Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
May 26, 2008
tags: parrots, politics, humor, behavior, streaming video
This streaming video is a CNN report about a parrot that .. er, parrots .. Barack Obama's slogan, "Yes we can". But it also includes some other parrots .. the one that says "Whateverrrr" is my favorite [2:31].
May 25, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway Art #14
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989).
Artist: Nitza Tufino.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
I…
May 25, 2008
tags: NYCLife, Manhattan street fair, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
There are so many reasons to love NYC, and surely, the best reason is the street fairs that occur all over Manhattan during the summer. Street fair "season" in NYC runs between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.…
May 25, 2008
tags: northern cardinals, Cardinalis cardinalis, birds, Central Park, Image of the Day
You do not have to be a photography expert to notice that the only thing in focus in this image is the green mesh in the foreground and even then you might have to enlarge it to see that it is so. To appreciate…
May 25, 2008
tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, natural history books, ecology books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, which lists ecology, environment, natural…
May 24, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway tile mosaic art #13
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989).
Artist: Nitza Tufino.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger…
May 24, 2008
tags: Harry Potter film, Marcus Belby, Rob Knox, actor
People lay flowers at the scene in Sidcup, Kent, where 18-year-old Rob Knox was stabbed to death in a fight early today. The teenager died around 1am in an attack outside the Metro Bar, four other men were also hurt in the fight.
Image:…
May 24, 2008
tags: Sun Conure, Aratinga solstitialis, birds, Image of the Day
Last in a series of psittacine images by this photographer (I do have more psittacine images in the queue, but all of them are for lories .. Loriinae).
Sun Conure chick, Aratinga solstitialis.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
May 23, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway tile mosaic art #12
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989). This piece was also visited by a vandal.
Artist: Nitza…
May 23, 2008
tags: budgerigar, Melopsittacus undulatus, birds, parrots, Image of the Day
Third in a series of psittacine images by this photographer.
Budgerigar (Budgie), Melopsittacus undulatus.
Image: John Del Rio [larger view].
This parrot's scientific name means "song parrot with wavy lines" and its…
May 23, 2008
tags: blog writing, navel gazing
Why do people write blogs? I suppose the reasons underlying this activity are as varied as the writers themselves, but according to an article that was published yesterday, writing a blog might actually be good for your health. As a lifelong compulsive writer, it's…
May 23, 2008
tags: osprey, fish eagle, Pandion haliaetus, raptors, streaming video
This streaming video, courtesy of National Geographic, shows a brief glimpse into the life of the osprey, or fish eagle, Pandion haliaetus. It's amazing to see the size of the trout that these birds catch and carry to their nests…
May 22, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway tile mosaic art #11
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989 and was mounted on 2 July 2006).
Artist: Nitza Tufino.…
May 22, 2008
tags: Oology And Ralph's Talking Eggs, conservation, ornithology, oology, Carrol L. Henderson, book review
People's methods for learning about the lives of birds have varied throughout the decades. Today, birders learn about their feathery subjects by using binoculars, telescopes, sound recording…
May 22, 2008
tags: Red-Vented Cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia, birds, Image of the Day
Second in a series of psittacine images by this photographer.
The Critically Endangered Red-Vented Cockatoo, Cacatua haematuropygia.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
May 22, 2008
tags: osprey, fish eagle, Pandion haliaetus, raptors, streaming video
This viral streaming video depicts 10 optical illusions in two minutes, and reveals how they are done. Despite the fact this is made by a company as a form of advertizing, I still think it is interesting to watch [2:16].
May 21, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway Art #10
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989).
Artist: Nitza Tufino.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger view].
I…
May 21, 2008
tags: online books, ornithology, birds, anatomyAvian Anatomy books
I have been informed that the previous link for one of the avian anatomy books has been deactivated. I am not surprised by this since my source warned me that this would likely happen. But there is still demand for this book, so I…
May 21, 2008
tags: pets, insects, beetles, coleoptera, hercules beetle, neptune beetle
Male Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules hercules,
from South America. This is a popular pet throughout Asia, especially in Japan.
Orphaned image.
What constitutes a pet? Different people keep pets for different reasons,…
May 21, 2008
tags: White-bellied Caique, Pionites leucogaster, birds, Image of the Day
First in a series of psittacine images by this photographer.
White-bellied parrot (caique), Pionites leucogaster.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
May 21, 2008
tags: Snow, Aldo, Kate DiCamillo, poetry
"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful implanted in the human soul."
-- Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
I received so many…
May 21, 2008
tags: GOP, republicans, politics, antidepressants, humor, Comedy Central, streaming video
This streaming video by Comedy Central shows you the real reason there are so many antidepressants advertized on TV these days: Republicans: Doughy. White. Happy. [2:38].
May 20, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway tile mosaic art #9
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989).
Artist: Nitza Tufino.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger…
May 20, 2008
tags: online books, ornithology, birds, anatomyAvian Anatomy books
A reader of mine sent me the links to two more avian anatomy books that are available for download from FlipDrive. How long these two downloads will last is anyone's guess, though. But I know that my overseas readers, particularly…
May 20, 2008
tags: peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, birds, urban birds, image of the day
Male peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus, named Eric
who lives and breeds in a city in North America.
who replaced "Erik", the former resident on his current territory in a
city in North America.
Image: John P. Baumlin…
May 20, 2008
tags: Rube Goldberg machine, Cadbury creme egg, Unleash The Goo, Wow, streaming video
This streaming video shows a Rube Goldberg machine that is used to squish a Cadbury Creme Egg. It is an entry in Cadbury's "Unleash The Goo" competition, in which entrants must find the most creative way to break…
May 19, 2008
tags: West 86th street subway art, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
West 86th Street Subway tile mosaic art #8
as seen at NYC's West 86th Street stop at Broadway for the uptown 1 train.
(This piece was completed in 1989).
Artist: Nitza Tufino.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008 [larger…
May 19, 2008
tags: raccoon, Procyon lotor, mammals, Central Park, Image of the Day
Raccoon, Procyon lotor kit (with mother)
in Central Park, NYC.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George [larger].
This image appears here, courtesy of Bob Levy, who writes;
A Central Park Raccoon known to her admirers as Raquel…
May 19, 2008
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Yellow-Throated Laughing Thrush, Garrulax galbanus.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
Birds in Science News
A team of researchers recently described fossils from two Lower Eocene parrots that were discovered in Denmark.…
May 19, 2008
tags: mystery insect, name that bug, insects
Mystery Bug, as seen in Houston, Texas.
Anisomorpha buprestoides, a stick insect that sprays acid from its back, temporarily blinding its assailants. So don't mess with this bug if you value your eyesight!
Image Biosparite [larger].
The only…