Hedwig Pöllöläinen
grrlscientist
Posts by this author
December 6, 2007
tags: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, birds, Image of the Day
Thanks to Greg Scott, who has offered to share his gorgeous images with me and all of you here, I am running a series of his hummingbird images starting on 5 December and going daily through the 12th of December. I will…
December 6, 2007
This little story just goes to show that you should never underestimate a blonde.
A contestant on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" had reached the final plateau. If she answered the next question correctly, she would win $1,000,000. If she answered incorrectly, she would pocket only the $25,000…
December 6, 2007
tags: researchblogging.org, evolutionary behavior, sociobiology, ornithology, birds, avian, evolution, William Dilger, Agapornis roseicollis, Agapornis fischeri, lovebirds
Peach-faced lovebirds, Agapornis roseicollis (left)
and Fischer's lovebirds, Agapornis fischeri (right),
can interbreed to…
December 6, 2007
tags: trick goldfish, trained goldfish, performing goldfish, streaming video
Amazing trained goldfish -- or were they really trained to swim in formation like this? My guess is the guys fed metal filings to the fish and they have magnets under the table that drag the helpless fish around .. what do…
December 5, 2007
tags: Broad-billed Hummingbird, Cynanthus latirostris, birds, Image of the Day
Thanks to Greg Scott, who has offered to share his gorgeous images with me and all of you here, I am running a series of his hummingbird images starting today and going daily through the 12th of December. I would love to…
December 5, 2007
tags: Eclectus roratus solomonensis, parrots, pets, birds, avian, behavior
Sophie, a female Solomon Islands Eclectus parrot, Eclectus roratus solomonensis,
who looks just like my own Elektra.
Image: Courtesy of Denise and Dave Bell/Eclectus House.
I am playing host to a surprise house guest (…
December 5, 2007
tags: humor, chatty cats, chatty cats translated, streaming video
What do cats talk about when humans aren't around? This amusing video of two chatty cats includes a translation (below the fold) [0:55];
All those sweet meows are translated in this version [0:55];
December 4, 2007
I am sorry that I haven't been posting as many essays as usual recently, but I am hosting a surprise houseguest (a friend needed a place to crash for ten days or so, so I am providing floor space). As a result, I have been cleaning my apartment (just finished laundry today, ugh), and I will be…
December 4, 2007
tags: laughing gull, Larus atricilla, birds, Image of the Day
A basic (winter) plumage Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla.
Image: Scott Lewis. [Much larger view].
December 4, 2007
tags: humor, LOLCatz ad, I Can Has Flavor, streaming video
An ad for teh new fragrance from I Can Has Cheezburger? Flavor. [0:43]
December 3, 2007
tags: encephalon, blog carnivals
The 37th edition of Encephalon is now available for your reading pleasure. The editor included a submission from me, so of course, I am happy!
December 3, 2007
tags: books, blog carnivals
The 2 December issue of the Books Carnival is now available for you to enjoy. This carnival looks like it is filled with press releases, however, I think the press releases will be obvious to you after a few seconds of browsing. The book reviews written by real people…
December 3, 2007
tags: Great-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus, birds, Image of the Day
Great-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus.
Image: The Ridger [wallpaper size].
December 3, 2007
tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, relaxes on a people-watching and photography trip at the Port Aransas Birding Center, Texas.
Image: Scott Lewis [MUCH larger view].
Birds in Science
A £200,000 study into what…
December 3, 2007
tags: optical illusion, turning tables, streaming video
This optical illusion is so simple, yet so deceptive, that you should try it on your friends, and use it to win some bar bets, too [flash: 1:20]
Crazy Optical Illusion, Looks Like Magic
December 2, 2007
tags: eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, mammals, Image of the Day
Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, in Central Park, NYC.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [wallpaper size].
The photographer writes; I watched this Gray Squirrel dig out an acorn and proceed to gnaw…
December 2, 2007
tags: holiday personality, online quiz
This quiz is an example of being told what you want to hear. I mean, who wants to be told they are a holiday grinch? Well, after playing with it for awhile, I don't think that's one of the answers, but do let me know iof any of you get to be a grinch. My…
December 1, 2007
Red-eyed tree frog, Agalychnis calidryas.
Red-eyed tree frogs live in Costa Rica and other Neotropical regions. Their bright red eyes presumably startle would-be predators. Their diet consists of flies and moths, and possibly includes smaller frogs and crickets. All tree frogs are classified into…
December 1, 2007
tags: great blue heron, Ardea herodias, birds, Image of the Day
Hrm, maybe I can see better if I tilt my head like this?
A brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, tries digiscoping at the Port Aransas Birding Center, Texas.
Image: Scott Lewis [MUCH larger view].
December 1, 2007
tags: parrots, feeding
One of the great pleasures I have is feeding my birds. I love everything about it, from shopping for the finest and freshest foods to preparing them for the birds to eat. As a result, I'd guess that my food preparations for the birds become rather complicated. Anyway, I…
December 1, 2007
tags: santa's reindeer, online quiz
Okay, this is a seasonally appropriate quiz that you all have to take, and yes, you have to share your results here, too! My results are below the fold;
You Are Cupid
A total romantic, you're always crushing on a new reindeer.
Why You're Naughty: You've…
November 30, 2007
tags: parrots, behavior
My hawk-headed parrot is teething. Or, because she's a parrot and thus, has no teeth, she is "beaking". Except she typically proceeds quickly from "beaking" (testing substances with her beak) to puncturing or otherwise destroying various objects -- "chomping", if you will.…
November 30, 2007
tags: philosophia naturalis, blog carnivals
The 15th edition of Philosophia Naturalis, a blog carnival devoted primarily to physics, astronomy and the earth sciences, has just been published for you to enjoy. I am pleased to report that they included a piece that I wrote, so I am happy about that!
November 30, 2007
tags: great blue heron, Ardea herodias, birds, Image of the Day
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias, engaging in peculiar behavior at the Port Aransas Birding Center, Texas.
Image: Scott Lewis [larger view].
Does anyone know the purpose for this behavior?
November 30, 2007
tags: hawk-headed parrot, red-fan parrot, Deroptyus accipitrinus, clicker training, streaming video
As some of you know, I recently added a four-month-old hawk-headed (red-fan) parrot, Deroptyus a. accipitrinus, to my household. I plan to learn how to clicker-train this bird (I already have the…
November 29, 2007
tags: cats, 1001 cats, blog carnivals
The latest edition of the 1001 Cats blog carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. The editor included one of my submissions, so you've just gotta go there and see what it is!
November 29, 2007
tags: birds, bird sex chromosomes, ZZ, ZW, parrots, sex identification, molecular biology
Evolution of Avian and Mammalian sex chromosomes.
Image: E.R.S. Roldan and Montserrat Gomendio "The Y chromosome as a battle ground for sexual selection" Trends in Ecology & Evolution 1999, 14:58-62.…
November 29, 2007
tags: birds, birding, bird watching, blog carnival, I and the Bird
The 63rd edition of I and the Bird blog carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. It's a big one, as usual, which always pleases me -- of all the things that a person can write about on their blog, birds and birdwatching…
November 29, 2007
tags: squirrel, behavior, mission impossible, streaming video
I thought I had linked to this video a few months ago, but apparently it disappeared during one of the typical burps that my wifi connection experiences (well, I deserve it since I am piggybacking on someone else's connection, unless I…
November 28, 2007
It has recently come to my attention, thanks to a friend and long-time reader, that according to a recent Harris poll, firefighters, scientists and teachers are considered to be the most prestigious professions by the public, while bankers, actors and real estate agents are perceived as the least…