National Bird Day - Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)

It's #NationalBirdDay, and I'm utterly captivated by this Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) - a truly regal #bird. It's the largest of North American #hawks — with a unique gray head, rich, rusty (ferruginous) shoulders and legs, and gleaming white underparts 💛💛💛 #raptors #birdsofprey #birdsofinstagram #wildlifephotography #NatureIsBeautiful #nature #wildlife @parks4all #FEHA #GGRO @nationalparkservice @goldengatenps

A post shared by Joe Papp (@joepabike) on Jan 5, 2018 at 11:57am PST

Freedom of Speech in the Digital Age

BREAKING: Knight Institute demands that President Trump unblock critics on Twitter. https://t.co/AyftwQBzJF @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/Gqas7i2DfN

— Knight 1st Amendment (@knightcolumbia) June 6, 2017

The Knight Institute’s letter to President Trump is here.

POTUS

a @POTUS so mentally weak & intolerant of dissent he blocks US citizens critical of his policies from even reading his latest pronouncements pic.twitter.com/MjLuMUPqBD

— Joe Papp (@joepabike) June 4, 2017

#PaidProtesterChallenge @realDonaldTrump

@TruthOnly37 @jbat413 @joepabike @realDonaldTrump @GOP Check out the #PaidProtesterChallenge. I posted it weeks ago and nobody has claimed the reward $$ yet (it's my pinned tweet)

— (((Amanda Pompili))) (@amanda_pompili) April 30, 2017

Epic Day of Birding in SoWePa, 61+ species and rarities, plus two 4-leaf clovers, plus new friends...

Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)

I birded today at the Wingfield Pines Conservation Area in the company of Matthew Juskowich and James Hausman III - more experienced local birders and guides. We got a crackin' start to the day, and I'll write some more about it later perhaps, but suffice it to say it was Properly Epic. We saw more than 60 species of birds throughout the wetlands and spent hours there making observations and sharing the info and encouragement with other birders who'd followed news of our successes. It was pretty cool.

Definitely want to write some more about this, and will leave you a pic of the Indigo Bunting, one of the magical birds we saw...

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is OK

While the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency isn't immune from constructive criticism, they've been doing things right (Big & Small) for the athletes whose commitment to clean sport they're charged with verifying.

The redesign of the Athlete Express website has made it fantastically easy and convenient to update Whereabouts now from multiple platforms. My last plan change took about 17sec to complete. This is pretty Big, since inclusion in an out-of-competition testing pool means accepting unpredictable intrusions into what "normal" people might consider to be pretty sacred private space. So being able to efficiently manage your role in the process makes it easier and less dramatic for all involved.

And apart from the actual monitoring & testing regimes...just last week I got an out-of-the-blue call from a USADA investigator - not looking for intel or assistance, but just to say hi and ask how I was. And then Chester (Bob) found this gem in the post today. It's a nice reminder that USADA is staffed by actual human beings like Athlete Services Coordinator Kirk W., who'll take the time to send you a hand-signed birthday greeting. Little things like these encourage one to see the relationship as collaborative, and not adversarial or unpleasant.

I know this isn't every athlete's experience with their NADO, but it's been consistently mine and I appreciate it enough to want to let you know.