grrlscientist | October 29, 2008tags: African grey parrot, Alex the parrot, Alex & Me, ethology, cognition, learning, parrots, Irene Pepperberg, books
I am attending a book tour reading by researcher, Irene Pepperberg, that is promoting her new book, Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence -- and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process, this Sunday evening, 2 November, in NYC. I have been trying to arrange an interview with her, and still have no idea if it will happen, but if I do manage to interview her, what questions would you like to ask her?
Unfortunately, even…
grrlscientist | October 29, 2008tags: Palouse Falls Washington, landscape, nature, photography, Image of the Day
Palouse Falls, Washington.
Image: Joe Fuhrman, 2008 [larger view].
[The Palouse is a semi-arid "rain shadow" region in Eastern Washington State and portions of the Idaho panhandle, USA]
grrlscientist | October 29, 2008tags: Phainopepla, Phainopepla nitens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Phainopepla, Phainopepla nitens, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2006 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2006:05:07 07:33:04
Exposure Time: 1/200
F-Number: 14.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
There are birds that are instantly recognizable once we "know" them, but those same species can be puzzling when encountered for…
grrlscientist | October 29, 2008tags: Blue Hors Matine, horses, behavior, performance art, streaming video
This video shows a horse and her rider as they dance -- yes, dance -- in front of thousands of people. When you watch this video, watch the rider .. how does he tell Matine what he wants her to do? He barely moves, yet he can communicate clearly with this 1200 pound animal, and the result is pure poetry in motion. It is so amazing to see the intense bond between this horse and rider, as if they read each other's minds. It's a rare person who ever enjoys such a strong bond with another living thing, be it another person…
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008I have an announcement and a request for your assistance. First, I have been offered my own column in the Avicultural Society of America Avicultural Bulletin and because I am a perpetual blabbermouth when it comes to birds and science, I accepted. Yay, me! However, I have a dilemma that perhaps you can help with: I need a name for this column.
I was given a deadline to name the column, so I sent them a few suggestions, but I just learned today that they are still seeking a name! Obviously, the names I suggested were not inspirational enough to capture their imaginations since, as they write…
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, The Revelers, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
The Revelers (2007).
Artist: Jane Dickson. Photographed in the passageway at 42nd Street/Times Square traveling east between the 8th Avenue/Port Authority Bus Terminal A, C, & E trains) and the 7th Avenue/Broadway (1, 2, & 3 trains) platforms.
I watched the workmen install these mosaics (I wish I had photographed the process to share with you) and photographed them all after the adhesive had dried.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
I have photographed glass tile…
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008tags: blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, extrapair fertilization, genetic benefit hypothesis, genetic similarity, plumage color, birdsong, ornithology, behavioral ecology
Blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus.
Image: Paul Hillion, 26 April 2008.
Even though most bird species form social bonds with their mates, they are not always faithful partners to each other. It's easy to figure out why male birds engage in extrapair copulations: this increases the total number of their offspring -- and this increases their reproductive fitness. But since female birds are physically capable of producing only…
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008tags: Wheat in the Palouse, landscape, nature, photography, Image of the Day
Winter wheat in the Palouse.
Image: Joe Fuhrman, 2008 [larger view].
[The Palouse is a semi-arid "rain shadow" region in Eastern Washington State and portions of the Idaho panhandle, USA]
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008Hre's the latest Carnivalia for you to enjoy
Carnival of Homeschooling, issue 148, which focuses on all aspects of homeschooling.
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008tags: Northern Hawk-Owl, Surnia ulula, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Northern Hawk-Owl, Surnia ulula, photographed in the Meadows Campground near Hart's Pass of the Okanogan National Forest, located above the Methow Valley of Eastern Washington [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Lee Rentz, 19 October 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Even with owls it pays to start at the rear of the bird. Many owls are stocky and stumpy,…
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008tags: Galapagos, marine life, sharks, sea turtle, streaming video
This stunning video documents the undersea life of the Galapagos Islands -- and just when you think it can't get any better, the whale shark appears .. Music by Hans Zimmer [7:10]
Galapagos from Darek Sepiolo.
grrlscientist | October 28, 2008tags: DonorsChoose2008, education, public school education, fund raising, evolution education, nature education, bird education
Start your day off right by helping America's poor children to get a good basic education in science. This is a project that focuses on human evolution in a high-poverty Massachusetts classroom -- they need another $771 to complete their funding request. Won't you help?
