travel
grrlscientist | May 3, 2010tags: Sonnige Blume, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, flowers, image of the day, photography
Sonnige Blume.
Image: GrrlScientist, 20 April 2010 [larger view]
I was lured out of my sickbed so I could photograph this lovely flower, which really did brighten my day (even though I am STILL SICK!!)
grrlscientist | May 3, 2010tags: Sora, Sora Rail, Sora Crake, Porzana carolina, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Sora, also known as the Sora Rail or sometimes as the Sora Crake, Porzana carolina, photographed at Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 27 April 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Can you tell me why this bird's tail is so short?
A short tail is reportedly found in birds that specialize in fast flight, such as loons, ducks, grebes and…
grrlscientist | May 2, 2010tags: Helsingin tuomiokirkko, Suurkirkko, Helsinki Cathedral, Helsinki, Finland, travel, cities, architecture, photography
Helsingin tuomiokirkko or Suurkirkko (Helsinki Cathedral), Helsinki, Finland.
This is an Evangelical Lutheran cathedral located in the center of Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 July 2009 [larger view]
My spouse has made arrangements for us to return to gorgeous Helsinki, Finland. We will attend his student's defense, and hang out in the city. I already have plans to photograph Suomenlinna, the Luonnontieteellinen Museo (our hotel is across the street from…
grrlscientist | May 2, 2010tags: Rosenblüte, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, flowers, image of the day, photography
Rosenblüte.
Image: GrrlScientist, 20 April 2010 [larger view]
grrlscientist | May 2, 2010tags: Lake Victoria Weaver, Victoria Masked-Weaver, Entebbe Weaver, Gambian Black-headed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Yellow-collared Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Ploceus melanocephalus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Black-headed Weaver, also known by numerous other common names, including the Yellow-collared (or Yellow-backed) Weaver, Gambian Black-headed Weaver, Victoria Masked-weaver, Lake Victoria Weaver, or the Entebbe Weaver, Ploceus melanocephalus, photographed Ndutu Safari Lodge, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen,…
grrlscientist | May 1, 2010tags: Rosen, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, cities, image of the day, photography
Rosen.
Image: GrrlScientist, 20 April 2010 [larger view]
grrlscientist | May 1, 2010tags: Black-fronted Bush-Shrike, Black-fronted Bushshrike, Chlorophoneus nigrifrons, Telophorus nigrifrons, Laniarius nigrifrons, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Black-fronted Bush-Shrike, Chlorophoneus (Laniarius) (Telophorus) nigrifrons, photographed in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, Africa. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Dan Logen, 12 January 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D300, 600 mm lens, ISO 800, F/5.6, 1/200 sec.
This is a challenging bird to identify, so I am asking you to instead try to identify the taxonomic family.
Please name at…
grrlscientist | April 30, 2010tags: Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, St Bartholomew's Cathedral, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, photography
Dom Sankt Bartholomäus (St Bartholomew's Cathedral), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 April 2010 [larger view].
grrlscientist | April 30, 2010tags: Rod-breasted Grosbeak, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Pheucticus ludovicianus, photographed in a Houston backyard in Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 21 April 2010 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Based on this bird's beak shape, what sort of diet would you expect it to have?
This bird primarily eats seeds, as indicated by the heavy beak and the angulated commissure (that…
grrlscientist | April 30, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, Speedyconkiwi, streaming video
German for Boneheads: lesson one. How to ask for six fish at the pet store without inadvertently ending up with 60 fish.
I still love Sulkasiipi.
grrlscientist | April 29, 2010tags: Life in the Aphotic Zone, animals, marine life, marine biology, bioluminescence, benthic zone, abyssal zone, streaming video
This fascinating video captures a glimpse of the weird and wonderful animals that live in the aphotic zone. The aphotic zone (aphotic from Greek prefix á¼- + Ïá¿¶Ï "without light") is the portion of a lake or ocean where there is little or no sunlight. It is formally defined as the depths beyond which less than 1% of sunlight penetrates. Consequently, bioluminescence is essentially the only light found in this zone. Most food comes from dead organisms sinking to…
grrlscientist | April 29, 2010tags: Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, St Bartholomew's Cathedral, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, photography
Dom Sankt Bartholomäus (St Bartholomew's Cathedral), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 April 2010 [larger view].
This is one of the back doors to the church, and it is a rather aesthetically pleasing one at that. Unfortunately, it was surrounded by a herd of parked cars, so it was impossible to get the photograph I could see in my head, unless I resorted to photoshop. This image is as close as I could get to what I was seeking, and I think of this as a "project…
grrlscientist | April 29, 2010tags: Orange Blüte, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, travel, nature, cities, image of the day, photography
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 April 2010 [larger view]
grrlscientist | April 29, 2010tags: Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, Galveston County, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 8 April 2010 [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 | April 28, 2010tags: EU Airspace Reboot, Iceland Volcano Eruption, flightradar24, openstreetmap.org, itoworld.com, ideasintransit.org, streaming video
This video is a visualization of the northern European airspace returning to full air traffic use after being closed due to volcanic ash. Due to varying ash density across Europe, the first flights can be seen in some areas on the 18th and by the 20th everywhere is open. There are a few gaps (erm, France) and no coverage over the Atlantic, but the picture is still clear.
The flight data is courtesy of flightradar24.com and covers a large fraction of Europe.…
grrlscientist | April 28, 2010tags: Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, St Bartholomew's Cathedral, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, photography
Dom Sankt Bartholomäus (St Bartholomew's Cathedral), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 April 2010 [larger view].
The Gothic-style St Bartholomew's Cathedral in Frankfurt am Main is constructed of red sandstone and was originally built in the 13th-15th centuries (restored after suffering heavy damage in 1944). Its 95 m/312ft high tower is a city landmark.
grrlscientist | April 28, 2010tags: Gilded Flicker, Colaptes chrysoides, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Female Gilded Flicker, Colaptes chrysoides, photographed sitting on top of a blooming Saguaro cactus on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Terry Sohl, 8 May 2008 [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.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | April 27, 2010tags: Dom Sankt Bartholomäus, St Bartholomew's Cathedral, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, photography
Dom Sankt Bartholomäus (St Bartholomew's Cathedral), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 14 April 2010 [larger view].
This gothic-style cathedral was constructed in the 14th and 15th centuries on the foundation of an earlier church from the Merovingian time. Some of these ruins are still visible. Dom Sankt Bartholomäus is the main church of Frankfurt and it has some historical significance. From 1356 onwards, kings of the Holy Roman Empire were elected in this church, and…
grrlscientist | April 26, 2010tags: Du bist Terrorist, You are a terrorist, internet security, online censorship, politics, satire, social control, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video
Du bist Terrorist (or "You are a terrorist" -- yes, this video has English subtitles) is a satirical response to two official German social-marketing-campaigns. One of them, Du bist Deutschland (You are Germany), was promoting nationalism and a child-friendly Germany, Du bist Terrorist is a look at today's politics in Germany, where all citizens are viewed with general suspicion and Germany has become a preventive…
grrlscientist | April 26, 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 at Attwater Prairie Chicken Refuge, Eagle Lake, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 7 November 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/350s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
If you can ID this species, can you also tell me what its former common name was and how it came by its new common name?
Please name at…