Photography
grrlscientist | March 7, 2008tags: birds, Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis, ornithology, Image of the Day
A long-time reader, Jerry, sent some images for me to feature as the "image of the day". He referred to these as "some friends to help you tend your wing".
Red-tail hawk, Buteo jamaicensis.
Image: Jerry Kram. [larger size].
laelaps | March 7, 2008
I forgot to upload another of the better-quality pictures from my trip to the Bronx Zoo last weekend, but here is one slightly out-of-focus shot of a pair of African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus (I somehow managed to get the tree behind them in focus, but not the dogs...). I'll have something better up later today when I can get back to my computer, but this will have to do for now.
grrlscientist | March 6, 2008tags: fish, Indigo Hamlet, Hypoplectrus indigo, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Possibly an Indigo Hamlet, Hypoplectrus indigo,
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | March 6, 2008tags: birds, least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla, ornithology, Image of the Day
A long-time reader, Jerry, sent some images for me to feature as the "image of the day". He referred to these as "some friends to help you tend your wing".
Some road construction created some temporary mudflats where many shorebirds found excellent feeding, including this least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla. I like this picture because of the texture the rippling water adds.
Image: Jerry Kram. [larger size].
grrlscientist | March 5, 2008tags: fish, marine reef fish, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Unknown species (to me) of tropical marine angelfish
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | March 5, 2008tags: birds, Great Egret, Ardea alba, ornithology, Image of the Day
A long-time reader, Jerry, sent some images for me to feature as the "image of the day". He referred to these as "some friends to help you tend your wing".
Some road construction created some temporary mudflats where many shorebirds found excellent feeding, including this great egret, Ardea alba.
Image: Jerry Kram. [larger size].
laelaps | March 5, 2008
In the above photograph a female Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) named Taurus displays a flehmen response; she was sniffing the scat of another tiger in the enclosure and repeatedly made this face. As silly as it looks, this type of grimace helps pheromones and other natural chemicals come in contact with the vomeronasal (or Jacobson's) organ, and it allows animals like tigers to ascertain whether another animal is in estrus, what their physical condition is, how long ago they passed by, etc.
Unfortunately I was unable to get a good shot of the display; the little branch in front of the…
grrlscientist | March 4, 2008tags: fish, photography, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Unknown (to me) species of schooling reef fishes
as portrayed in tiles on the walls of the NYC uptown subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
grrlscientist | March 4, 2008tags: mars, Martian Sand Dunes, NASA, astronomy, Image of the Day
Cool Shot of Thawing Sand Dunes Near Martian Polar Region.
Image: NASA. [larger size].
laelaps | March 4, 2008
The Bronx Zoo snow leopards (Panthera uncia) have typically been awake during my visits, but the female pictured above was acting like one of my domestic cats on catnip. Unfortunately I wasn't prepared for what she was going to do so she came out as a bit of a blur, but it was impressive to see a big cat jump around the enclosure with such agility and speed. The big paws and long tail of these cats help them keep their footing and balance, and as anyone who saw the snow leopard sequence on Planet Earth knows their skills are even more impressive in their natural, craggy habitat.
grrlscientist | March 3, 2008tags: coral reef, shark, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Coral Reef with shark
as portrayed in tiles on the stairway of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
bioephemera | March 3, 2008
St Elizabeth's Hospital, Washington, DC; wall of Room in Ward Retreat 1
Reproductions made by a patient, a disturbed case of dementia precox [praecox?]; pin or fingernail used to scratch paint from wall, top coat of paint buff color, superimposed upon a brick red coat of paint. Pictures symbolize events in patient's past life and represent a mild state of mental regression. Undated, but likely early 20th century.
I saw recently that the National Museum of Health and Medicine has released a flickr stream of images from its archives, but I hadn't had time to really delve into them. I finally…
grrlscientist | March 3, 2008tags: birds, Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, ornithology, Image of the Day
Male Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, in Central Park.
Image: Bob Levy, author of Club George. [larger size].
The photographer, Bob Levy, writes; On Friday February 22, arguably the most wintry of days so far this season, as six inches of snow covered Central Park and more was falling I heard a male Northern Cardinal sing. That was the first cardinal song I detected this year and I took it as a musical sign that Spring is near. Since then I have heard other males sing and just yesterday I saw…
laelaps | March 3, 2008
I could hardly believe my eyes this past Saturday; a male black-crested gibbon (Hylobates concolor) swung down from the miniature forest of its enclosure and started to groom the back and sides of a Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus). The tapir stood still while the gibbon picked over its hide for a few minutes, only to leave and do it again (at one point appearing as if it were riding the tapir). I'm sure this was to the tapir's relief to some small extent as it had been rubbing against a branch in the enclosure and appeared quite itchy (that it had some skin problem was definitely evident),…
grrlscientist | March 2, 2008tags: Nautilidae, Cephalopoda, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
Nautilus (but which species?)
as portrayed in tiles on the stairway of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.
laelaps | March 2, 2008
During most of my visits to the Bronx Zoo, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is usually sleeping or too hot to move around much, but yesterday she was in a much more playful mood. While they certainly are powerful predators, polar bears can be quite playful, and during the winter adult males sometimes play with dogs in the wild. Very little seems to be known about why polar bears and dogs get along during this time of the year, but for whatever reason there is little tension in what otherwise might be an antagonistic confrontation.
laelaps | March 1, 2008
I got a lot of great shots today at the Bronx Zoo (including, believe it or not, a gibbon grooming a tapir), and although I plan on spacing them out over the next few weeks I thought I would put up one right away. This is one of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) twins born at the zoo, now a bit grown up, and she just woke up from a nap she was taking with her sister and her mother on a large rock. It looks like the zoo is trying to breed another pair of these big cats, too, so more likely than not there will be more snow leopard cubs born there in the near future.
laelaps | March 1, 2008
I took this photograph about one year ago at the Bronx Zoo (coincidentally I'm returning there today), but I don't know what species of bird this is. If you do, please feel free to identify it in the comments.
Update: Thanks to everyone who replied in the comments. It indeed seems to be a Guira (Guira guira), and I appreciate those of you who took the time to respond! I didn't get to walk through the "World of Birds" this weekend to try and get another look at this bird, but perhaps next time.
grrlscientist | February 29, 2008tags: sloth, subway art, AMNH, NYC, NYCLife
This is a three-toed Bradypus species of sloth (but which one?)
as portrayed in tiles on the stairway of the NYC subway stop (A-B-C)
at 81st and Central Park West. (ISO, no zoom, no flash).
Image: GrrlScientist 2008. [wallpaper size].
Read more about the AMNH tile artworks and see the AMNH tile artworks photographic archives -- with all the animals identified.