birding
grrlscientist | November 6, 2007tags: American tree sparrow, Spizella arborea, birds, Image of the Day
A friend who is a professor of Biology at KSU sent me a bunch of lovely images of sparrows that he took recently while birding. These images are scheduled to appear at 3 pm beginning today, 6 November through the 16th of November.
American tree sparrow, Spizella arborea.
Image: Dave Rintoul, KSU.
grrlscientist | November 5, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Lesser flamingo, Phoenicopterus minor, in flight.
Lake Natron in Tanzania, Africa, is the only site in East Africa where Lesser Flamingos reliably breed.
Image: James Warwick[wallpaper size].
Birds in Science
The changing of the seasons finds millions of birds migrating over thousands of kilometres. How they find their way is a question that has perplexed biologists for decades. It is known that birds have built-in compasses attuned to the Earth's magnetic field. But how those compasses work and what they are made of…
grrlscientist | October 29, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Falconer Geoff Clayton with eight-year-old golden eagle Shirko as they attend the Inter-Governmental Conference on Migratory Birds of Prey in Loch Lomond.
Image: PA [larger view]
Birds in Science
The ability to ramp up testosterone levels drives certain male sparrows to mate, but also makes them bad dads, a new study suggests. Researchers had thought that the total amount of testosterone might determine the mating habits and aggressive tendencies of male dark-eyed juncos, a type of sparrow. But the new study of juncos…
grrlscientist | October 24, 2007tags: Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius, Africa, birds, Image of the Day
Secretary bird, Sagittarius serpentarius.
Image: Basia Kruszewska, author of India Ink. [larger view]
The photographer writes: Mix the face of an eagle with the legs of a stork, and you have the Secretary bird.
This peculiar bird could be seen strutting throughout Kenya's Masai Mara. It gets its name from the feathers sticking up from its head, which resemble quill pens. It is able to fly, but rarely does so, preferring to prowl the grassland looking for its favorite meal, snakes.
grrlscientist | October 23, 2007tags: Black-necked weaver, Ploceus nigricollis, Africa, birds, Image of the Day
Black-necked weaver, Ploceus nigricollis.
Image: Basia Kruszewska, author of India Ink. [Wallpaper size]
grrlscientist | October 22, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
A pair of Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi (upper right and lower left (upside down)), and a pair of Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus (center; one bird is hanging upside down), near the north coast of Seram, Indonesia.
Image: Kevin Sharp [wallpaper size].
Birds in Science
The ability to ramp up testosterone levels drives certain male sparrows to mate, but also makes them bad dads, a new study suggests. Researchers had thought that the total amount of testosterone might determine the…
grrlscientist | October 18, 2007tags: I and the Bird, blog carnival
The 60th edition of the blog carnival, I and the Bird is now available for your reading pleasure. This one, as usual, is huge. I am so astonished at how this particular blog carnival has taken off and become so popular among birders. I am pleased that they included a submission of mine, but somewhat dismayed to know that most people are kinda scared off by the topic. Hey, I think you should read it; it's actually a very well-written piece! I promise!
grrlscientist | October 15, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Male SincoraÌ Antwren,
Formicivora grantsaui.
Potentially a new bird species that was recently discovered in Brazil.
Image: Sidnei Sampaio. [larger view].
Birds in Science
When male birds know they're about to get it on, that action is more likely to spawn a bigger brood of eggs compared to spontaneous copulation, a new study finds. Previous studies have shown that when two male birds mate with a female in a competition to pass on their genetic material, they end in a draw and both become fathers to an equal number…
grrlscientist | October 8, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Can anyone out there identify these mysterious birds? I have no information about the birds, such as location, but several experts are already proposing their guesses (one thinks it's a Chough, another one disagrees). Several ornithologists think these birds are captives rather than wild birds. [larger view].
Birds in Science
Urban birds are regular tough guys compared to their country cousins. The avian urbanites adapt to changing environments and noisy, crowded habitats, a new study shows. Birds that hang out on…
grrlscientist | October 5, 2007tags: birds, birding, blog carnival
The 59th edition of I and the Bird blog carnival is now available for your reading pleasure. Be sure to go there and give them some support by reading the stories they have linked!
grrlscientist | October 4, 2007tags: Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, birds, Image of the Day
Yesterday's mystery bird is revealed: Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis.
