travel
grrlscientist | January 19, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Ikkuna, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Ikkuna (Suomenlinna window).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | January 19, 2010tags: Vermilion Flycatcher, Galapagos Flycatcher, Darwin's Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Male Vermilion Flycatcher, this striking species' large range (southwestern USA through Argentina) means that it is known by a variety of common names, such as the Galapagos Flycatcher or Darwin's Flycatcher, Pyrocephalus rubinus, photographed on the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, Anahuac, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 2 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera…
grrlscientist | January 18, 2010tags: Frankfurter Sonnenuntergang, Frankfurt Sunset, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, image of the day
Sonnenuntergang aus Reidberg (Sunset from Reidberg)
Reidberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: Bob O'Hara, 29 November 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | January 18, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Taivas, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Taivas (Suomenlinna sky).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | January 18, 2010tags: Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, photographed on the Katy Prairie, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/800s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Rick Wright, author of Aimophila Adventures and Managing Director of WINGS Birding Tours Worldwide, writes:
The identification of silent…
grrlscientist | January 17, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Käytävällä, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Käytävällä (Suomenlinna passageway).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | January 17, 2010tags: Eurasian Tawny-Eagle, Asian Tawny-Eagle, African Tawny-Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Tawny Eagle, also known by a number of common names that reflect its wide-ranging status; Asian Tawny-Eagle, Eurasian Tawny-Eagle and African Tawny-Eagle, Aquila rapax, photographed at Nakuru National Park, Kenya, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 29 July 2006 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 mm lens at 400. ISO 200, 1/350, f/6.3.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.…
grrlscientist | January 16, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Ikkuna, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Ikkuna (Suomenlinna window).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | January 16, 2010tags: Two-banded Courser, Smutsornis (Cursorius) africanus gracilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Two-banded Courser, Smutsornis (Cursorius) africanus gracilis, photographed at Tarangire National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 30 August 2007 [larger view].
Nikon D2X, 200-400 mm lens at 400. ISO 200, 1/250, f/8.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | January 15, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan käytävällä, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan käytävällä (Suomenlinna passageway).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
drorzel | January 15, 2010I'm just about finished packing up, then I'm meeting a former student for lunch, then heading off to the airport to spend the next eight hours or so making my way home to Kate and SteelyKid and Emmy. Which is a good excuse for a non-dorky poll:
Are you checking any bags today?(answers)
(Bag fees are not an option in this poll, because I'm flying Southwest. They're my airline of choice, precisely because they minimize the hassle of flying through things like not charging checked bag fees.)
grrlscientist | January 15, 2010tags: Delicate Owl, White Owl, Barn Owl, Tyto alba, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Barn Owl, occasionally known as the Delicate Owl, or more commonly as the White Owl, Tyto alba, photographed on the roadside in the Rio Grande Valley, the southernmost tip of Texas. This valley occurs at the boundary between the United States and Mexico. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: ©JRCompton.com/birds: JR Compton, 2008 [larger view]. [Added 19 April 2010: Link to photoseries of this bird]
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at…
grrlscientist | January 14, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Ikkuna, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Ikkuna (Suomenlinna window).
Soumenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | January 14, 2010tags: Redhead, Pochard, Raft Duck, Red-headed Raft Duck, Aytha americana, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Redhead, also known by a slew of other names, including Pochard, Raft Duck and Red-headed Raft Duck, Aytha americana, photographed in Hermann Park, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 23 December 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.
Here's another image of a different…
grrlscientist | January 13, 2010tags: conservation, reptiles, King Cobra, Ophiophagus hannah, Gharial, Gavialis gangeticus, water pollution, Romulus+Whitaker, TEDTalks, streaming video
The gharial, Gavialis gangeticus, and king cobra, Ophiophagus hannah, are two of India's most iconic reptiles, and they're endangered because of polluted waterways. Conservationist Romulus Whitaker shows rare footage of these magnificent animals and urges us to save the rivers that sustain their lives and our own.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers…
grrlscientist | January 13, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Sisäänkäynti, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinnan Sisäänkäynti (Entrance to Suomenlinna).
Photographed at the ferry terminus on Soumenlinna.
Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Suomenlinnan Sisäänkäynti (Entrance to Suomenlinna).
Photographed at the ferry terminus on Soumenlinna.
Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
A look at the entrance to Suomenlinna .. it looks rather Edward Hopper-esque, don't you think?
grrlscientist | January 13, 2010tags: American Pipit, Buff-bellied Pipit, Anthus rubescens, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] American Pipit, also known as the Buff-bellied Pipit, Anthus rubescens, photographed at the Arthur Storey Park, Houston, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 28 December 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.
grrlscientist | January 12, 2010tags: Suomenlinnan Linnoitusta, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinna Linnoitusta (Suomenlinna Fortress).
Photographed at the ferry terminus on Soumenlinna.
Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | January 12, 2010tags: Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria (Diomedea) immutabilis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria (Diomedea) immutabilis, photographed at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge on the Midway Islands in the Hawaiian archipelago -- an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northern Pacific Ocean. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Michael Lusk, USFWS, December 2004 [larger view].
I posted this image specifically in honor of one of my readers and very good friend who is hospitalized but expected to recover…
grrlscientist | January 11, 2010tags: King Bird of Paradise, Cicinnurus regius, Red-Capped Manakin, Yellow-Thighed Manakin, Pipra mentalis, courtship displays, behaviors, birds, ornithology, Kim Bostwick, streaming video
I recently showed you the oddly shaped iridescent tail plume from a King Bird of Paradise as the daily mystery bird, now watch this video to see how the birds use these plumes in courtship displays.