Rosemary Mosco

@rosemarymosco

Nature comics (Bird and Moon). Books about nature. Talks. Bird facts. rosemarymosco.com She/her.

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Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· 15d

There's one more day to preorder the newly updated version of my first comics collection, Birding Is My Favorite Video Game, and get a PDF download of one of my most popular comics that you can't buy as a print. site.andrewsmcmeel.com/birding-is-m...

The cover of a book called Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Updated edition, cartoons about the natural world from bird and moon, by Rosemary Mosco, New York Times bestselling author. It shows various birds flying against a bright blue sky with a fluffy cloud background, assigned points values. Ivory-billed woodpecker is 5000 points, painted bunting is 60, cerulean warbler is 55, chipping sparrow is 5, and a wayward balloon is 0.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· 16d

It's the last night of National Moth Week. I had a good one. Moths are so pretty that they make me emotional.

A comic called Types of Moths. A small green and white moth is labeled bird poop. A moth with huge antennae is labeled gets wifi. A huge moth is labeled large friend. A tiny micromoth is labeled beautiful pattern, probably. A tussock moth is labeled impossible to ID to species. A generic brownish beige moth is labeled tha tone, you know, with the thing - arg, I forget the name. A pink and yellow moth is labeled stuffed toy. A sphinx moth is labeled so dizzyingly complex that it consumes your soul. A green moth is labeled ooh, green.

A Canada Imperial moth, an enormous yellow and purple moth.

A small-eyed sphinx moth, a brown moth with purple stripes.

Row 1: Blinded sphinx (Paonias excaecata), False hemlock looper (Nepytia canosaria), Larch tolype (Tolype laricis), Canadian imperial (Eacles pini)
Row 2: Virgin tiger moth (Apantesis virgo)?, Banded tussock moth (Halysidota tessellaris), Red-fringed emerald (Nemoria bistriaria), Canadian sphinx (Sphinx canadensis)
Row 3: Harlequin webworm moth (Diathrausta harlequinalis), Boxwood leaftier (Galasa nigrinodis), plume moth sp, Painted lichen moth (Hypoprepia fucosa)
Row 4: Yellow-headed cutworm (Apamea amputatrix), Polymorphic pondweed moth (Polymorphic Pondweed Moth Parapoynx maculalis), Variable antepione (Antepione thisoaria), Bristly cutworm (Lacinipolia renigera)

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· 19d

I just got another AI book promo email. Things get really funny when the AI thinks I’m writing a taut family drama instead of a book about pigeons

Did you grow up in a family that looked perfectly normal from the outside?

Hi Rosemary,

I picked up A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World's Most Misunderstood Bird because that question stopped me cold.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· 20d

My very first comics collection is getting reissued next tuesday, on July 28, and if you preorder it (or already preordered it!) you can fill out a form and get a printable PDF of one of my most popular comics! site.andrewsmcmeel.com/birding-is-m...

An image of a book called Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons about the Natural World from Bird and Moon by Rosemary Mosco, covered in cartoon birds, against a cloud background with words saying "Pre-order incentive: Get a downloadable print."

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· 22d

A woodcarver named Becky W (vortenjou.bsky.social, rosehip.wordpress.com) made a sculpture of my nuthatch comic, showing a white-breasted nuthatch sitting on real nuts and hatching one of them. I'm so happy

A wooden carved and painted sculpture of a white-breasted nuthatch sitting on some nuts with a nutmeat with wings flying away into the sky.

A four-panel comic. The first panel shows an arrow pointing down at a happy-looking nuthatch bird, and a caption: This is a nuthatch. The caption says "It's called a nuthatch because... wait no" and we see the nuthatch standing on a pile of nuts, tucking them under it. The caption says "That's not... wait" and the nuthatch is roosting comfortably on the pile of nuts. The caption says NO. And we see that one of the nuts has hatched and some walnut meat is flying happily into the air on little wings.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· 29d

What to do if you find a baby bunny. Thanks @portmanteauface.bsky.social for the suggestion!

A six-panel comic titled "what to do if you find a wild baby bunny in North America." There's a drawing of a cute baby bunny on a patch of grass with some daisies, and it's saying "You found me. Hello."

A drawing of rabbit nests. The text says "Most North American rabbits don't burrow. The mom rabbit makes a nest on the ground." There's an image of a circle of dried grass against a green lawn, labeled "It's well-hidden under dry grass or leaves." Then there's an image of baby rabbits curled up in fur, labeled "Underneath, the young are in a fur-lined bowl". "Check your lawn before you mow!"

An image of a mom rabbit nursing her tiny young who are crawling out of the nest against green grass and daisies. Text says "If you find a nest and don't see the mom, don't worry. She only visits for a few minutes every day to nurse." The mom says "Dinner is served." Text at the bottom says "Leave the nest alone and be sure to keep dogs and cats away."

An image of the top of the nest against green grass with a tic tac toe pattern of dried grass on it. Text says "If you think the babies have been orphaned, do this test: Use sticks or long grass to make a Tic Tac Toe pattern on the nest. Come back after at least 18 hours. If the pattern hasn't been disturbed, contact a wildlife rehabilitator."

An image of a small baby bunny sitting on some green grass. Text says "A baby bun leaves the nest in 3-4 weeks. If you find a bun on its own that looks like this, ears stick up, open eyes, 4-5 inch (10-13 cm) long, hops well, furred, uninjured, then it's just fine. Don't kidnap it!"

A cute bunny is jumping over green grass, and another is sitting up and saying "Thank you for bunderstanding." Text says "If not, or if a bun was touched by a cat, contact a wildlife rehabilitator. These are just the bun basics. For more detailed advice, consult your local wildlife rescue!"

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jul 7

My very first comics collection is getting reissued on July 28, and if you preorder it (or already preordered it!) you can fill out a form and get a printable PDF of one of my most popular comics site.andrewsmcmeel.com/birding-is-m...

An image of a book called Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons about the Natural World from Bird and Moon covered in cartoon birds, against a cloud background with words saying "Pre-order incentive: Get a downloadable print."

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jul 2

4 more days of metal heron tshirt preorders, which come with a free sticker: topatoco.com/collections/... My favorite part of this shirt is that I figured out how to make cattails look metal.

A design on a black background of the word Heron in red metal writing, above a stylized cartoon great blue heron in a circle squawking "Kraagh" in front of a background of red cattails.

A black tshirt with a design of the word Heron in red metal writing, above a stylized cartoon great blue heron in a circle squawking "Kraagh" in front of a background of red cattails.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jul 1

My short, fun monthly newsletter is the best way to keep up with my work. Sign up here: buttondown.com/rosemarymosco

A drawing of a turkey vulture carrying a letter, with text that says "Join my mailing list, Flight Club, at buttondown.com/rosemarymosco. It's short, monthly, and contains a weird-bird-of-the-month."

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jun 29

You asked for it: metal heron tshirts are up for preorder for the next 7 days. Preorders come with a sticker! topatoco.com/collections/...

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jun 24

I make a comic for @cornellbirds.bsky.social's Living Bird magazine called Birdword. It's about ornithological terminology. Here's my latest one.

A piece of paper torn from a dictionary that says "hybridization: noun. When birds belonging to two different species produce offspring. Hybrid offspring often display a mix of characteristics from both parents' species." The next panel shows a labeled Common Hybrids showing a golden-winged warbler and blue-winged warbler hybrid, a beautiful blue and yellow songbird with a black mask, and a mallard x northern pintail, with a green head, rusty breast and long curled tail. The third panel, labeled Rare Hybrids, shows a yellow warbler x black-throated blue warbler, a pale gray and yellow songbird with gray markings, and a green jay x blue jay, a bird with a black mask on a blue face and a fancy blue tail. The fourth panel, labeled Hybrids I Want to See, shows a ruby-throated hummingbird x grater sage grouse hybrid, with a tiny head, tiny wings, and huge air sacs for display, and a northern cardinal x anhinga, a red bird with a long snaky neck and tiny cardinal head.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jun 21

Happy Father's Day. Here's an excerpt from a 2002 essay by my dad, Vincent Mosco, who passed away two years ago. It's about how tech bros ignore history and repeat it again and again. carleton.ca/ces/wp-conte...

One of the reasons why variations on “the end of” myths are so popular is because we collectively forget the myths that surround the history of technology. Cyberspace gurus encourage us to think that we have reached the end of history, the end of geography and the end of politics. Everything has changed. So we can apply the mute button to whatever has come before. After all, history has nothing to say to us because it knows nothing of cyberspace. But quite to the contrary, history is filled with myth-making about technology and has more to say than ever before about how we invent myths whenever we invent technology. We want to believe that our era is unique in transforming the world as we have known it. The end is preferred to more of the same; the transcendent to the routine; the sublime to the banal. So we not only view our age as revolutionary. We forget that others looked at earlier technologies in the same way.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Jun 16

Where you'll see a rare bird. Thanks to @ryanfm.bsky.social's newsletter for teaching me about the Cabanis's ground-sparrow that lives behind the walmart

An 8 panel comic. The first three panels are labeled "Where you think you'll see a rare bird." Panel 1 is labeled "Lush forest" and shows a beautiful rich forest with tall conifers, a waterfall, and mountains. Panel 2 is labeled "Perfect sunlit branch" and shows a branch rising above the trees, shaped like a great bird perch. Panel 3 is labeled "Area near an informational plaque about a rare bird" and shows a forest with a sign in front displaying an image of a Spruce Grouse and informational text. The next set of images are labeled "Where you'll actually see a rare bird". They include "Tree behind a Walmart", with Cabanis's ground-sparrow singing in a tree, "Skating rink parking lot" with a Lewis's woodpecker climbing a palm, "Spooky cemetery" with a Vermillion Flycatcher standing on a gravestone in a foggy spooky cemetery, "Sewage treatment plant" with a tufted duck gliding through the water, "Flying over your car" with a golden eagle sailing above a red car that's driving down the highway, and "Text from Uncle Ron" with a text exchange in which Ron says "Weird bird landed in my yard" and sends a picture of a whooping crane, to which you reply "Wow! Is it still there???" and he says "no".

