grrlscientist | January 11, 2009tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, animal books, natural history books, ecology books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
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 enjoyment. Below the fold is this week's issue of The Birdbooker Report which…
grrlscientist | January 11, 2009tags: Orange-crowned Warbler, Vermivora celata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Orange-crowned Warbler, Vermivora celata, photographed in Allen Williams Yard, Pharr, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 2 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/60s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
It's a yellow warbler -- but it's not a Yellow Warbler. Note that this is a…
grrlscientist | January 10, 2009tags: Times Square, 42nd street Times Square, New York in Transit, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
New York in Transit, 2001, detail 3, photographed from left to right.
Artist: Jacob Lawrence. Glass mosaics on stairway wall between N, Q, W, R and S mezzanines.
Image: GrrlScientist 5 November 2008 [larger view].
The enormous mosaic mural is the focal point of the mezzanine in the Times Square subway complex. Its shimmering and detailed surface pays tribute to the diversity and strength of New York City - its neighborhoods, cultural life, recreational pleasures, love of…
grrlscientist | January 9, 2009tags: Times Square, 42nd street Times Square, New York in Transit, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
New York in Transit, 2001, detail 2, photographed from left to right.
Artist: Jacob Lawrence. Glass mosaics on stairway wall between N, Q, W, R and S mezzanines.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 January 2009 [larger view].
The enormous mosaic mural is the focal point of the mezzanine in the Times Square subway complex. Its shimmering and detailed surface pays tribute to the diversity and strength of New York City - its neighborhoods, cultural life, recreational pleasures, love of…
grrlscientist | January 9, 2009tags: kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, image of the day
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, with a freshly caught flatfish.
This species is found in central and southern England, and they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Image: Paul Richards [larger view].
This image is part of a lovely photoessay published recently by The Telegraph.
Read more about this species.
grrlscientist | January 9, 2009tags: announcement, scienceblogs, Movable Type 4.0, MT4.0
This blog, along with all the other blogs hosted at ScienceBlogs, will be un-edit-able starting at 1300 today, and extending into the future for at least 36 hours (Saturday night). This means that, even though you can see and read blog entries, no one will be able to add any comments. Not only that, but my scheduled blog posts will not appear until the site is functioning again, nor can I add any new material. The reason is that the overlords are upgrading the entire site to Movable Type 4.0, which presumably means the site will…
grrlscientist | January 9, 2009tags: NYC events, announcement, evolution, NYC Skeptics, Don Prothero
Professor of Geology and popular author, Don Prothero, will be speaking in NYC TOMORROW at the New York City Skeptics about evolution and his book, Evolution: What The Fossils Say And Why it Matters [my review]. Even though we're email pals, I've never before met him in real life, so I am really looking forward to this. [Note: rumor has it that we shall reaquaint ourselves with the pubs of the UWS while he is here, too]
Who: Donald Prothero
What: public presentation, "Evolution: What The Fossils Say And Why it Matters."…
grrlscientist | January 8, 2009tags: Times Square, 42nd street Times Square, New York in Transit, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
New York in Transit, 2001, detail 1, photographed from left to right.
Artist: Jacob Lawrence. Glass mosaics on stairway wall between N, Q, W, R and S mezzanines.
Image: GrrlScientist 5 November 2008 [larger view].
The enormous mosaic mural is the focal point of the mezzanine in the Times Square subway complex. Its shimmering and detailed surface pays tribute to the diversity and strength of New York City - its neighborhoods, cultural life, recreational pleasures, love of…
grrlscientist | January 8, 2009Here's the latest carnivalia for you to enjoy;
I and the Bird, issue 91. This blog carnival focuses on wild birds and bird watching.
Carnival of the Vanities, 8 January 2009 edition. This blog carnival focuses on the best writing in the blogosphere for the previous week (or so), regardless of topic.
grrlscientist | January 8, 2009tags: kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, image of the day
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, with a freshly caught flatfish.
