Andrew Iwaniuk

@evoneuro

neurobiologist, ornithologist, scruffy looking nerfherder, social distancing since 1974, Canadian in Alberta, Treaty 7 lands 🇨🇦 🇦🇺 🧪🪶🧠 stuff open access link for our book:

2.068 Folgt3.021 Follower2.746 Posts

Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir evoneuro.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· 25d

I share this Great Grey Owl's disdain. #owls #birds 🪶

A portrait of the disc-shaped face of a great grey owl. The owl appears to be squinting disdainfully at the camera.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· 26d

American Kestrel (aka tiny murderbird) portrait from earlier this week. #yql #Alberta #wildlife #birds #raptors 🪶

The head, chest and shoulders of an American kestrel, which is a small falcon with a blue-grey cap, red-brown streaked chest and black and white stripes on its cheeks. The background is a blurry green.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· 28d

A burrowing owl channelling me. #owls #birds 🪶

A brown owl with cream spots and and a yellowish beak appears to be looking down its "nose" at the camera.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· 28d

Took the kiddo to the local raptor centre today and he was chuffed to help out showering "Jefferson" the Bald Eagle. I managed to get this shot, which really shows the nictitating membrane (aka 3rd eyelid) well. #raptors #Alberta #Canada #birds 🪶

A close up of a bald eagle with a white head and bright yellow beak. His eye is covered by the thin nictitating membrane, or third eyelid, and you can see a spiderweb pattern across it. Around the eagle's head are water droplets from the shower he is getting to help cool off.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 9

Bio-beyond summer camp at ULethbridge today. 90 min of talking about mammals, birds, and brains. Campers got to identify skulls, hold brains, look at neurons, make brain hats and left with a lot of answers and bookmarks made by yours truly! #yql #science

A view of a lab bench that has all of the following items on it: stacks of paper and bookmarks, badger skin, skunk skin, 20 assorted mammal skulls and bones, 2 microscopes, 2 slide boxes, a box of gloves and a bucket o brains.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 7

A female American robin takes a break from feeding ravenous youngsters #yql #Alberta #wildlife #Canada #birding #birds 🪶

A larger songbird with a dark head, yellowish bill, white eye-ring and grey-brown body is perched on top of a tree stump with its back to the camera.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 5

The western painted turtle is the only turtle species native to Alberta. Although they can be found in a number of spots in the south, Lethbridge is often the best and easiest place to spot them. #turtles #Alberta #Canada #wildlife #yql

A turtle with a yellow striped head and shiny, blackish shell is partially submerged in water among some reeds.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 5

A western meadowlark belting one out from yesterday morning. #yql #Alberta #Canada #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶

A large songbird is standing on top of a fencepost with its beak open. The bird has brown with black spots on its back, wings and sides, bright yellow from its chin to its belly broken up by a black "necklace", and a long beak. The background is a blurred green of the pasture behind it.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 4

A vesper sparrow with a juicy grasshopper #Alberta #yql #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶

A streaked brown sparrow with a greyish breast and belly is perched on a thick cable. It has a grasshopper in its mouth and the background is a blurred green from the grasses behind it.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 4

A western meadowlark photo to close out this week. #Alberta #yql #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jul 1

My most Canadian photo thus far: a Canada goose being approached by a beaver as they both swim in a beaver pond. Happy Canada Day! #Never51 #Canada #wildlife 🇨🇦

A Canada goose is floating on a beaver pond. In the foreground are some out of focus grasses and a beaver swimming towards the goose. The background is the far shore of the pond with leafless shrubs and trees and dried grasses.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 28

Overcast dull day yesterday was brightened up by the arrival of fledglings. Both grackle and crow kids were bopping around in the yard. The grackles were very kindly eating up slugs. #yql #Alberta #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶🇨🇦

A medium sized songbird that is entirely grey is standing on wood mulch at the edge of a green lawn. Just behind the bird are the bright green leaves of a hosta.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 25

A couple of days late but @effinbirds.com nails it again. A sweary Nostradamus

A drawing of a mostly grey parrot (presumably an African grey parrot) with the following statement: “I’m just trying to get through the fucking week”
Below that is the date: Tuesday June 23 2026

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 23

Advertise your Bluesky account with a Simpson’s gif

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 22

I have never felt so judged by a waxwing before #yql #Alberta #Canada #wildlife #birding #songbirds #birds

A brownish songbird with a crest, blak mask, yellowish belly, and yellow tail tips is perched on a leafless branch giving the photographer the "evil eye".

