the Russian government doesn’t mean that Kirill Kaprizov can’t be my favorite hockey player. They’re easy concepts, when you don’t view the world in black and white.

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Marty’s photo of the day #4743: This is a wild hyacinth (Triteleia grandiflora), photographed last Sunday at Deb’s and my “secret spot” in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. The tiny flower was difficult to photograph, because a light breeze kept it in near-continual motion. #photography #flowers

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Marty’s photos of the day #4742: I have a treat for you this summer! Last night, I discovered that a robin built a nest on an outdoor speaker below my kitchen window. She has 3 chicks. I will try to post photos once a week, so we can watch the chicks grow up together. #birds #photography #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4741: This is an elegant mariposa lily, photographed last Sunday at Deb’s and my “secret spot” in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. Click ALT and then click on the text to read entire post. #Montana #photography #nature #flowers #cameras

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Marty’s photo of the day #4740: I live in the mountains of Montana, and early each morning I ride my bicycle to the valley floor and back. A herd of bison grazes behind a fence at my turnaround point. Today’s photo is from this morning’s ride. #photography #Montana #animals #wildlife

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Marty’s photo of the day #4739: . . . . But we still have our “secret spot” that no tourist knows about. We went there yesterday—didn’t see a soul—and the flowers were amazing! . . . Click ALT, and then click on the text, to read entire post. #Montana #photography #nature #Trump #tourism

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Last Week at the Essen Wildlife Refuge: In the summer, there is so much action that I usually post the previous week’s motion-sensing camera photos every Sunday. This week there wasn’t the usual species diversity, so instead of variety, I’m featuring 4 shots of the same deer. #photography #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4738: Today I’m featuring an artsy photo. I call it, “In a Room Full of Fascists, Be a Liberal.” #photography #flowers

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◆ Gold Medal: IPPY Award for Humor ◆ Winner: Indies Today Award for Best Humor Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles is a comedic novel that celebrates living life to the fullest. Available in paperback, Kindle, & audiobook formats. Get your copy here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7QFP97 #BookSky #writing

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This California quail nest is under some foliage, next to my house. Considering that my dog, Nellie, regularly patrols that area—as well as foxes, racoons, and who-knows-what—I’m amazed the eggs all hatched. I know they did, because I’ve seen the ping-pong-ball-sized chicks. #birds #photography

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Marty’s photo of the day #4737: This is my favorite image from yesterday’s early morning photo shoot. “Gadwall, cleared for takeoff!” (Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana) #birds #photography #Montana #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4736: I got up early this morning to photograph birds. I was watching a quiet pond, when all of a sudden this family of Canada geese pushed through the reeds. So cute! (Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana) #photography #birds #Montana #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4735: These are frigatebirds, photographed last month on an island, 40 miles off the coast of Belize. Whether this action shot depicts a greeting, a territory dispute, or impressions of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, I really can’t say. #photography #birds

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Nellie, queen of the Essen Wildlife Refuge, patrols the backwaters for the elusive and dangerous river squirrels. #photography #nature #wildlife #dogs

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Marty’s photo of the day #4734: The moon over the Caribbean Sea on a stormy night. #photography #Belize

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Marty’s photo of the day #4733: Here’s a second image of the spotted eagle ray I saw off the coast of Belize. The water was murky, so none of my eagle ray shots are frameable. Still, considering what I had to work with, I was able to create some magic in my photo program. #photography #sealife

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Marty’s photo of the day #4732: Red-footed boobies, photographed last month on an island off the coast of Belize. #birds #photography #Belize

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This Week at the Essen Wildlife Refuge: My motion-sensing cameras caught the first bear of the spring. Also, a healthy-looking fox at night and two curious deer. I’m still hoping to get a clear bigfoot photo to show you, but once again he turned out blurry. (Click to see full photos) #photography

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Marty’s photo of the day #4731: It’s time to play Find the Yellow Stingray. Look at the first photo to see if you can find the stingray. The second image is a cropped version of the same photo, showing the stingray. Photographed last month, 35 miles off the coast of Belize. #photography #sealife

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Marty’s photo of the day #4730: We have eight ping-pong-ball-sized California quail chicks living alongside our house in the Essen Wildlife Refuge. A few got stuck on our side steps but are now safely back in the care of their parents. #birds #photography #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4729: While off the coast of Belize earlier this month, I photographed a lot of frigatebirds in-flight. I’ll share some of those later. For now, here’s a rare stationary frigatebird. #birds #photography #seabirds #nature #Belize

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Marty’s photo of the day #4728: These squid might be difficult to see, if you are viewing on a smartphone. There are five squid in all, photographed earlier this month, forty miles off the coast of Belize. #photography #sealife #Belize #nature

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Actress Maria McCann (a veteran of 45 movies) made this meme, featuring a quote from the AudioFile Magazine review of The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles, written by me; narrated by her. Get a FREE copy of The Silver Squad w/Audible trial membership: tinyurl.com/SilverSquadA... #BookSky #fiction

