| White whale near southern beach Tasmanians have been treated to another rare whale experience. abc.net.au |
Mystery bird: Swainson's hawk, Buteo swainsoni | GrrlScientist A daily mystery bird demystified. Also includes some information about how this species was originally namedSwainson's hawk, Buteo swainsoni, dining on a dragonfly (I am uncertain of the species name for the dragonfly, but according to my reader, ThomLS, it is likely an Anax species). This large Buteo is also known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk in honour of its fondness for eating these insects. Photographed at Smith Point Hawk Watch, Chambers County, Texas.Image: Joseph Kennedy, 4 September 2010 [larger view]. I encourage you to explore this generous photographer's frequently updated website. Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/1000s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.This inaugural mystery bird image was suggested by our very generous photographer, Joseph Kennedy. Even though this is a North American Buteo, it seemed appropriate to start with because this species was named by Charles Bonaparte in honor of William Swainson, a British naturalist, artist and globetrotter. Swainson's hawks nest in semi-arid grasslands throughout the central and western interior of North America. This species is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Argentina (which may be where William Swainson encountered them during his own peregrinations). Interestingly, there is one accepted record of a vagrant Swainson's hawk popping up in Norway!GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Soyuz capsule lands in Kazakh steppe with 3 aboard By PETER LEONARD 2010-09-25T19:26:25ZALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) -- A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three astronauts who lived six months on the International Space Station touched down safely, but one day late, Saturday morning in the cloudy, central steppes of Kazakhstan.... hosted.ap.org |
Space double: Astronaut twins to join up in orbit By MARCIA DUNN 2010-10-10T03:35:47ZCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- The stars may have finally aligned for the world's only space sibling team.... hosted.ap.org |
The pope loves Homer and Bart (but not Marge and Lisa) The sad truth is that the Vatican reporter, like all religious people, is sadly, sadly deluded. The show's producer (remember, this is a CARTOON) denies that the Vatican reporter is reporting a story based in .. um .. reality.The sad truth is that the Vatican reporter, like all religious people, is sadly, sadly deluded. The show's producer (remember, this is a CARTOON) denies that the Vatican reporter is reporting a story based in .. um .. reality. The take-away message I've gotten from this bullshit is that catholics realize that women (Marge and Lisa) are less stupid than men. My spouse would probably disagree, but the (unstated) point remains intriguing to this blonde (and probably really stupid) grrl.GrrlScientistguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |