grrlscientist | October 23, 2008tags: politics, humor, satire, why did the chicken cross the road
A friend set this to me, asking me if he was the last person to read this important philosophical essay. Well, apparently not, because I have never read this, either. But I found it amusing anyway.
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?
BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!
JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
SARAH PALIN:…
grrlscientist | October 23, 2008tags: Gilded Flicker, Colaptes chrysoides, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Gilded Flicker, Colaptes chrysoides, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2005 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2005:04:26 15:20:04
Exposure Time: 1/124
F-Number: 16.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Forget the bird -- what on earth is that plant? We're used to woodpeckers clambering about in good solid trees: Red-headeds…
grrlscientist | October 23, 2008tags: Parrots in the Land of Oz, parrots, behavior, Australia, nature, ornithology, streaming video
Okay, if you are like me, you were not able to see the Nature program, Parrots in the Land of Oz, which aired on PBS on 19, 20 and 21 October. So I have dug up a few videos that give you a glimpse of what you did not see. This is a second video includes lots of footage of huge squadrons of flying budgerigars, and several species of stunningly colored rosellas and lories (which I've bred in captivity) [9:24]
grrlscientist | October 22, 2008tags: London England, London's Regents Park, sciblog, performing arts, travel
Water Fountain in London's Regents Park.
Image: GrrlScientist, 2 September 2008 [larger view].
The next morning, it was cool and cloudy -- a nice break from the heat and humidity of the previous few days. So my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll through London's Regents Park on our way to the London Zoo.
We spent the early morning hours at a McDonald's near the hostel where we were staying, drinking coffee and using their free wifi to check email and publish essays on our blogs.…
grrlscientist | October 22, 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 22, 2008Unfortunately, my internet access situation is becoming more desperate, rather than less, so I am lucky to be able to write anything to you at all. Anyway, that said, here is today's carnivalia for you to enjoy;
Carnival of the Cities. As its name implies, this blog carnival focuses on cities -- whether you are talking about a city that you live in or you are talking about a city that you are visiting, this is the place to go to read about cities!
grrlscientist | October 22, 2008tags: lotus field in the fog, flowers, nature, photography, Image of the Day
Lotus Field in the Fog.
Photographed at Attwater, Texas.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 22 May 2006 [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 22, 2008tags: Worm-eating Warbler, Helmitheros vermivorus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Worm-eating Warbler, Helmitheros vermivorus, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Rick Wright [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
Yes, there's a bird in there, and yes, it's identifiable. As a great American poet once observed, all too rarely do the birds we see in the open look / like their pictures in the birdy-books; the views…
grrlscientist | October 22, 2008tags: Parrots in the Land of Oz, parrots, behavior, Australia, nature, ornithology, streaming video
Okay, if you are like me, you were not able to see the Nature program, Parrots in the Land of Oz, which aired on PBS on 19, 20 and 21 October. So I have dug up a few videos that give you a glimpse of what you did not see. This video includes a close look at fig parrots and eclectus parrots (both of which were included in my research), along with several species of cockatoos -- black white and pink species [9:40]
grrlscientist | October 21, 2008tags: London England, London's Globe Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, performing arts, travel
A duel of the drummers at London's Globe Theatre.
Image: GrrlScientist, 1 September 2008 [larger view].
The day after Nature's European ScienceBlogging Conference had concluded, I set out to photograph the city with my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara, and then to attend a play at the Globe Shakespeare Theatre. This photoessay details our Globe Theatre experience.
After roaming around London, taking photographs and drinking beers at a variety of historical pubs, Bob and I walked across…
grrlscientist | October 21, 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 21, 2008tags: Gulf fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, butterfly, photography, Image of the Day
Gulf fritillary, Agraulis vanillae,
photographed at Smith Point Hawkwatch, Texas.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 October 2006 [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 21, 2008tags: book review, owls, woodpeckers, birds, photography, Paul Bannick, The Owl and the Woodpecker
Most Americans have not seen all of the 41 species of owls and woodpeckers that share the North American continent with us, but not only has Paul Bannick seen them all, but he has photographed them all, too. And when I say "photographed", I am not talking about those blurry snapshots that most of us snap, but instead, his images are big, sharp, clear and .. for want of a better phrase, absolutely stunning. Fortunately for us, Bannick's images and writings have been collected into a newly…
grrlscientist | October 21, 2008tags: Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula, photographed in Arizona Fremont, California. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Collin M Jensen, 25 April 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
A brown duck. The fact that the plumage comprises solid blocks of color rather than complex patterns makes this a diving duck, and the largely white sides and breast should…
grrlscientist | October 21, 2008tags: Parrots in the Land of Oz, parrots, behavior, Australia, nature, ornithology, streaming video
Did you know that budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus -- erroneously known as "parakeets" in the United States -- can see UV light? Did you know that female budgerigars rely on the UV reflectance to judge the quality of potential mates? This is a fascinating little trailer about wild budgerigars from the Nature program Parrots in the Land of Oz, which airs on PBS on 19, 20 and 21 October [1:43]
grrlscientist | October 20, 2008tags: London England, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Dickens, photoessay, travel
Entrance to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of the oldest pubs in London.
There is a sign to the right of the entrance that names all the kings and
queens who reigned during this pub's existence.
Image: GrrlScientist, 1 September 2008 [larger view].
The day after Nature's European ScienceBlogging Conference had ended (I am still working on those photoessays and blog entries), I set out with my friend and colleague, Bob O'Hara, to photograph London and then to attend a play at the Globe Shakespeare Theatre. This…
grrlscientist | October 20, 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 20, 2008tags: long-tailed skipper, Urbanus proteus, butterfly, photography, Image of the Day
Long-Tailed Skipper, Urbanus proteus,
photographed at Smith Point Hawkwatch, Texas.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 October 2006 [larger view].
grrlscientist | October 20, 2008I lost my wifi access so, after hours of searching, I finally found an alternative free wifi source (but who knows how long this will last?). So I can now share with you the latest carnivalia for your reading pleasure:
All Things Eco, issue 22. This is a blog carnival that focuses on ecology and environment.
grrlscientist | October 20, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
These Northern fulmar chicks, Fulmarus glacialis, are from the northern end of the Isle of Lewis (aka the Butt of Lewis) in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
Image: Dave Rintoul, August 2008 [larger view].
Birds in Science
U.S. and Costa Rican scientists say their research suggests parrots -- with more than 90 species facing extinction -- might be more adaptable than thought. Donald Brightsmith, a Texas A&M University bird specialist, and Greg Matuzak from Amigos de las Aves USA, studied six parrot communities in…