This species is found in central and southern England, and they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Image: Paul Richards [larger view].
This image is part of a lovely photoessay published recently by The Telegraph.
Read more about this species.
grrlscientist | January 8, 2009tags: announcement, scienceblogs, Movable Type 4.0, MT4.0
This blog, along with all the other blogs hosted at ScienceBlogs, will be un-edit-able starting at 1300 tomorrow, and extending into the future for at least 36 hours (Saturday night). This means that, even though you can see and read blog entries, no one will not be able to add any comments. I am sure the spammers and religious wingnuts will be terribly disappointed. Not only that, but my scheduled blog posts will not appear until the site is functioning again, nor can I add any new material. The reason is that the overlords are…
grrlscientist | January 8, 2009tags: Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella+pallida, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Clay-colored Sparrow, Spizella pallida, photographed in Marymoor Park, Redmond, King County, Washington State. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Marv Breece, 7 October 2006 [larger view].
Canon EOS 350D 1/400s f/8.0 at 300.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
The first step in identifying sparrows is to eliminate as many species as possible -- and the best…
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009tags: Times Square, 42nd street Times Square, New York in Transit, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
New York in Transit, 2001. Photographed from the right side.
Artist: Jacob Lawrence. Glass mosaics on stairway wall between N, Q, W, R and S mezzanines.
Image: GrrlScientist 5 November 2008 [larger view].
The enormous mosaic mural is the focal point of the mezzanine in the Times Square subway complex. Its shimmering and detailed surface pays tribute to the diversity and strength of New York City - its neighborhoods, cultural life, recreational pleasures, love of sports and…
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009tags: annual science communication conference, ScienceOnline'09, SciO09, Sigma Xi, Research Triangle Park, science blogging conference, nature blog writing
Okay everyone, you may be aware of the fact that I will be co-hosting a session about writing about nature on a blog at the upcoming ScienceOnline '09 conference in North Carolina. As you can tell from the official schedule, I and my colleague, Kevin Zelnio, will be hosting our session first thing on Sunday morning, 18 January 2008. Of course, my goal is to make this a useful and productive time for all of you, whether you attend in real…
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009Here's the latest Carnival of Education for your reading pleasure. To be honest, I am surprised, but pleased, that they included my submission!
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009tags: kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, image of the day
Kingfisher, Alcedo atthis, on her favorite fishing perch. This bird is found in central and southern England, and they are currently increasing in their range in Scotland.
Image: Paul Richards [larger view].
This image is part of a lovely photoessay published recently by The Telegraph.
Read more about this species.
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009tags: African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] African Jacana, Actophilornis africanus, endemic to marshes and reedbeds across eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image:GrrlScientist, 2 September 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
The jacanas are a small group of strange rail-like shorebirds of tropical marshes. Though the different species are…
grrlscientist | January 7, 2009tags: Bush's Lies, politics, streaming video
Eight years of lies .. almost over. Finally. Almost. [1:41]
grrlscientist | January 6, 2009tags: Times Square, 42nd street Times Square, New York in Transit, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
New York in Transit, 2001. Photographed from the left side.
Artist: Jacob Lawrence. Glass mosaics on stairway wall between N, Q, W, R and S mezzanines.
Image: GrrlScientist 5 November 2008 [larger view].
The enormous mosaic mural is the focal point of the mezzanine in the Times Square subway complex. Its shimmering and detailed surface pays tribute to the diversity and strength of New York City - its neighborhoods, cultural life, recreational pleasures, love of sports and…
grrlscientist | January 6, 2009tags: frugal living, survival skills, unemployment, underemployment, financial crisis
I have been barely surviving living frugally for nearly all of my life, although I have been taking this to the extreme these past five years. But now that many of you are also having to either cut back on your living expenses, due to unemployment, underemployment or fear that you will become un(der)employed soon, I no longer feel I have to be so secretive about my own lifestyle, so I thought I'd share some of my own tried-and-true strategies for basic survival skills with you.
Life style changes:…