Photography
grrlscientist | January 22, 2009tags: Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly, Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day
Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis)
4,300 (Estimated 300 wild and 4,000 captive).
Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic. [larger view].
Wikipedia writes;
The Palos Verdes Blue butterfly is a small endangered butterfly native to the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southwest Los Angeles County, California. As its distribution has been proven to be limited to one single site it has one of the best claims to being the world's rarest…
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.
awild | January 22, 2009Dalantech over at the No Cropping Zone writes:
From time to time I see people argue about the backgrounds in macro images, and about how dark backgrounds donât look natural âwhatever the heck that means. Seriously whatâs natural about macro photography? Do you see all the detail in a beeâs compound eye or the tiny âhairsâ that cover most leaves without the aid of some sort of magnifier?
I think Dalantech is entirely correct in that arguments about the naturalness of black backdrops are unconvincing. There are many reasons to take photographs, and capturing an animal in a particular…
grrlscientist | January 21, 2009tags: Grand Central Station, 42nd Street, Fast Track and Speedwheels, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
Fast Track and Speedwheels, 1990.
Mixed-media sculptures in the passageway between the S and 4, 5, 6 lines in NYC's Grand Central Subway station, left side.
Artist: Daniel Sinclair.
Image: GrrlScientist, 12 January 2009 [larger view].
Dan Sinclair's Fast Track and Speedwheels are assemblages crafted from bright metallic sections that include wavy aluminum sheets, steel wheels, brass disks, copper springs and wires. Installed within a long passageway between the subway…
bioephemera | January 21, 2009
Satellite Image by GeoEye: [1] detail showing the Capitol; [2] detail of area around the Washington Monument
I'm compensating for the shock of having to return to actual work today by looking at the GeoEye satellite images of President Obama's Inauguration. This high-res image is just fascinating!
Note that most of the people (the brown dots) are clumped around the Jumbotrons (compare with the official Jumbotron map here), but there are some interesting anomalies. I'm looking at the giant mass of people near the National Indian Museum (SE quadrant) and wondering if that is some sort of…
grrlscientist | January 21, 2009tags: Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens, Joel Sartore, National Geographic, image of the day
The world in a jar: Is this the sort of world we wish to leave to our children?
Dusky Seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens).
Extinct.
Image: Joel Sartore/National Geographic [larger view].
The photographer writes;
Slipping into extinction almost unnoticed, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens -- found mainly on Florida's Merritt Island -- declined from roughly 3,000 pairs to none as its salt marsh habitat was sprayed with DDT and taken over for…
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.
grrlscientist | January 20, 2009tags: Christopher Street, Sheridan Square, The Greenwich Village Murals, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
The Greenwich Village Murals, 1994.
Artist: Lee Brozgold and the students of P.S. 41. Mosaic and ceramic tiles at Christopher Street/Sheridan Square (Uptown 1 train). Panel 3.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 December 2008 [larger view].
This mural depicts people who were instrumental in establishing the Village, including an early land developer, the publisher of New York's first African-American newspaper, a muralist, and a novelist who immortalized Washington Square -- all…
bioephemera | January 20, 2009
This morning we and thousands of others watched the Inauguration on a Jumbotron from the lawn in front of the Lincoln Memorial. We didn't have tickets to get into the area in front of the Capitol, but that worked out fairly well, as we didn't have to wait in long security lines in the freezing wind! The Lincoln Memorial is just over two miles from my home, there were no lines there, and it seemed like the appropriate place to watch, listen, and celebrate on this historic morning.
More photos of our journey through NW DC after the fold...
The crowds walking at 9:30 am at Pennsylvania and H,…
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.
awild | January 20, 2009New Orleans, January 2009
The first major public exhibit to open in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was the Audubon Nature Institute's Insectarium. We took advantage of a lull in our schedule last week to make the pilgrimage to what turns out to be a surprisingly ambitious operation. It well exceeded our expectations.
The entrance on Canal Street.
Spying on live bumblebees.
Inside the bees' nest.
Yes, educational bits too.
This ant looks familiar.
Not a family exhibit: stick insects have sexual relations in public.
They let non-insects in too.
Another one.
The proud…
laelaps | January 20, 2009
A red wolf (Canis lupus rufus), photographed at the North Carolina Zoo. The two wolves in this enclosure were the least shy of any that I have seen (as Tracey said, they were "dogified").
grrlscientist | January 19, 2009tags: Christopher Street, Sheridan Square, The Greenwich Village Murals, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
The Greenwich Village Murals, 1994.
Artist: Lee Brozgold and the students of P.S. 41. Mosaic and ceramic tiles at Christopher Street/Sheridan Square (Uptown 1 train). Panel 2.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 December 2008 [larger view].
This mural depicts people who were instrumental in establishing the Village, including an early land developer, the publisher of New York's first African-American newspaper, a muralist, and a novelist who immortalized Washington Square -- all…
bioephemera | January 19, 2009
Sardine eggs
Richard Kirby/BNPS
Over the last few weeks, I've received many interesting link ideas from readers. I've gotten behind on sharing them, so I'm going to try to catch up. Thanks to Laura for this gallery of beautiful plankton photos by Richard Kirby. Read more here.
Ludia sarsii
Richard Kirby/BNPS
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…
laelaps | January 19, 2009
A male Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas), photographed at the North Carolina Zoo. Apparently I was a little too close for comfort and he made sure I saw how impressive his canines were.
grrlscientist | January 18, 2009tags: Christopher Street, Sheridan Square, The Greenwich Village Murals, subway art, NYC through my eye, photography, NYC
The Greenwich Village Murals, 1994.
Artist: Lee Brozgold and the students of P.S. 41. Mosaic and ceramic tiles at Christopher Street/Sheridan Square (Uptown 1 train). Panel 1.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 December 2008 [larger view].
This mural depicts people who were instrumental in establishing the Village, including an early land developer, the publisher of New York's first African-American newspaper, a muralist, and a novelist who immortalized Washington Square -- all…
laelaps | January 18, 2009
It took about 8 and 1/2 hours, but Tracey and I made it back to New Jersey safe & sound. I have a lot to share about my experience at the conference, but for now I figured I would just share one of my favorite photos from the NC Zoo. More tomorrow...