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· May 27

Female birds with confusing names.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· May 25

Female Bird Day was this past weekend but I missed it femalebirdday.wordpress.com I do have a print of female birds that's sure to educate and baffle topatoco.com/products/rom...

A poster titled "north american birds" that features 11 bird species in their female plumage: red-necked phalarope, painted bunting, belted kingfisher, california quail, anna's hummingbird, blue grosbeak, northern harrier, black-throated blue warbler, northern cardinal, red-winged blackbird, and common merganser.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· May 21

But somehow I missed that he was writing in his diary about his guilt over “flagrant distortions”. Wow

"The Twins", about autistic savants. Dr. Sacks meets twin brothers who can neither read nor perform multiplication, yet are playing a "game" of finding very large prime numbers. While the twins were able to spontaneously generate these numbers, from six to twenty digits, Sacks had to resort to a book of prime numbers to join in with them. The twins also instantly count 111 dropped matches, simultaneously remarking that 111 is three 37s. This story has been questioned by Makoto Yamaguchi, who doubts that a book of large prime numbers could exist as described, and points out that reliable scientific reports support only approximate perception when rapidly counting large numbers of items.[7][8] Autistic savant Daniel Tammet points out that the twins provided the matchbox and may have counted its contents beforehand, noting that he finds the value of 111 to be "particularly beautiful and matchstick-like".[9] The twins in question had already been studied extensively, and no ability to identify primes had been reported. In his private journal, Sacks wrote this case was the "most flagrant example" of his distortions.[2]

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· May 7

Packing for bird festivals! Talk at Point Pelee this Saturday and Biggest Week in Ohio next Thursday

Two colorful dresses and a shirt with birds printed all over them.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· May 5

Fashion tips from nature. A very old comic that I still really like.

A comic called Fashion Tips from Nature. A dress with a monarch butterfly pattern is shown next to a dress with a viceroy pattern, with text that says "Poisonous? Share the news with bold stripes. Or coordinate with a toxic friend!" An owl moth with eyespots is shown next to shoes with eyespots on the toes, with text "Keep your dates on their toes with these terrifying eyespots." A row of tank tops are shown with text "These classic looks are timeless and practical." There's a leaf patterned one, a bark one, a bird poop one with a giant swallowtail caterpillar, and a tank top with a false head on it next to a hairstreak. A polo shirt with a yellow inflatable air sac is shown next to a greater prairie chicken and text that says "inflatable air sacs keep you party-ready." A hat with incredibly long king of saxony bird of paradise plumes is shown with text "Amaze your crush with your ability to sport this style, yet still move and find food."

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· May 4

My first comics collection is back in print on July 28. It's bigger, with a few more birds inside. Preorder it wherever you get books (I like supporting local shops with Bookshop.org bookshop.org/p/books/bird...)

An image of a book called Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons about the natural world from Bird and Moon. Text says "My first comics collection is updated & back in print! It's out July 28, but you can preorder it wherever you buy books."

A comparison of the new and old edition, showing that the new one is larger and has more birds.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 30

Great, I also just found this one. What am I supposed to check it for

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 30

Wow, this is a super helpful note I emailed to myself

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 29

Big news: my first comic collection, Birding Is My Favorite Video Game, is getting reprinted! It's redesigned, with a larger size, better flow and a few small extras. Preorder it here or wherever books are sold: bookshop.org/p/books/bird...

A book on a purple background. The book is called Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Comics about the natural world from bird and moon and has a number of birds on the cover that have been assigned points - for example, the ivorybill is 5000 points but the chipping sparrow is 5 and a balloon is zero. The book is under a banner that says Preorder now!

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 24

I have 3 talks coming up, including one in Canada! Audubon Everglades talk on Zoom: www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening... Talk at Point Pelee Festival of Birds in ON: www.festivalofbirds.ca/events/rosem... Biggest Week keynote, Maumee Bay, OH: www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/keynotes.html

A flyer for upcoming talks, featuring a woodcock saying "Come say hi!"

