grrlscientist | April 26, 2009tags: Blue House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, birds, blue feather color, plumage color, refraction
Blue House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, photographed in Sydney, Australia.
I contemplated giving this bird to you as the daily Mystery Bird, but decided that you'd all probably riot, so instead, I am going to identify this bird so we can discuss it. It's a House Sparrow, Passer domesticus. (I have received dozens of emails telling me I'm a dumbshit: this is clearly a Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Passer montanus, thus, my wavering ID).
House Sparrows were introduced in various places around the world…
grrlscientist | April 26, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Median.
83rd and Park Avenue (Upper East Side of Manhattan).
Image: GrrlScientist, 26 April 2009 [larger view].
In the wee hours of Saturday, the temperature was somewhere close to 38 degrees Fahrenheit at my apartment, then, hours later, it reached 88 degrees -- a 50 degree difference! Today, it is predicted to reach 90 degrees in Manhattan, so I had to celebrate by roaming around the Park Avenue median on the Upper East Side, photographing the blossoms.
grrlscientist | April 26, 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 | April 26, 2009tags: Northern Parula, Parula americana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Northern Parula, Parula americana, photographed at Quintana and Beach, 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 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | April 26, 2009tags: Edward Current, christianity, pray for armageddon, vibrations of devotion, satire, humor, streaming video
Edward Current is depressed: our once great country is now an Islamic communistic atheocracy where children are forced to learn things like math and science. This video is dated, but it still is worth watching. [3:40]
grrlscientist | April 25, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Rose.
83rd and Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side of Manhattan).
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 April 2009 [larger view].
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2).
grrlscientist | April 25, 2009tags: Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 7 January 2006 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2006:01:07 15:08:24
Exposure Time: 1/159
F-Number: 13.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | April 25, 2009tags: Edward Current, christianity, the intelligent dust bunny, the big bang, satire, humor, streaming video
Just in time for Saturday cleaning day: this video examines a dust bunny, a little ball of dust, it's miraculous what can be logically inferred about God and outer space. [4:06]
grrlscientist | April 24, 2009tags: Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society, NYC Life, economic hardships
Asia Entrance to the Bronx Zoo.
Image: Stavenn/Wikipedia.
New York City's Bronx Zoo, the largest metropolitan wildlife preserve in the United States, is being hit hard by the economy. To prevent a $15 million budget shortfall, zoo officials are closing four exhibits and evicting all their occupants, estimated to number in the hundreds of animals.
Zoo officials admitted in a New York City Cultural Affairs Committee meeting today that they are forced to relocate the suddenly homeless deer, bats, foxes, antelopes…
grrlscientist | April 24, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Rose.
83rd and Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side of Manhattan).
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 April 2009 [larger view].
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2).
grrlscientist | April 24, 2009tags: polo horses, poisoned polo ponies, Florida, International Polo Club Palm Beach, Lechuza Caracas, Franck's Pharmacy, Biodyl, selenium
A Lechuza pony stands ready for play.
Image: New York Social Diary (2008).
The mysterious deaths of twenty-one Venezuelan polo horses was apparently due to a mistake by the pharmacy that incorrectly prepared the vitamin-and-electrolyte cocktail that was injected into these horses prior to their match on Sunday. A chemist at Franck's Pharmacy in Ocala, Florida added ten times the requested dosage of selenium to the cocktail. It appears this was an error…
grrlscientist | April 24, 2009
Image: wemidji (Jacques Marcoux).
Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est (And thus knowledge itself is power)
-- Sir Francis Bacon.
Scientia Pro Publica (Science for the People) blog carnival is seeking your recently published blog entries (within the previous 60 days) about science, nature and medicine for inclusion in its upcoming edition on Monday, 4 May 2009. To send submissions to Scientia Pro Publica, either use this automated submission form or use the cute little widget on the right. Be sure to include the URL or "permalink", the essay title and, to make life easier for the host, a 2…
grrlscientist | April 24, 2009tags: American Golden-Plover, Pluvialis dominica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] American Golden-Plover, Pluvialis dominica, photographed in Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 19 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | April 24, 2009tags: earth day, green living, environmentally-friendly offices, work space, streaming video
This video offers advice on how to be green at work by suggesting a few easy changes that you and your co-workers can make to save the environment [2:02]
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: HR669, pets, exotic animals, invasive species, politics
Let's watch the legislative process in action: Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Legislative Hearing on H.R. 669. [Archived Video].
Will anyone add this hearing footage to YouTube? For some mysterious reason, I cannot view it on my laptop and cannot find it on YouTube yet, either.
A brief synopsis of the Subcommittee Hearing:
The Subcommittee hearing was the first step for this bill. Chair Bordallo repeatedly stated that the committee members were there to learn and get input. When the meeting was adjorned,…
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009Here's the latest to appear in the blog carnival circuit;
Carnival of the Vanities, the "Back to Normality" issue. Hrm .. what is "normality"?
Carnival of the Cities, which is where we can tell others about our cities, regardless of where we live.
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Dahlias.
83rd and Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side of Manhattan).
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 April 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: polo horses, poisoned polo ponies, Florida, International Polo Club Palm Beach, Lechuza Caracas, Franck's Pharmacy
Victor Vargas, patron of Venezuelan team Lechuza Caracas (1), left,
hits a shot past Carlos Gracida (2), right, of Mokarow Farms in the
Stanford U.S. Open Polo Championships at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
Image: Jim Rassol.
The mysterious deaths of twenty-one Venezuelan polo horses became less mysterious and more outrageous today after a veterinary pharmacy admitted they incorrectly prepared the vitamin-and-electrolyte cocktail that was injected into these…
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: Brown Creeper, Certhia americana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brown Creeper, Certhia americana, photographed at the Big Sioux Recreation Area near Brandon, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 30 December 2007.
Photo taken with a Canon 20D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | April 23, 2009tags: HR669, pets, exotic animals, invasive species, politics
Let's watch the legislative process in action, live: Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife Legislative Hearing on H.R. 669 (10:00 AM -- 1324 Longworth).
Take Action Now.
HR 669 Links:
Will HR 669 Transform Your Exotic Animals into Illegal Aliens?
My detailed analysis of HR 669 and its impacts.
Video discussing some of the impacts HR 669 will have on exotic animal breeders, pet store owners and scientists.
Are you a scientist, conservation biologist, biomedical researcher or exotic animal breeder who will be…