grrlscientist | April 14, 2008tags: Long-tailed Duck, Clangula hyemalis, birds, Image of the Day
Next-to-last in a series of duck images by this photographer. But there are plenty more images by John that will appear soon!
Long-tailed Duck (formerly: Oldsquaw), Clangula hyemalis.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 14, 2008tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
"Thy Fearful Symmetry"
Male greater Prairie-chicken, Tympanuchus cupido.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU. [larger view].
More of Dave's Greater Prairie-chicken images.
Birds in Science
Seven feathers that either belonged to a non-avian dinosaur or an early bird have been discovered encased in amber in a remarkably vivid state of preservation, according to a recent Proceedings of the Royal Society B study. The 100-million-year-old amber, excavated from a Charente-Maritime quarry in western France, was found near the…
grrlscientist | April 14, 2008tags: Life in Cold Blood, amphibians, reptiles, David Attenborough, book review
When asked why there are so few books about amphibians and reptiles -- collectively referred to as "herps" -- published for the general public, David Attenborough responds by pointing out that "reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as slow, dim-witted and primitive. In fact they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate and extremely sophisticated." Even though this is true for many herps, it takes a lot of dedication and skill to show those less-known qualities to a…
grrlscientist | April 14, 2008tags: Things I Didn't Know I Loved, Nazim Hikmet, poetry, National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and I plan to post one poem per day, every day this month (If you have a favorite poem that you'd like me to share, feel free to email it to me). My poetry suggestions are starting to run dry, which means I can start posting my own favorites (but you've seen many of those already) or you can send me your favorite poems, which I probably haven't read before! Today's poem was suggested by a reader who also is a poet, Digital Cuttlefish, who writes; "One poem stands out above all…
grrlscientist | April 14, 2008tags: Das Rad [The Wheel], Rocks, humor, evolution, streaming video
This is an amusing animated German short movie, nominated for the Academy Award in 2003 about the evolution of man through the perspective of two rocks on a hillside. (In German with English subtitles -- a good chance for you Americans to practice your German!). [8:28].
grrlscientist | April 13, 2008tags: photography, subway art, Houston street station, NYC, NYCLife
Deborah Brown Platform Diving [1994]
as portrayed in glass mosaic on the walls of the platform for the NYC subway stop (1 train) at Houston Street.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
grrlscientist | April 13, 2008tags: hamster, PetSmart, lawsuit, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, LCMV, zoonosis
Portrait of a murderer:
A Siberian dwarf hamster, Phodopus sungorus.
Orphaned image.
I just learned that a lawsuit was recently filed in Massachusetts Superior Court on behalf of a man who died one month after receiving a transplanted liver that was later determined to be infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Apparently, the organ donor purchased a pet hamster from a PetSmart in Warwick, Rhode Island, and this hamster was later shown to be infected with this deadly virus.
LCMV is…
grrlscientist | April 13, 2008tags: Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis, birds, Image of the Day
Sixth in a series of duck images by this photographer.
Male Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 13, 2008tags: Birdbooker Report, bird books, natural history books
"One cannot have too many good bird books"
--Ralph Hoffmann, Birds of the Pacific States (1927).
Here's this week's issue of the Birdbooker Report by Ian Paulsen, which lists bird and natural history books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase.
New and Recent Titles:
Arbour, Claude. Choosing Wildness: My Life Among the Ospreys. 2008. Greystone Books. Paperback: 242 pages. Price: $22.95 U.S. [Amazon: $ 15.61] SUMMARY: The author describes his personal journey from being a high school dropout to becoming one of Quebec's…
grrlscientist | April 13, 2008tags: Rebecca, Who slammed Doors for Fun and Perished Miserably, Hilaire Belloc, poetry, National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and I plan to post one poem per day, every day this month (If you have a favorite poem that you'd like me to share, feel free to email it to me). My poetry suggestions are starting to run dry, which means I can start posting my own favorites (but you've seen many of those already) or you can send me your favorite poems, which I probably haven't read before! Today's poem was suggested by one of my readers, Biosparite.
Rebecca, Who slammed Doors for Fun…
grrlscientist | April 12, 2008tags: photography, subway art, Houston street station, NYC, NYCLife
A Beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas, reads a newspaper over a human's shoulder as he waits for the train to arrive.
Deborah Brown Platform Diving [1994]
as portrayed in glass mosaic on the walls of the platform for the NYC subway stop (1 train) at Houston Street.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
This is my favorite in this series of artwork. I really like the idea of having a Beluga looking over my shoulder, reading, while I wait for the train.
grrlscientist | April 12, 2008tags: What Bugged the Dinosaurs?, dinosaurs, insects, disease, George Poinar, Roberta Poinar, book review
I grew up with a fondness for dinosaurs. Their unbelievable size, their peculiar shapes, and their undeniable absence from the world as I knew it were all sources of fascination. But never once did I think of the dinosaurs as being plagued by biting insects and other blood-sucking arthropods; mosquitoes, flies, ticks and mites were creatures that haunted camping trips, picnics and attics, not the majestic dinosaurs! But according to the new book, What Bugged the Dinosaurs? Insects,…
grrlscientist | April 12, 2008tags: King Eider, Somateria spectabilis, birds, Image of the Day
Fifth in a series of duck images by this photographer.
Male King Eider, Somateria spectabilis.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 12, 2008tags: Water, Philip Larkin, poetry, National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and I plan to post one poem per day, every day this month (If you have a favorite poem that you'd like me to share, feel free to email it to me). My poetry suggestions are starting to run dry, which means I can start posting my own favorites (but you've seen many of those already) or you can send me your favorite poems, which I probably haven't read before! Today's poem was suggested by one of the SEED editors, Erin, who writes "I have a poem suggestion for you but don't feel like you have to use it just…
grrlscientist | April 11, 2008tags: photography, subway art, Houston street station, NYC, NYCLife
A small group of what appear to be Beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas.
Deborah Brown Platform Diving [1994]
as portrayed in glass mosaic on the walls of the platform for the NYC subway stop (1 train) at Houston Street.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
grrlscientist | April 11, 2008tags: Northern Pintail, Anas acuta, birds, Image of the Day
Fourth in a series of images by this photographer.
Male Northern Pintail, Anas acuta.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 11, 2008tags: Listen 014, Miller Williams, poetry, National Poetry Month
April is National Poetry Month, and I plan to post one poem per day, every day this month (If you have a favorite poem that you'd like me to share, feel free to email it to me). Today's poem was suggested by a reader and friend who writes "Here's one I've always loved -- well, as long as I've known it."
Listen 014
I threw a snowball across the backyard.
My dog ran after it to bring it back.
It broke as it fell, scattering snow over snow.
She stood confused, seeing and smelling nothing.
She searched in widening circles until I…
grrlscientist | April 11, 2008tags: Broketrek Mountain, Star Trek, Brokeback Mountain, humor, parody, satire, streaming video
Star Trek fans .. you'll find this streaming video amusing! [2:29].
grrlscientist | April 10, 2008tags: photography, subway art, Houston street station, NYC, NYCLife
These animals appear to be California sea lions, Zalophus californianus.
Deborah Brown Platform Diving [1994]
as portrayed in glass mosaic on the walls of the platform for the NYC subway stop (1 train) at Houston Street.
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
grrlscientist | April 10, 2008tags: Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, birds, Image of the Day
Third in a series of images by this photographer.
"Abstract"
Male Wood Duck, Aix sponsa.
Image: John Del Rio. [larger view].