Image: David Lee. [Wallpaper size]
grrlscientist | October 4, 2007tags: birds, birding, word play, humor
When I was working on my dissertation, my colleagues and I referred to any large or mixed flock of birds as "a shitload of birds" for obvious reasons. I hadn't thought about this for awhile until recently, when I noticed that one of the email lists I am on is discussing the made-up nouns that we use to describe flocks of particular bird species .. you know, like "a murder of crows" and that sort of thing. Below the fold are some of these names for you to enjoy and of course, feel free to add your own inventions to the list!
A coronation of Emperor Geese…
grrlscientist | October 3, 2007tags: Red-breasted nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, birds, Image of the Day
The photographer writes: I took some pictures this weekend at my bird feeder (in Eagle River, AK). [More of these images will follow, so be sure to check in here]
Image: David Lee. [Wallpaper size]
mystery bird, revealed.
grrlscientist | October 1, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Back from the brink:
The endangered Rimatara lorikeet or Kuhl's lory, Vini kuhlii,
has been successfully reintroduced to Ätiu.
Image: Phil Bender.
Birds in Science
Migrating birds, it seems, can "see" the Earth's magnetic field which they use as a compass to guide them around the globe. Specialized neurons in the eye, sensitive to magnetic direction, have been shown for the first time to connect via a specific brain pathway to an area in the forebrain of birds responsible for vision, German researchers said on…
grrlscientist | September 29, 2007tags: white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, birds, Image of the Day
White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, 1st winter plumage.
Image: Kevin T. Karlson [larger view].
This morning, I ran into a little bird at the entrance to the library where I go every day. I was actually distracted, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed this was a white-throated sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, instead of the ubiquitous house (english) sparrows. Not only are white-throated sparrows the sister species to my dissertation bird, the white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys, but…
grrlscientist | September 18, 2007tags: birds, Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi, Green-naped Rainbow Lorikeets, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus, Seram, Indonesia, Image of the Day
A pair of Moluccan Red Lories, Eos bornea rothschildi (upper, center and right), and a pair of Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus (lower, center (that bird is hanging upside down) and left), near the north coast of Seram, Indonesia.
Image: Kevin Sharp [wallpaper size].
More about this image below the fold.
As you know, dear readers, I am passionately in love with the birds of the South Pacific Ocean, especially…
grrlscientist | September 12, 2007tags: birds, "white" American Robin, Turdus migratorius, Image of the Day
"White" American Robin, Turdus migratorius, on a sidewalk in Casper, Wyoming.
Image: Norma Brown. [wallpaper size].
I am going to speculate here, but I think that, because this bird is pale colored everywhere it would normally be brown, grey or black, this bird's melanin-producing gene(s) have been deactivated. However, because the bird's breast is red, as is typical for this species, carotenoids (red pigments obtained from the bird's diet) are still being added to the bird's feathers when they are growing, as normal…
grrlscientist | September 10, 2007tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, in the foreground with a Western Grebe, Aechmorphus occidentalis, behind. Both were photographed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (north end of the Great Salt Lake) in the spring of 2005. Similar birds, but the field marks are straw-yellow bill (Clark's) cf. greenish-yellow bill (Western); white feathering around the eye (Clark's) cf black (Western), and whiter flanks on the Clark's Grebe. This pair of birds was hanging out together, and that was not unusual, making one wonder…
grrlscientist | September 7, 2007The 57th edition of I and the Bird blog carnival is now available for you to enjoy. Be sure to drop in and give them support by following their links.
grrlscientist | August 21, 2007tags: grebes, birds, Image of the Day
Clark's Grebe, Aechmorphus clarkii, in the foreground with a Western Grebe, Aechmorphus occidentalis, behind. Both were photographed on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (north end of the Great Salt Lake) in the spring of 2005. Similar birds, but the field marks are straw-yellow bill (Clark's) cf. greenish-yellow bill (Western); white feathering around the eye (Clark's) cf black (Western), and whiter flanks on the Clark's Grebe. This pair of birds was hanging out together, and that was not unusual, making one wonder if splitting these into two…