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u/tkohhhhhhhhh

r/eBird r/squirrels r/landscaping r/whatsthisbird r/michaelconnellybooks
▲ 0 r/eBird

Showcase more diversity in "Top Photos" in a region

I love that eBird shows "top photos" of species in the context of a region... it's really great to see all of the fantastic shots that are captured in my area.

However, I find it frustrating when the Top Photos include multiple shots from the same checklist. For example, the Mourning Dove page for Stanislaus County in California: https://ebird.org/species/moudov/US-CA-099

In the top photos, we see two photos by Caleb Snarr taken on 4/28/2000. Additionally, there are three photos by Harold Reeve taken on 10/13/2024.

These are good shots, no doubt. But the effect of seeing several similar shots of the same individual bird(s) makes it seem like there are no other worthy options to display.

I'd like to propose that each "Top Photos" section only include one photo from each checklist, per species.

Doing so will "spread the love" to feature other unique shots from the region.

reddit.com
u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 8 days ago
▲ 19 r/squirrels

Who is this guy?

I'm very much a novice at this... just wondering if you all might be able to ID this guy. This is in Calaveras County, California.

u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 2 months ago
▲ 3 r/whatsthisbird

Which Wren?

Which wren is this? I've received different answers from Merlin, so I'm turning to you experts to give your opinion!

Stanislaus County, California. Taken on 5/24/2026

u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 3 months ago
▲ 5 r/whatsthisbird

Flock of... hmmm?

Stanislaus County, California

This was a flock of ~30 birds flying west around 8pm. Before I looked at the photo I was going to guess maybe barn swallows, but the tails aren't right for that. We also have a lot of pigeons, but the flight didn't look like pigeons, and these seem to have longer beaks as well.

Any ideas?

u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 4 months ago
▲ 27 r/michaelconnellybooks

Ironwood Discussion (spoilers inside!)

Having finished Ironwood, I think it's a good entry in the Connellyverse, and overall I like it better than Nightshade.

Here are some of my thoughts in no particular order:

  • Great having Ballard involved, and Maddie continuing to be present is a welcome sign.
  • I enjoy the different pace of police work on the island in contrast to overtown.
  • I love that Connelly continues to write stories about corruption in positions of power. It continues to be relatable in the world we live in.
  • This book in particular made me miss the more drawn out conclusions that we used to get. The ending of Ironwood felt like the ending of a "to-be-continued" TV show or movie. I found it odd to be reading the climax and knowing there were only a few pages left in the book.
  • One of the things I didn't like about Nightshade was there were (I think) three different loose ends at the end of the book. I'm glad that we at least got some answers on what happened with the mayor in this book.
  • These books make me want to visit Catalina.
reddit.com
u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 4 months ago
▲ 278 r/landscaping

DIY Paver Patio and Cover

This was a long time coming, but I finally finished my DIY paver patio (and patio cover) install.

This is in the California central valley (so no freezing). Area is roughly 280 square feet. Method for the pavers is as follows:

  1. Excavate to depth
  2. Add 3 inches of Road base and compact
  3. Add 1 inch of concrete sand
  4. Lay pavers
  5. Compact pavers, add poly sand

Lessons learned:

  • Digging in this part of California SUCKS in the summer. It's not bad in the winter (when we get rain).
  • 3 Yards of road base was not enough for 3 inches depth after compaction. I wish I had half a yard more, but instead had to compromise my depth slightly near the house and the edge of the circle in order to get 3 inches by the post footers.
  • A tile saw was absolutely worth the purchase cost. I can't imagine making all of these cuts dry with dust flying everywhere.
  • After cutting with the tile saw, it's important to rinse the pavers off with fresh water before installing. Otherwise you end up with discoloration where the saw sludge dries.
  • I wish I had planned to do the sailor course around the entire circle.

This was a LOT of work (you can see from the timestamps how long it took). I have no regrets though, as I ended up spending about $8,000 for the whole thing: a little more than $4000 for the pavers, and a little less than $4000 for the cover.

u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 5 months ago
▲ 9 r/michaelconnellybooks

META: New Rule Proposal

I'd like to propose a new rule for this sub: No Soliciting

I suppose it's flattering in a way that somebody has deemed our sub worth the effort to try to sell something to us... but we already have reddit ads to contend with. I'd love it if we didn't have to suffer "organic" ads, too.

reddit.com
u/tkohhhhhhhhh — 5 months ago