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grrlscientist | June 19, 2010tags: birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Black Redstart, Phoenicurus ochruros a newly-fledged youngster, photographed at Arberes, Ariege, France. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White, June 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D40x with 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This is a very challenging mystery bird to identify, but the bird -- a fledgling -- is just so cute (and the picture is so nice) that I just had to share it with you. Any ideas as to what species this is?
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | June 18, 2010tags: Brant Goose, Brent Goose, Brant, Black Brant, Branta bernicla, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brant Goose, also known as Brant or Brent Goose, and, on the west coast as the Black Brant, Branta bernicla nigricans, photographed in Moss Landing, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 6 May 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This lovely bird is found all along the west coast…
grrlscientist | June 18, 2010tags: The Intriguing Sound of Marine Mammals, sounds, songs, communication, language acquisition, noise pollution, shipping, acoustic environment, vocal imprinting, marine mammals, dolphins, whales, Peter Tyack, TEDTalks, TED Talks, streaming video
Bird watchers (especially those who do most of their birding by ear) will particularly enjoy this video: Peter Tyack of Woods Hole talks about a hidden wonder of the sea: underwater sound. Onstage at Mission Blue, he explains the amazing ways whales use sound and song to communicate across hundreds of miles of ocean.
TEDTalks is a daily video…
grrlscientist | June 17, 2010tags: Eared Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Eared Grebe, also known as the Black-necked Grebe, Podiceps nigricollis, photographed in Monterey Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 May 2010 [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.
This migratory species, photographed in California, is challenging to distinguish from another, closely-…
grrlscientist | June 16, 2010tags: Pacific Loon, Pacific Diver, Gavia pacifica, Gavia arctica, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pacific Loon, known in Europe as the Pacific Diver, Gavia pacifica (formerly lumped with Gavia arctica), photographed in Monterey Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 May 2010 [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.
This elegant mystery bird's common and scientific names have a…
grrlscientist | June 15, 2010tags: Sedge Wren, Short-billed Marsh Wren, Cistothorus platensis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Sedge Wren, formerly known as the Short-billed Marsh Wren, Cistothorus platensis, photographed in in Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 21 April 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This small bird is a member of a group of New World birds that includes some very complex groups, including this one. Can you identify this species?…
grrlscientist | June 14, 2010tags: Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Western Gull, Larus occidentalis, photographed in Monterey Bay, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 6 May 2010 [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.
This challenging mystery bird resides on the western coast of the USA -- the individuals in Seattle are much paler in appearance than the ones in California, such…
grrlscientist | June 13, 2010tags: Northern Gannet, Morus bassanus, Sula bassana, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Northern Gannet, also known by a suite of common names, including solan, solan goose and the solant bird, Morus bassanus (formerly; Sula bassana), photographed from the Channel ferry near Calais, France. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Adrian White [larger view].
Nikon D40x with Tamron 70-300AF.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This mystery seabird, photographed in France, has a special character that allows it to make a living in its own…
grrlscientist | June 12, 2010tags: Horned Screamer, Anhima cornuta, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Horned Screamer, Anhima cornuta, photographed in Brazil along the Rio Negro, 3 degrees, 5 min S and 60 degrees, 26 minutes W. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dave Rintoul, 2010 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Today's Mystery Bird is the only species in its genus and, along with two other species in a "sister" genus, is placed into a peculiar taxonomic family. Can you tell me what family these birds are placed into and tell…
grrlscientist | June 11, 2010tags: The No Underwear Subway Ride: Uncensored, NYC, New York City, prank, humor, funny, comedy, satire, Improv Everywhere, streaming video
This is the "uncensored" version of Improv Everywhere's amazing April Fool's prank video, The No Underwear Subway Ride. This video shows how the group pulled off the hoax. Although they claimed that 1,000 people had exposed their genitals on the train, they actually just filmed 20 actors wearing skin-colored underwear, and then pixelated the footage to make them look naked. The "uncensored" version of the video embedded below will show you what they…
grrlscientist | June 11, 2010tags: birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] feet [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
I have some questions about each foot depicted above. Can you tell me;
what each foot is used for?
for each foot type, can you tell me if its possessor walks or hops when on land?
one foot type is found only in one genus worldwide, can you tell me which foot that is and the species that has that foot? This foot has a special character that it shares with another (much larger) taxonomic…
grrlscientist | June 10, 2010tags: Red Knot, Calidris canutus, Tringa canutus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Red Knot, Calidris (Tringa) canutus photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston County, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 26 April 2010 [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.