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 21

A mountain cottontail (aka Nuttall's cottontail) from early yesterday morning. They seem to be in good numbers this year and expanding their range. #Alberta #Canada #wildlife #mammals 🦊

A small grey-brown rabbit is squatting at the end of a lush green lawn and a gravel road.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 18

The campus mule deer seem ridiculously tame this year. #yql #Alberta #wildlife #mammals 🦊 🇨🇦

A light brown deer with very large ears and velvet antlers with three tines each is standing among green shrubs next to a brick building and looking straight down the camera lens.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 16

Strongly agree! #birds

A perfect duck with a white cheek, black head and neck, chestnut body and a bright blue beak is floating along a greenish river.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 14

One of a dozen western kingbirds posing nicely on a fencepost this weekend #yql #Alberta #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶

A medium sized flycatcher with a grey head and chest, brown wings and tail, and bright yellow belly is perched on a weathered, grey fencepost against an out of focus beige background of dried grasses.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 12

A female red-necked grebe on her nest, which she placed immediately next to a busy boardwalk. She was completely unphased by toddlers, seniors, etc. walking past within metres. Probably a very safe spot from predators! #Alberta #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶🇨🇦

The red-necked grebe looks like a rounded, feathered ball on a mass of mushed up reeds and rushes. Her chest is red and sides dark brown. Her silvery cheek and black cap are visible, but her beak is tucked deep into her breast feathers.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 11

Some sage words from Prof Rob Sutherland today as part of his "last lecture" at U Lethbridge. #yql #neuroskyence #academicsky

White text on a black background that says:

Once a young person asked me, should I go into science?

I asked them can you imagine yourself doing anything else and they said no.

So I said then I wouldn't go into science, with no imagination.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 11

This ruddy duck drake looks quite pleased with his courtship display (tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-quack). #thebestduck #Alberta #wildlife #ducks #waterfowl #birding #birds 🪶

A duck with a chestnut coloured body, white cheeks, black cap and neck, light blue bill is carrying his tail upright while floating on green water. His beak is slightly open and he appears to be smiling. Bubbles are visible in front of him and around his chest because he has just finished doing his beak pumping courtship display.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 10

Up and close and personal with a red fox the other day. Both of us were a bit damp from the torrential rain. #Alberta #wildlife #mammals 🦊🇨🇦

A red fox with very wet fur is walking along the top of a fallen tree against a background of lush green forbs and grasses.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 10

Barn swallows taking a break at Telford Lake boardwalk. #Alberta #wildlife #birding #birds 🪶🇨🇦

A swallow with an orange neck, chest and belly and iridescent blue head, back and wings is standing on the weathered wood railing of a boardwalk. In the background is a second swallow out of focus and a blurry green background (which is the trees lining the edge of the lake).

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 9

A drake blue-winged teal striking a pose next to his mate #Alberta #wildlife #birding #birds #ducks 🪶

A mostly brown duck that is spotted all over its neck, chest, belly and sides, but with brown-grey head, dark bill and white crescent in front of his eye is standing in shallow, greenish water. His mate, a mostly brown duck with a dark eye stripe, is standing behind him looking unimpressed.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 7

A dreary, rainy day with a funnel cloud watch, brightened up by this female ruby-throated hummingbird trying to preen and dry off in a caragana shrub. #Alberta #wildlife #hummingbirds #birding #birds 🪶 🇨🇦

A hummingbird with a white neck and chest and bright green head is reaching over its shoulder with its beak to preen its side and wing. The hummingbird is perched on thin branch of a fir tree with conifer branches draping in the background.

A dishevelled looking hummingbird with its wing and chest feathers all ruffled is perched on thin branch of a fir tree with conifer branches draping in the background. It looks annoyed that it is wet and cold. And I don't blame it.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 6

Stark differences between areas unaffected by tent caterpillars (left) and completely denuded (right). These are on either sides of a rural road and separated by maybe 75m. #Alberta #Canada

A view of treetops, leafy poplars and a few dark green spruces, against a cloudless blue sky

A view of the treetops of poplars that have no leaves or very few leaves against a cloudless blue sky. The loss of all these leaves is due to foraging tent caterpillars

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 6

In a very rare move from me, some positive vibes going into the weekend: rainbow over Buck Lake 🇨🇦

A bright rainbow is arcing across a lake. A small dock, grassy lakeshore and spruce trees are in the foreground. The sky is mostly grey storm clouds and in the horizon is the opposite shore, which is a stand of mixed poplar and spruce forest.

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 5

The tent caterpillar situation is pretty bad in the Alberta foothills. The squiggles on this road are all caterpillars migrating across. Tens of thousands along a 1km stretch 😬 #Alberta

Andrew Iwaniuk@evoneuro· Jun 4

At the Royal Alberta Museum and University of Alberta today collecting and packing skulls for more CT scanning. 37 in total! Below are the merlin and sapsucker skulls to look at intraspecific variation in endocasts with new MSc Aiden and @evolsara.bsky.social #ornithology #anatomy