May 5, 6:45 pm on Zoom:
Talk for Audubon Everglades

May 9, 12:30 pm, Point Pelee, ON:
Talk on birding slang

May 14, 4 pm, Maumee Bay, Ohio:
Keynote for Biggest Week festival

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 23

Behold the snake.

A four panel comic. In panel 1, there's an image of a closeup on the head of a yellow morph timber rattlesnake, with text above it that says "Behold the snake: Cunning, cruel, and bloodthirsty, it embodies evil and sin.
Who knows what malevolent thoughts lurk in its mind?" In panel 2, the snake is zoomed out slightly, and a thought bubble rises above its head with three dots inside it. In panel 3, we're zoomed out more to see the whole snake curled up on a rock with a colorful background behind it, and there's a thought bubble rising from its head that says "Mmm warm sun." In panel 4, we're zoomed out even more, and the snake is sitting on a rock at the top of a hill with green grass and trees, a vibrant background of mountains and lakes behind it, and a bright blue sky with a golden cloud and birds flying. The snake is thinking "Nice day."

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 13

Sometimes you make a new comic, and sometimes you redraw an old one because you lost the original high res file 😅

A four-panel comic. In panel 1, two people are standing in the forest, wearing backpacks. The red-haired person says "I've never hiked with a naturalist before! I'm excited. I hope I brought enough water." The brown-haired person says "I'm sure you did. Let's go!"

In panel 2, the brown-haired person points at various nature features. "Look, a red eft! It's the teenaged form of the Eastern Newt. Ooh, wintergreen! Wanna smell it? I hear a Chestnut-sided Warbler. Glacial till. Rubble of the last ice age!"

In panel 3, the naturalist points to more nature items. "This forest seems early successional. Aw, a leafcutter bee with a piece of leaf! Wow, deer poor! Wow, fungi growing out of the deer poop!!" The red-haired person says "Okay, but..."

In panel 4, the red-haired person continues, "It's been an hour and we've walked three feet." The brown-haired person exclaims, looking excited, "Three amazing feet!"

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Apr 3

Few are brave enough to acknowledge the truth.

A drawing titled "Wild Rabbit vs. Easter Bunny". On the left, there's a wild cottontail bunny sitting down looking alert. On the right, there's a cartoonish Easter Bunny wearing a little polkadot vest and standing next to some colorful eggs. The wild bunny is labeled "Eyes on the sides of the head to watch for predators." and the Easter Bunny "Forward-facing eyes to hunt for meat." Wild bunny: "Active all year." Easter Bunny: "Only active in Spring - otherwise in diapause as a cyst?" Wild bunny: "Walks on four legs." Easter Bunny: "Unusual bipedal stance." Wild bunny: "Plain brown and white fur." Easter Bunny: "Distinctive vest-like markings." Wild bunny: "Gives birth to live young." Easter Bunny: "Steals and redistributes eggs; parasitic reproductive strategy?"

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Mar 24

My very first comic collection, Birding Is My Favorite Video Game, is being reprinted in a larger format and comes out July 28. Barnes & Noble Premium & Rewards Members get a steep discount on preorders www.barnesandnoble.com/w/birding-is...

Barnes & Noble Premium & Rewards Members online exclusive: 25% off upcoming books with code preorder 23. Includes eBooks and Audiobooks. Premium members save an extra 10%.

The cover of a book called Birding Is My Favorite Video Game: Cartoons about the Natural World from Bird and Moon. It features a variety of birds and one balloon soaring against a blue sky with fluffy clouds, labeled with points values (the ivory-billed woodpecker is 5000 points and balloon is zero points).

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Mar 20

Pigeon milk.

A six panel comic. In panel 1, a banner says "Pigeons make milk" and a smaller banner says "A fact you didn't need to know". A pigeon stands looking at the reader next to a carton of milk. In panel 2, the text says "Like mammals, pigeons feed milk to their babies. Both male and female pigeons produce it." Two pigeons sit next to their pink and gray babies, all looking happy, and one of the parents says, "Teamwork." In panel 3, the text says "Pigeons don't have nipples. They make milk in a part of their esophagus and regurgitate it." Two pigeons stand next to each other, one with a cow udder and one with a line of nipples down its chest, with red X's next to them. In panel 3, the text says "Amazingly, it evolved independently from mammal milk but it's triggered by the same hormone, prolactin." A black and white dairy cow looks down at a pigeon, who says "We're not so different, you and I." In panel 5, the text says "Like our milk, it has fats, proteins, immune-supporting substances, and more." A cow foot and a pigeon wing are shown high-fiving, and text says "milk high five". In panel 6, the text says "However, it's very chunky, so don't trust any pigeon to make you a good latte." A white coffee cup steaming with a latte inside is shown with the contents censored, and a pigeon leans into the frame looking proud of itself.

Rosemary Mosco@rosemarymosco· Mar 17

Today's work