There is something very sad about this beautiful migratory species, can you tell me what that is?
The red knot stopover on the Delaware…
grrlscientist | June 9, 2010tags: The Tourist Lane, NYC, New York City, prank, humor, funny, comedy, satire, Improv Everywhere, streaming video
As a NYCer, I screamed with laughter when I saw this video, so of course, I HAD to share it with you. The comedy group, Improv Everywhere, pranked NYC when they created separate walking lanes for tourists and New Yorkers on a Fifth Avenue sidewalk. Department of Transportation "employees" were on hand to enforce the new rules and ask pedestrians for their feedback on the initiative.
Even though this NYCer lives in Germany now, I still walk fast -- whilst Germans stroll along…
grrlscientist | June 9, 2010tags: Brandt's Cormorant, Phalacrocorax penicillatus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brandt's Cormorant, Phalacrocorax penicillatus, photographed in Monterey, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 May 2010 [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.
Its specific name, penicillatus is Latin for a painter's brush ("pencil of hairs"), in reference to white plumes on its neck and back during…
grrlscientist | June 8, 2010tags: Pigeon Guillemot, Cepphus columba, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Pigeon Guillemot, Cepphus columba, photographed in Monterey, California. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 5 May 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/640s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
This bird of the north Pacific Ocean has very distinctive feet, but is very similar to a close relative: can you identify both species and tell me how to distinguish…
grrlscientist | June 7, 2010tags: Short-tailed Albatross, Steller's Albatross, Phoebastria albatrus, Diomedea albatrus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Short-tailed Albatross, also known as Steller's Albatross, Phoebastria (Diomedea) albatrus photographed on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge -- one of the most remote coral atolls on earth -- a US territory in the north Pacific Ocean [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joe Fuhrman. I encourage you to purchase images from this professional photographer.
NOTE: Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification…
grrlscientist | June 6, 2010tags: Dickinson's Kestrel, White-rumped Kestrel, Falco dickinsoni, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] A pair of Dickinson's Kestrels, also known as White-rumped Kestrels, Falco dickinsoni, photographed in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 8 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300s, 600 mm VR lens with 1.4 x extender ISO 800, f/7.1, 1/400 sec.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
White-rumped Kestrel's closest relatives are the Grey Kestrel and Banded Kestrel, and the…
grrlscientist | June 5, 2010tags: Slate-Colored Boubou, Boubou Shrike, Laniarius funebris, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Slate-Colored Boubou, also known as the Boubou Shrike, Laniarius funebris, photographed in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 19 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 200-400 VR lens at 400 mm ISO 640, f/4.5. 1/320 sec.
This lovely bird is a member of a taxonomic family that does not occur in North America -- can you identify it anyway?
Please name at least one field mark that supports your…
grrlscientist | June 4, 2010tags: Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, photographed at East Grand Terre Island, Louisiana.
Image: Charlie Riedel, 3 June 2010 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Here's what this bird would look like without its lovely coating of oil:
Laughing Gull, Larus atricilla, photographed at Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, Texas.
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 April 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1250s f/8.0 at 1000.…
grrlscientist | June 3, 2010tags: Green Jay, Cyanocorax yncas, Cyanocorax luxuosus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Green Jay, Cyanocorax (yncas) luxuosus, photographed at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Harlingen, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 30 March 2008 [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.
Because most mystery birders are on vacation right now, I am sharing another knock-your-socks-off-gorgeous…