Beautiful Biology

Orcas Island, WA April 2019

All rights reserved by twurdemann on Flickr

NEW ECOTYPE NEW ECOTYPE NEW ECOTYPE

Seeing lots of white-throated sparrows around the city.

Fall in Wisconsin

October is kinglet month here in the city. Ruby-crowned & golden-crowned kinglets from this weekend. Hope to have a shot in focus eventually. They are hyperactive, tiny and fast!

It’s a baby bat ray brunch! Using plate-like teeth to grind and chew their sustainable seafood, these youngsters will grow quickly into their role as majestic sea flap flaps.

why have i been disgraced

cruelty

Soft clouds and distant rain set a stunning mountain scene at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. A hike to the top of Elk Mountain Trail offers spectacular views and a rewarding glimpse of the valley. The refuge has 15 miles of designated hiking trails that wind along rocky stretches, scrub oak forest and over grass prairie. Wildlife abounds along these trails. Bring plenty of water, a map and a sense of adventure. It’s national wildlife refuge week and we’re happy to celebrate the vast diversity of the amazing land and waters that make up the National Wildlife Refuge System. Photo by Kim Isaac (www.sharetheexperience.org).

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How toxic mercury moves through the environment—and accumulates in the fish that people eat—has been known for decades. Now, scientists have discovered an unexpected way that the neurotoxin circulates in lakes, hitching a late-night ride inside small predatory crustaceans dubbed “ghost fleas.” The finding helps explain why some lake fish contain surprising amounts of mercury. It also suggests researchers who sample lakes only during the day might be missing important clues to how those ecosystems work.

Tiny, feisty rufous hummingbirds are known for their long migrations, which take them up and down the length of North America each year. Now, they have a new claim to fame: They can keep track of particularly juicy flowers depending on where they appear—first, second, or even fourth—in a line-up of blooms. Although this understanding of “numerical order” may sound simple, it’s a complex skill that may help hummingbirds remember the easiest routes between nectar-rich flowers. It’s also the first time researchers have seen the ability in a wild vertebrate.