travel
grrlscientist | March 25, 2010tags: Paddyfield Pipit, Anthus rufulus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Paddyfield Pipit, Anthus rufulus, photographed on the Yamuna River, New Delhi, India. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White, November [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
HINT: I think you can narrow this bird down to one of two very similar species.
Review all mystery birds to date.
drorzel | March 25, 2010I did one sketchy update from Portland last Tuesday, but never wrote up my impressions of the rest of the March Meeting-- when I got back, I was buried in grading, and then trying to put together Monday's presentation. And, for reasons that will become apparent, I was unable to write anything up before I left Portland
Anyway, for those who care, here are my impressions from the rest of the meeting:
Tuesday
In the 8am session, I went to the polymer physics prize talk by Michael Rubinstein, which was a sort of career retrospective, talking about how he wandered into the disreputable field of…
grrlscientist | March 24, 2010tags: Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, Diomedea immutabilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria (Diomedea) immutabilis, photographed on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Midway Island, Hawai'i. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joe Fuhrman, March 2010 [larger view].
NOTE: Unless you are a beginning bird watcher, PLEASE wait 24 hours before identifying this bird. (Intermediate-expert birders are encouraged to use puns, anagrams, poetry references or citations, Monty Python quotes or anything else that tickles…
grrlscientist | March 23, 2010tags: Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Red-footed Booby, Sula sula, photographed on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, Midway Island, Hawai'i. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joe Fuhrman, March 2010 [larger view].
NOTE: Unless you are a beginning bird watcher, PLEASE wait 24 hours before identifying this bird. (Intermediate-expert birders are encouraged to use puns, anagrams, poetry references or citations, Monty Python quotes or anything else that tickles your fancy to indicate you've identified this species during…
grrlscientist | March 22, 2010tags: Wideawake, Wideawake Tern, Sooty Tern, Onychoprion fuscata, Sterna fuscata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Sooty Tern, also known as the Wideawake Tern or simply as the Wideawake, Onychoprion (Sterna) fuscata, photographed out of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Paul Sweet, 4 August 2007 [larger view].
NOTE: Unless you are a beginning bird watcher, PLEASE wait 24 hours before identifying this bird. (Intermediate-expert birders are encouraged to use puns, anagrams, poetry references or citations, Monty Python…
grrlscientist | March 21, 2010tags: Chelicut Kingfisher, Striped Kingfisher, Halcyon chelicuti, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Striped Kingfisher, also sometimes known as the Chelicut Kingfisher, Halcyon chelicuti, photographed near the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 13 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens, ISO 800, 1/1600 sec, f/7.1, Exposure compensation 0..
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 20, 2010tags: Pink-breasted Lark, Mirafra poecilosterna, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pink-breasted Lark, Mirafra poecilosterna, photographed near the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 13 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens, ISO 800, 1/1600 sec, f/7.1, Exposure compensation 0..
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
HINT 1: this species is in the Alaudidae family and was first described by a German.
HINT 2: anagram of scientific name included in comment…
grrlscientist | March 19, 2010tags: Great Thick-Knees, Greater Thick-Knees, Esacus recurvirostris, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Great Thick-Knees, also known as the Greater Thick-Knees, Esacus recurvirostris, photographed on the Kosi River, Ramnagar, North India. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 18, 2010tags: blue shank, American Avocet, Recurvirostra americana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] American Avocet, also known as the blue shank, Recurvirostra americana, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Richard Ditch, 25 February 2010 [larger view]. You are encouraged to purchase photographs from this photographer. I am happy to email his contact information to you.
Exposure Time: 1/400
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 200
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 17, 2010tags: Frankfurt, nebliger Morgen, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, cities, travel, environment, image of the day
Frankfurt, nebliger Morgen.
Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 24 February 2010 [larger view]
My friend and colleague, Mike Dunford, is visiting Frankfurt am Main for three days in April (12-14 to be exact). Since I've been digging my way out from under 100 boxes (90 of which are books), I've not been out and about much, so I am seeking help and advice from those of you who know the area around Frankfurt am Main well: if your friend was coming out to visit for a few…
grrlscientist | March 17, 2010tags: Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Mediterranean Gull, Larus melanocephalus, photographed flying over Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 16, 2010tags: Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Atlantic Puffin, Fratercula arctica, photographed at the Machias Seal Island, Maine. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Paul Sweet, 26 May 2008 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 15, 2010tags: Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes, Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Lesser Yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes (L), and Least Sandpiper, Calidris minutilla (R), photographed at the Lake Thompson in Kingsbury County, South Dakota. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: Terry Sohl, 2 September 2007 [larger view]. You are encouraged to purchase photographs from this photographer. I am happy to email his contact information to you.
Canon 20D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification…
drorzel | March 14, 2010I'm en route to the March Meeting in Portland, which involves a three-hour layover in Chicago, between two flights on Southwest, my preferred airline. I'm always impressed by how much more efficient Southwest seems that the other major airlines.
One weird manifestation of that efficiency is the flight plans that Southwest uses. Where most flights on other airlines seem to go back and forth between two cities over and over, Southwest's routes tend to roam all over the country. This morning's flight from Albany to Chicago continued on to San Antonio, TX, Phoenix, and San Jose. Another recent…
grrlscientist | March 14, 2010tags: Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Halcyon leucocephala, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Grey-headed Kingfisher, also known as the Chestnut-bellied Kingfisher, Halcyon leucocephala, photographed near the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 13 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens, ISO 800, 1/1000 sec, f/7.1, Exposure compensation -.7.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | March 13, 2010tags: Pygmy Batis, Batis perkeo, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pygmy Batis, Batis perkeo, photographed near the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. The photographer writes: "I was incredibl[y] lucky to get such a good view of this little fast-moving guy. He actually responded to pishing, and sat there exposed for 10 seconds or so, allowing photographs in the late afternoon sun!" [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 13 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm VR lens, ISO 400, 1/250, f/6.3, Exposure Compensation 0.
Please name at…
grrlscientist | March 12, 2010tags: photography, NYCLife, NYC Life, cultural observation, Bruce Gilden, Street Shots, WNYC, streaming video
Watching this video makes me feel like I am walking on "my" streets once more alongside this photographer. It reminds me of how much I miss my beautiful and vibrant home, NYC.
Although I will admit that, as a former NYC "street photographer" myself, I find it amazing that he can photograph people without getting punched in the nose or having someone stomp on his camera. Even though I photographed flowers, more than once, I was told I was "not allowed" to photograph them .. um, why…
drorzel | March 12, 2010I think I've mentioned before that I'm on the local committee that selects nominees for the Watson Fellowship, which is one of the best committees to be on, because you get to interact with some of our best students doing things that they really love. This year, we're thrilled to have two of our nominees selected as members of the 2010-2011 awardees:
Frederick Franke, Union CollegeOut of the Kitchen and Into the Fire: Exploring Open-Fire Cooking MethodsSouth Africa, New Zealand, India, Jamaica, Turkey
People don't generally like to eat alone; food is a necessity, but it also serves to bring…
grrlscientist | March 12, 2010tags: African Grey Hornbill, Tockus nasutus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] African Grey Hornbill, Tockus nasutus, photographed catching a dragonfly at the Pangani River Camp, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300s, 600 mm lens, ISO 640, 1/2500 sec, f/5 0 exposure compensation.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
The photographer writes:
There seemed to be quite a lot of interest in the African Grey Hornbill's bill. Since it was partially obscured…
grrlscientist | March 11, 2010tags: PalmenGarten, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Baumrinde, tree bark, nature, environment, image of the day
Baumrinde.
PalmenGarten, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 24 February 2010 [larger view]