9th Graders Study Evolution: Did We Really Evolve From Apes?
I am the high school biology teacher at my school. Our school is severely lacking materials in the Science Department. We have the…
grrlscientist | October 27, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, The Revelers, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
The Revelers (2007).
Artist: Jane Dickson. Photographed in the passageway at 42nd Street/Times Square traveling east between the 8th Avenue/Port Authority Bus Terminal A, C, & E trains) and the 7th Avenue/Broadway (1, 2, & 3 trains) platforms.
I watched the workmen install these mosaics (I wish I had photographed the process to share with you) and photographed them all after the adhesive had dried.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
I have photographed glass tile…
grrlscientist | October 27, 2008tags: DonorsChoose2008, education, public school education, fund raising, evolution education, nature education, bird education
Already, dear readers, you are making a difference. For example, today, a classroom in Tennessee learned that they will be able to learn how to see microscopic life because you donated enough for them to fulfill their funding request. Thank you!
Of course, I will be sharing all updates with you that they send during the upcoming school year.
Dear Grrl,
Hooray! I can't believe my students will soon have a microscope! We are all so excited and looking forward to…
grrlscientist | October 27, 2008tags: Palouse Washington, landscape, nature, photography, Image of the Day
Palouse, Washington State.
Image: Joe Fuhrman, 2008 [larger view].
[The Palouse is a semi-arid "rain shadow" region in Eastern Washington State and portions of the Idaho panhandle, USA]
grrlscientist | October 27, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A pair of European Bee-eaters, Merops apiaster.
Before a bee-eater shares his catch with his mate,
he woos her by conspicuously preparing his offering --
tossing around a may bug before knocking it out.
Image: Jözsef L. Szentpéteri/National Geographic online [larger view].
People Hurting Birds
One of Australia's rarest and fastest birds, the swift parrot, seems to be plummeting in number, and logging has been blamed. Sightings of the flashy red and green parrot have declined sharply in its winter home of flowering…
grrlscientist | October 27, 2008tags: Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Lincoln's Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, photographed in Manhattan, Kansas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Dave Rintoul, 25 October 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Take a good look at this bird: have you ever seen anything more beautiful? "Sparrows" are dismissed by too many birders as difficult and dull, when in fact they are neither.
Well,…
grrlscientist | October 27, 2008tags: Terry the talking raven, birds, behavior, pets, streaming video
This is Terry, a talking raven. His repertoire is not as varied as the Europeran Starlings I've been showing you, but he can mimic very well. [5:11]
grrlscientist | October 26, 2008tags: Times Square, 42nd street, The Revelers, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
The Revelers (2007).
Artist: Jane Dickson. Photographed in the passageway at 42nd Street/Times Square traveling east between the 8th Avenue/Port Authority Bus Terminal A, C, & E trains) and the 7th Avenue/Broadway (1, 2, & 3 trains) platforms.
I watched the workmen install these mosaics (I wish I had photographed the process to share with you) and photographed them all after the adhesive had dried.
Image: GrrlScientist 9 September 2008 [larger view].
I have photographed glass tile…
grrlscientist | October 26, 2008tags: spider eats bird, golden orb spider, chestnut-breasted Mannikin, birds, avian, WTF, wow
Golden Orb Spider eats a chestnut-breasted Mannikin in Australian garden.
Image and story: Daily Mail.
This picture and story is so creepy that it makes my skin crawl to see this at the top of my blog. But it's also very strange -- the stuff of nightmares!! -- so I had to share it with you. If you are an arachnophobe, as I am, this will defintely give you nightmares. But if you are insatiably curious about the natural world, as I am, follow the link for the story and for more gruesome images --…