grrlscientist | May 10, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"How does one distinguish a truly civilized nation from an aggregation of
barbarians? That is easy. A civilized country produces much good bird
literature."
--Edgar Kincaid
The Birdbooker Report is a special weekly report of a wide variety of science, nature and behavior books that currently are, or soon will be available for purchase. This report is written by one of my Seattle birding pals and book collector, Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, and is edited by me and published here for your information and…
grrlscientist | May 10, 2009tags: Lesser Goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Lesser Goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 15 May 2008 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2008:05:15 08:07:26
Exposure Time: 1/45
F-Number: 5.60
ISO: 500
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Now comes a teeny, short-tailed, yellowish bird from Arizona. The short tail…
grrlscientist | May 10, 2009tags: religion, humor, edward current, streaming video
Do you really believe that precious life comes from disgusting body fluids? The Truth is, babies are brought into the world by a pure white angel, the Stork. [3:06]
grrlscientist | May 9, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Lilacs.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 May 2009 [larger view].
When I lived in beautiful Seattle, there were lilac bushes in my yard, and mostly everywhere else, too. So every day, I would cut fresh lilac flowers for my little house (which I shared with 46 lories) and the entire place smelled glorious. It is the smell of lilacs that mean spring to me.
grrlscientist | May 9, 2009tags: Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, photographed at Paul Rushing Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/350s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
There's really nothing else that looks like a…
grrlscientist | May 9, 2009tags: employment, humor, satire, streaming video
A new Department of Labor report finds personal outsourcing is revolutionizing how Americans don't do their own work. [2:23]
grrlscientist | May 8, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 May 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | May 8, 2009tags: Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 16 March 2005 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2005:03:16 10:19:09
Exposure Time: 1/60
F-Number: 16.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
"Start at the rear," indeed! As if this beautiful and humorous image left us any…
grrlscientist | May 8, 2009tags: Cow Tipping, humor, funny,streaming video
Growing up near a dairy farm, I can tell you stories. But city boyz have a few lessons to learn: first and foremost among them is cow tipping. Cow-tipping is legendary, yet animal experts say it's nearly impossible to do. Here's how to "tip" the odds in your favor. [2:19]
grrlscientist | May 7, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Zinnias.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 May 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | May 7, 2009tags: HR669, pets, exotic animals, invasive species, pet animal trade, pet parrots, Association of Zoos & Aquariums, AZA, politics
Those of you who are following the situation with HR669, the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act [full text : free PDF] know this resolution survived its initial House subcommittee hearing and will be heard again on an as-yet unannounced date. Even though I support the stated purpose of this resolution -- preventing invasive nonnative wildlife from being introduced into the United States -- this bill, as written, will not accomplish that goal. I have…
grrlscientist | May 7, 2009tags: Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, photographed at San Bernard Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 20 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/320s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
A couple of years ago I was leading a…
grrlscientist | May 7, 2009tags: TEDTalks, Laurie Garrett, H5N1 Influenza, influenza, virology, epidemics, streaming video
Recorded in 2007, as the world worried about a possible avian flu epidemic, Laurie Garrett, author of "The Coming Plague," gave this powerful talk to a small TED University audience. Her insights from past pandemics are suddenly more relevant than ever. [21:05]
grrlscientist | May 6, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Manhattan Roses.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 May 2009 [larger view].
These roses are deep red on the inside and cream-colored on the outside. I find the color combination interesting, even though I am not sure if I like these roses.
grrlscientist | May 6, 2009tags: Hoopoe, Epupa epops, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Hoopoe, Epupa epops, feeding its chick [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Orphaned -- contact me for attribution [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Can you tell me where this bird species is endemic?
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | May 6, 2009tags: An Engineer's Guide to Cat Yodeling, pets, humor, funny, streaming video
This amusing video is a special little feature just for my Finnish friend, Juuro, although I hope everyone enjoys it. Cat Yodeling involves cuddling the cat 'till he/she gets annoyed. Once the cat starts to "meow" just give a little "shiver" and you have cat yodeling! This does not harm the cat but I suppose it is a little humiliating. Poor kitty! [0:57]
grrlscientist | May 5, 2009tags: evolutionary biology, AMNH, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, mammals, biodiversity
Because I write for ScienceBlogs, I have been invited to a special sneak preview of the "Extreme Mammals" exhibit hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, where I was a postdoctoral fellow for two years. This exhibit features the biggest, smallest, most amazing and generally the weirdest mammals to ever swim, fly or walk the face of this earth. "Extreme Mammals" opens to the public on Saturday, 16 May, but my goal is to take a lot of photographs to share with you here on the…
grrlscientist | May 5, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Still Life, 2.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 May 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | May 5, 2009
A photomicrograph of pollen. It even looks painful, doesn't it?
Image: Arizona Enginnering [larger view].
Today has been another in a long series of bad days. For example, these past couple weeks, my allergies have been so bad that I have been unable to think, to write, often unable to see and at times, unable to breathe. My allergies are so severe that I have ended up in the emergency room on several occasions, due to anaphylaxis. Worse, despite the fact that it is cold and has been raining for two days straight in NYC, I am still taking 2-4 times the recommended doses of two different…
grrlscientist | May 5, 2009tags: White Ibis, Eudocimus albus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] White Ibis, Eudocimus albus, photographed at the San Bernard Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.