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Marty’s photo of the day #4727: Iguana, photographed earlier this month on an island off the coast of Belize. #photography #animals #wildlife #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4726: You might think this is a photo of a Caribbean hermit crab, but I’m actually photographing the fly in flight. Got it! (Photographed earlier this month off the coast of Belize) #photography #Belize #nature #wildlife #animals

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Marty’s photo of the day #4725: I shot this photo while snorkeling above the Witconcrete Wreck (looking down its side). The 375-foot-long ship was intentionally sunk in 2021, near Blackbird Caye, 35 miles from Belize. It now serves as a home for a wide variety of fish. #photography #sealife #Belize

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Marty’s photo of the day #4724: These are red cushion sea stars, photographed 2 weeks ago in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles from Belize. At first glance these sea stars almost look fake, like a practical joke. I’m including a 2nd photo of Deb diving closer for a size comparison. #photography #sealife

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The animals were partying at the Essen Wildlife Refuge while I was in Belize last week. I get daytime moose and elk photos on my motion-sensing cameras all the time, but rarely nighttime shots. So that’s why I’m going that way this time. Photos in order: wild turkey, moose, elk, fox. #photography

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Actress Maria McCann (who has appeared in 45 movies & the TV shows Grey’s Anatomy, The Practice, Lucifer) made this meme, featuring a quote from the Audiofile Magazine review of The Silver Squad, written by me & narrated by her. Get FREE w/Audible trial: tinyurl.com/SilverSquadA... #BookSky #books

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Marty’s photo of the day #4723: My goal for last week’s off-coast Belize trip was to photograph a shark and a spotted eagle ray. I did both. (To read the full story, click ALT and scroll down.) #photography #sharks #sealife #underwater #Belize #nature

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Now a two-time winner! ◆ Gold Medalist: 2025 IPPY Awards for Humor ◆ Winner: 2024 Indies Today Award for Best Humor Book Available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats. Get your copy here: www.amazon.com/dp/B0DK7QFP97 #Books #BookSky #LibrarySky #author #novels #fiction #publibs #humor

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Marty’s photo of the day #4722: These are frigatebirds, photographed last week on a tiny island, 40 miles off the coast of Belize. They were nesting together with red-footed boobies. I will post the red-footed bobbies at a later date. #birds #photography #Belize #nature

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Back in 2007, my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,” won a Bronze Medal in the IPPY Awards. It’s been a long time, but today my eighth book, “The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles,” won a Gold Medal in the IPPY Awards! #BookSky #LibrarySky #author #humor

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When I bought a second Sealife camera—so my wife, Deb, could take photos too—at first she resisted using it. Then, partway through last week’s Belize trip, she started freediving with it to get close to her subjects. Once, she even did an amazing impression of a MAGA Republican! #photography #ocean

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Marty’s photo of the day #4721: During my world travels, I’ve photographed blue-footed boobies and red land crabs. Last week, off the coast of Belize, I photographed the reverse: red-footed boobies and blue land crabs. Here’s the crab. I’ll post the boobies on a later date. #photography #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4720: Last week I snorkeled the Great Blue Hole, off the coast of Belize. Jacques Cousteau declared the Blue Hole one of the world’s top 5 scuba diving sites, but having seen video of a trip to its 400-foot-deep bottom, I think the coral that rings the hole is even better.

submitted 27 days ago • 0 comments

Marty’s photo of the day #4719: I have tons of photos to share from last week’s Belize adventure: sharks, rays, fish, birds, crabs, iguanas, and more. Deb and I had a cabana overhanging the ocean, so I spent a lot of time photographing birds. This is a brown pelican in mid-dive. #birds #photography

submitted 28 days ago • 1 comment

Marty’s photo of the day #4718: These are chubs and sergeant majors, photographed last week in Belize. Zoom in on some of the chubs (the larger fish). Their expressions make them appear to be the happiest fish in the world. And they loved swimming with us. This photo makes me smile! #photography

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Critics and readers are loving the audiobook version of "Best Humor Book" award-winning The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles! This review is from AudioFile Magazine. #BookSky #LibrarySky #Fiction #Writing #Authors #AudioBooks www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read...

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Marty’s photo of the day #4716: I'm back from a week of incredible snorkeling and wildlife watching in Belize. This is a spotted eagle ray, with a wingspan of between 7 and 10 feet. The water was rough and cloudy, so I'm pleased the photo turned out as clear as it did. #photography #sealife #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4716: Little green heron, photographed in the Everglades. #birds #photography #nature

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Marty’s photo of the day #4715: Gentoo penguins on a foggy Antarctica day. #photography #birds #wildlife #Antarctica

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Marty’s photo of the day #4714: Everything blooming at the Essen Wildlife Refuge. So, for the next few days, we’ll take a tour. Okay, these are fungi, not flowers. We’ll call it “fungi-ing.” #photography #nature #Montana

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Marty’s photo of the day #4713: Everything is in bloom at the Essen Wildlife Refuge. So, for the next few days, we’ll take a tour. This is grape hyacinth (pretty, but not native to Montana). #photography #nature

submitted 41 days ago • 0 comments