Photography
bnsullivan | August 31, 2009
Scleractinian corals, also known as stony corals -- or just hard corals -- are the primary reef builders in the oceans. Their polyps secrete calcium carbonate to form a skeleton. A minority of species live as single polyps, but most stony coral species are colonial, and the structures they build 'grow' over time. They form a myriad of shapes: mounds, branches, fingers, plates, and encrustations.
In several previous posts I discussed and displayed photos of a number of so-called soft corals, all of which are octocorals, i.e., their polyps have eight tentacles. Stony corals are…
grrlscientist | August 30, 2009tags: art, tombstone, Hietaniemen Hautausmaa, Hietaniemi Cemetery, Helsinki, Finland, cities, nature
Tombstone.
Photographed at Hietaniemen Hautausmaa (Hietaniemi Cemetery), Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 21 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | August 30, 2009tags: Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Nycticorax violaceus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Nycticorax violaceus, photographed at Bolivar Flats, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 24 July 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/750s 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 | August 29, 2009tags: art, statue, sculpture, mare and foal, Helsinki, Finland, cities, nature
Ãidinrakkaus (Maternal Love)
Bronze sculpture (1927) by sculptor Emil Cedercreutz (1879 - 1949).
Photographed at Varsapuistikko,
at the corner of Unioninkatu and Kaisaniemenkatu, Kluuvi,
in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I love this sculpture. Does anyone know who the artist is, its name and anything else about this piece? (I can't find anything on the web to share with you).
grrlscientist | August 29, 2009tags: Common Bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Common Bulbul, also known as the Pepperbird among other names, Pycnonotus barbatus, photographed in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 7 August 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 VR lens at 400 mm. ISO 400. 1/250 f/5.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | August 28, 2009tags: bumblebee, Helsinki, Finland, cities, nature
Bumblebee on my hand.
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I am sure I must have looked like I was insane when, walking down the sidewalk, I spied this bumblebee sitting on the concrete. I plopped myself down onto my hands and knees on the sidewalk and spent a few minutes nose-to-nose with her, trying to figure out if she was dying because she was hurt or old (or maybe she was just resting?). She looked to be in good repair, so I got her onto my hand to photograph her. It's not…
grrlscientist | August 28, 2009tags: Ross's Goose, Chen rossii, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Ross's Goose, Chen rossii, photographed at Tom Bass Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 11 August 2009 [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.
[Mystery bird] Ross's Goose, Chen rossii, photographed at Tom Bass Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 11 August 2009 [larger view…
bnsullivan | August 28, 2009
Many animals in the sea have evolved colors and forms that allow them to blend in with their surroundings. Some animals use their camouflage to hide from predators -- and some predators use camouflage to fool their prey.
It can be difficult to photograph such animals, partly because it's often hard to find them in the first place. If you look carefully at the photo at right, you will be able to make out the shape of a small purplish slipper lobster (Parribacus antarcticus), right in the center of the photo.
The picture was taken inside an underwater cave in Hawaii, and the lobster was on…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Sunset over the Baltic Sea.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
This is a look at the sun as it sets over the Baltic Sea. I was ensconced in front of a window under a stairway (since the boat ran out of places to sit .. I know, this was almost impossible for me to believe, too, given the overall size of the ferry). I sat there in front of that window for the duration of the journey, drinking beer, taking pictures (nearly all of which were ruined by glare from the window glass) and…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009tags: Grey Crowned-crane, Balearica regulorum, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Grey Crowned-crane, Balearica regulorum, photographed in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 4 August 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 mm VR lens at 280 mm. ISO 100 f/4 1/500.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Gates (from the inside).
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Do you know how, when an amazing experience is coming to an end, and you just want it to last a little bit longer, you fill your eyes and your heart with as many memories as you can get in those parting moments? This is what I did, and I also snapped photographs of anything, just to preserve those last moments.
The shadows were falling, it was time to return to Helsinki.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Grog.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
All hail to the mighty beer, brewed in the original style, using ingredients that approximate (as closely as possible) what was originally used. My beer had a distinct cinnamon flavor.
As you can see below, the table was outdoors under a large tent, and entertainment included waiter watching, people watching and live music. Here, you can see the waiter adding some finishing touches to a few meals before serving them to hungry patrons.…
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Having a beer in Tallinn.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I know this picture is blurry, but hey, I was running after these guys when I snapped it!
What was that .. thing .. that I was running after, trying to photograph? Here's a closer look;
Having a beer in Tallinn (a closer look).
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
As you can see, this was a bicycle with a number of bar stools attached, along with…
awild | August 26, 2009
Pyramica clypeata
Urbana, Illinois
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
grrlscientist | August 26, 2009tags: Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, photographed at Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 2 July 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with 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.