Photography
awild | October 17, 2009
National Geographic remains the world's premier showcase of nature photography. But I often wonder for how much longer.
It is easy to maintain a virtual monopoly on high quality imagery when camera equipment and publishing are expensive and require a highly specialized skill set. But neither of these things is true anymore. Professional-quality photo equipment is broadly affordable. And numerous online venues allow anyone with an internet connection to distribute their photos for free.
Consider the following fantastic arthropod photographers, all from the galleries of the free online…
grrlscientist | October 17, 2009tags: Bhutan Laughing-thrush, Garrulax imbricatum, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Bhutan Laughing-thrush, Garrulax imbricatum, photographed in Bhutan.
Image: Larry Gardella, spring 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | October 16, 2009tags: Memorial to the Synagogue, Platz der Synagoge, Göttingen, Germany, image of the day
The memorial to the Synagogue in Göttingen, Germany, burnt down 1938 during the Kristallnacht, at the Platz der Synagoge (Synagogue Square) as seen from the inside looking straight up.
Image: Bob O'Hara, October 2009 [larger view].
Synagogue Memorial, Obere-Masch-Str. and Untere-Masch-Str. This memorial, designed by Corrado Cagli in 1973, stands on the site of a synagogue that was destroyed in 1938. The names of Göttingen's Jewish residents who were murdered during the "dark time" are listed below…
awild | October 16, 2009
Scarites sp. Ground Beetle (Carabidae)
Urbana, Illinois
As the summer bug season freezes to a close here in Illinois, our attention turns increasingly to the cryptic habitats where insects settle in to overwinter. The flowers have faded, but insects can still be found under tree bark, in rotting wood, and in leaf litter. This ground beetle had burrowed under a stone, aided by its shovel-like fossorial forelegs.
Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/11, 1/200 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper
grrlscientist | October 16, 2009tags: Orange Bishop, Grenadier Weaver, Orange Weaver, Euplectes franciscana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Orange Bishop, also known as the Orange Weaver or sometimes as the Grenadier Weaver, Euplectes franciscana, photographed at Arthur Storey Park, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 September 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This species is monochromatic during the…
laelaps | October 16, 2009
North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), photographed in the Lamar Valley at Yellowstone National Park
awild | October 15, 2009It's Thursday night. Here's a tick:
Photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper
bioephemera | October 15, 2009For all my microbiology/cell biology peeps, this could be a neat opportunity. ASCB has obtained a two-year stimulus grant from NIH to assemble an image library of the cell. According to Caroline Kane, project PI and professor emerita at UC-Berkeley (and a wonderful person/mentor),
"By visualizing the structure and dynamic behavior of a broad range of cells, scientists and clinicians will be better able to understand the nature of specific cells and cellular processes normal and abnormal. This will likely lead to new discoveries about diseases and drug targets in the future," Kane added. "I'm…
grrlscientist | October 15, 2009tags: Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, photographed in the photographer's back yard in Houston,Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 2 June 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
laelaps | October 15, 2009
An arabesque orbweaver spider (Neoscona arabesca) photographed on Antelope Island, Utah. This species, about the size of a quarter, was a common sight among the sunflowers.
grrlscientist | October 14, 2009tags: paddleboat, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Paddleboat on Helsinki waterfront.
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | October 14, 2009tags: American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] American Pipit, Anthus rubescens, photographed at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, southwestern Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 30 January 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with 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.
laelaps | October 14, 2009
A female grouse (I'm not sure of the species), photographed in Yellowstone National Park.
grrlscientist | October 13, 2009tags: Rautatientori, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
The Sun doesn't go down on a Helsinki Summer Day.
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 5 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
awild | October 13, 2009
Male (left) and female Diapheromera femorata
Myrmecos blog commentators identified Sunday's mystery photo almost instantly as a stick insect laying an egg. The species is the Northern Walking Stick Diapheromera femorata, a common local insect easily collected by beating tree branches. We've taken a few home as pets, and the females are obligingly dropping several eggs a day.
The eggs of D. femorata resemble plant seeds
Photo details (top): Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/200 sec
(bottom): Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/13…
grrlscientist | October 13, 2009tags: Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Olive Sparrow, Arremonops rufivirgatus, photographed at Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 4 April 2008 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/60s 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 | October 12, 2009tags: chocolate-covered licorice, Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland, image of the day
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland, after walking to Seurasaari and back.
Image: GrrlScientist, 4 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I finished writing a book review on deadline that I am proud of for Nature and now I am relaxing whilst I think about a warm sunny day not too long ago, when the man whom I would later marry, fed me this delectable bar of chocolate-covered licorice for dinner. How can a grrl resist?
grrlscientist | October 12, 2009tags: Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Female Brewer's Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus, photographed at Bodega Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 23 December 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/90s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.