ornithology
tetrapodzoology | January 27, 2009Over the weekend Will and I visited another local museum: this time Westbury Manor Museum, Fareham (Hampshire, England). I particularly liked the several bird paintings they have on display, one of which - the one you can see here - was duplicated and enlarged and used as the back-drop to a case of stuffed local birds.
Despite strenuous efforts I've failed to find out who the artist was: the website gives no information, and if there was labelling I somehow missed it. It's not Charles Tunnicliffe by the way [UPDATE (added January 2010): the artist is Dan Powell. See comment 12 below].…
grrlscientist | January 26, 2009tags: Birds in the News, BirdNews, ornithology, birds, avian, newsletter
Yellow-eyed Junco, Junco phaeonotus, Cave Creek Canyon AZ
Image: Dave Rintoul, June 2008 [larger view].
People Hurting Birds
The Greater Sage-Grouse, a species whose population has declined 93% from historic numbers and that is on the U.S. WatchList of birds of highest conservation concern, is facing a severe decline in the amount of suitable breeding habitat due to energy development. Oil and gas drilling in the region have been booming, driving the birds out of many breeding areas, or leks. In addition, wind farm…
grrlscientist | January 26, 2009tags: Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater, photographed in Falcon State Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
tetrapodzoology | January 26, 2009
The mystery skull from the other day is indeed that of a charadriiform: more specifically that of an auk and, most specifically of all, that of a Razorbill Alca torda. Well done Dartian and Kryptos18, and well done everyone else for trying. I admit that I deliberately showed the skull in 'front view' (rostral or anterior view) because this made things more difficult. Furthermore, I was hoping that at least some people might make the fairly obvious mistake of identifying the skull as that of a dodo or raptor. Had you not recognised the skull immediately, here's how you might have identified…
grrlscientist | January 25, 2009tags: mystery bird, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Cactus Wren, Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus, photographed in Starr County Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 24, 2009tags: Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum, photographed in Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 6 December 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/160s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 23, 2009tags: Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2005 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2005:03:28 15:59:55
Exposure Time: 1/319
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
tetrapodzoology | January 22, 2009I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Britain there is a very entrenched tradition of 'feeding the ducks'. People go on walks (usually at the weekend), and they take with them bagfuls of bread (sometimes even whole loaves). They then proceed to throw all the bread in the water. After a while the ducks and other birds at the pond get bored or full, and they stop eating it (see photo, taken over the weekend at Southampton Common's Cemetary Lake). Then more people come and throw in more bread. More people come, and they throw in more bread. Then more, and so on and on. On any given…
grrlscientist | January 22, 2009tags: Cave Swallow, Petrochelidon fulva, Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Cave Swallow, Petrochelidon fulva (L) and Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica (R), photographed at Smith Point, Texas. [I will identify these birds for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 24 October 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 21, 2009tags: Lucy's Warbler, Vermivora luciae, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Lucy's Warbler, Vermivora luciae, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2007 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2007:06:21 07:31:23
Exposure Time: 1/80
F-Number: 5.60
ISO: 800
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
tetrapodzoology | January 20, 2009
Oh my god. Two years at ScienceBlogs have passed, and Tet Zoo has now been going for three years. It all started on January 21st 2006 when, for no good reason at all, I started a blog over at blogspot.com. Yes, Tet Zoo is three years old. Time to look back at the past year of operation.
For starters, should you want to know more about Tet Zoo's origin and history of operation, read Happy first birthday Tetrapod Zoology part I and part II (both at ver 1), and Happy second birthday part I and part II. Last year, I included a 'what happened in tetrapods during 2007'. I'm not going to do the…
grrlscientist | January 20, 2009tags: White-throated Thrush, Turdus assimilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] White-throated Thrush, Turdus assimilis, photographed in Allen Williams Yard, Pharr, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 4 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/160s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 19, 2009tags: Wattled Jacana, Jacana jacana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Wattled Jacana, Jacana jacana, photographed in tributary called the Rio Ariau, a tributary that runs between the Rio Negro and Amazon rivers about 35 miles west of Manaus. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Martin, 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D80 300mm lens at 1/100th sec, ISO1600.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
I'm a blogger and a fan of your site (I run the Praxis Carnival), and I happen to have a photograph of a bird I took in the Amazon a while…
grrlscientist | January 18, 2009tags: Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2008 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2008:01:20 09:04:13
Exposure Time: 1/639
F-Number: 10.00
ISO: 400
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 17, 2009tags: Franklin's Gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Franklin's Gull, Leucophaeus pipixcan, photographed the Quintana Beach and Jetty area, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 18 November 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 16, 2009tags: Bell's Vireo, Vireo bellii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Bell's Vireo, Vireo bellii, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2007 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2007:06:15 06:57:08
Exposure Time: 1/100
F-Number: 5.60
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 15, 2009tags: Dickcissel, Spiza americana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Dickcissel, Spiza americana, photographed at Crab Street, Surfside, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 18 November 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/800s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 14, 2009tags: Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, photographed in Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 December 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
tetrapodzoology | January 14, 2009
By popular request, in this and in a few later articles I'll be reposting the rest of the Ten Bird Meme text originally posted at Tet Zoo ver 1 in 2006 (where appropriate, I've added corrections and updates). The 'Ten Bird' birds I've covered so far are Ifrita, Shoebill, Tibetan ground-pecker, and Flying steamer duck. And here we continue with... Blakiston's fish owl Bubo blakistoni [images from here].
If you think evolutionary convergences are cool, then you'll love reversals. Morphological features or aspects of behaviour that have been modified during the evolution of a lineage don't have…
grrlscientist | January 13, 2009tags: Verdin, Auriparus flaviceps, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Verdin, Auriparus flaviceps, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 2007 [larger view].
Date Time Original: 2007:05:04 08:14:06
Exposure Time: 1/639
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.