TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Video: Men – how to look hot on the dancefloor Scientists have identified the moves that make men irresistible – and the ones that make them look like their dads guardian.co.uk |
Rare plants sprout after big wet The heavy rain across much of Queensland might be causing flash flooding, cutting off towns and grounding flights, but it is also causing some people to rejoice. abc.net.au |
Remote Hawaii atoll corals suffer some bleaching By AUDREY McAVOY 2010-09-30T05:03:23ZHONOLULU (AP) -- Corals at remote atolls northwest of the main Hawaiian islands suffered some bleaching this summer as ocean temperatures rose to higher-than-normal levels for a couple of weeks, but they were spared the large-scale mass bleaching observed this year in Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia, scientists said Wednesday.... hosted.ap.org |
Mystery Bird: Dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis This lovely little mystery bird is caught up in the middle of a much larger scientific controversyLeucistic dark-eyed junco of the "Oregon" form, Junco hyemalis var. Oregonus, also sometimes known as snow birds or snow sparrows because they suddenly appear in the eastern, central and southern portions of the United States in the winter. Photographed in Fall City, Washington, USA. Image: Jamie Samans, 10 September 2010 [with binoculars].Nikon D50 w/ an 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED VR lens.Question: This migratory bird has a large range throughout North America, Mexico, Europe and it even occupies a number of islands. It has a correspondingly large number of subspecies and "morphs" that vary on a regional basis. Can you tell me which one this might be? Response: Among the 15 described races of Dark-eyed Juncos, six forms are easily recognizable in the field, five of which were considered separate species until the 1980s. This individual is a leucistic dark-eyed junco of the "Oregon" form, Junco hyemalis var. Oregonus, a group that comprises seven very similarly marked subspecies: Junco hyemalis montanus, Junco hyemalis oreganus, Junco hyemalis pinosus, Junco hyemalis pontilis, Junco hyemalis shufeldti, Junco hyemalis thurberi and Junco hyemalis townsendi. According to at least a few experts, the Oregon juncos should be treated as a separate species complex from dark-eyed juncos, which makes this bird especially interesting as a test case for the age-old question: what is a species?Embedded below is a 2 minute radio programme about the dark-eyed junco, thanks to my friends at BirdNote Radio:If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and appreciate audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Mystery bird: Western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta This bird's song transports me to a very special time and place. Are there any birdsongs that have this effect on you?Western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta, photographed at Attwater Wildlife Refuge, Texas, USA. Image: Joseph Kennedy, 8 November 2010 [velociraptorize].Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/500s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400This is an adult western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta. Hearing the sweet, bright song of this species transports me back in time and place to the semi-arid Umtanum Canyon in central Washington state. I could be sitting in my flat in Frankfurt (as I am right now), or listening to my iPod on the train in NYC or in an ornithology lab in Seattle, but as soon as I hear the song of the western meadowlark, I am -- like magic! -- suddenly a teenager again, shivering as I lay on the very hard ground wrapped in my too-thin sleeping bag, rubbing places on my back and shoulders that have gone numb whilst I slept. I am watching stars wink out as the sky pinkens, then brightens into brilliant gold above the canyon walls as this amazing bird sings. Then I am sitting up, still shivering. The icy breezes of autumn carry the scent of ripening wheat, hops and apples, and soon, I will be contributing the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee to this rich olfactory landscape. Embedded below is a 2 minute radio programme about the stunning and iconic western meadowlark and its gorgeous song, thanks to my friends at BirdNote Radio:Are there any birdsongs that transport you back to a particular time and place? If so, I'd love to read your stories. If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and (mostly) appreciative audience, feel free to email them to me for consideration.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |