tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100956732024-03-07T19:41:34.553-08:00Filling the SpaceInteresting finds about space and science.Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.comBlogger332125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-2247830434870845742013-08-27T19:35:00.001-07:002013-08-27T19:36:23.939-07:00Maine is the Place to see Red and Blue LobsterOur recent stop at the Mount Desert Oceanarium in Bar Harbor, Maine, we were introduced to this fine blue lobster:
We were taught many things about lobsters, especially how the hatchery operated to keep the population of lobsters brimming and full.
I guess if you're going to go eat lobsters, then you should be prepared to help out and understand the lives of the fisherman that bringSheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-64080478676336621922013-07-15T21:37:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:24:52.968-07:00Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) Spotted at Orlando Wetlands
Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) Spotted at Orlando Wetlands, a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr.
This Limpkin ( Aramus guarauna ) posed for us at Orlando Wetlands, Christmas, Florida. He might be a bit hard to identify since he's found with the rails and storks rather than the herons in your guidebook. His beak is what makes him standout differently from juvenile herons, as does the Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-4835282451808602592013-07-10T17:28:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:26:13.094-07:00Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus)
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus Virginianus), a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr.
You'd think with two friends named Bob White and a husband named Bob, I'd see more of these quail type birds, but we just got a glimpse last time hiking at the Econ River Wilderness Area, Florida. I think they had babies because two adults came out of an area with lots of cheeps. One spread one wing out, the Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-52643019731642549662013-06-28T20:07:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:28:49.428-07:00Rook (Corvus frugilegus), the Crow that's Not a Crow
Rook (Corvus frugilegus), the Crow that's Not a Crow, a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr. I spotted this Rook in Ireland at the place where Irish Kings were crowned in Tara, Ireland.
Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-70757529396228038482013-06-24T12:32:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:29:50.101-07:00Time to replace the batteries: EaglePicher to provide thermal lithium batteries for Air Force HARM anti-radiation missile - Avionics IntelligenceTime to replace the batteries: EaglePicher to provide thermal lithium batteries for Air Force HARM anti-radiation missile - Avionics Intelligence
Apparently these batteries are safe enough for missile use. I wonder what is happening with the Boeing Dreamliner batteries?
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/0520/Boeing-787-Dreamliner-back-in-US-skies.-Battery-questions-linger
Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-1761660143291646082013-05-23T08:51:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:32:00.255-07:00Two Male Redhead (Aythya americana) and Identifying Ducks
Two Male Redhead (Aythya americana), a photo by Sheri Fresonke Harper on Flickr.
Learning your ducks is one of the easiest way to start learning to identify birds in the wild. The reason is ducks are large, don't move away really fast at least not always, and each species is quite distinct. Also, identifying ducks can be easy because they are often found throughout the US during winter when Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-32871425223119458402013-05-01T19:56:00.001-07:002013-05-01T19:58:06.203-07:00Identifying a Snowy Egret from Other Possible White Birds
This photo shows two features to look at when looking at the white birds in Florida and trying to identify them. A Snowy Egret has a yellow rim around the eye, and his foot is yellow. Other birds that may be similar to the Snowy Egret include the Cattle Egret (often has yellow on the head), Great Egret (much taller, black bill, black legs (no yellow)), little blue heron (white phase note the Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-33235917069018485282013-04-04T18:24:00.000-07:002013-04-04T18:25:38.825-07:00Disk Clam ( Dosinia discus) Shell Found at Canaveral National Seashore
We took a nice long walk the other day at Canaveral National Seashore. We walked half-in half-out of the water, just below where the Atlantic Ocean water ended on the beach and slightly above in the wet sand were a mess of washed up seashells. So I wondered what king of creatures lived in these. This is a Disk Clam (Dosinia discus), the name chosen because of the nearly round shape. The shell Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0Canaveral National Seashore, South Washington Avenue, Titusville, FL 32796, USA28.7868818 -80.75469799999996228.3416148 -81.400144999999966 29.2321488 -80.109250999999958tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-65298679758186297392013-04-02T17:33:00.000-07:002013-04-02T17:34:49.467-07:00Green Sea Urchin (Lytechinus semituberdulatus), Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Here's a cool shell found in the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. It's the shell of an endemic, or locally found, green sea urchin ( Lytechinus semituberculatus ), I think, because of the green coloring. The coloring could be caused by other reasons, I guess. We saw the living green sea urchins below water, too.
Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-34199380462449535362013-03-23T18:29:00.001-07:002013-11-28T10:17:41.834-08:00Fawn-Breasted Brilliant (Helidoxa rubinoides) | Flickr - Photo Sharing!Fawn-Breasted Brilliant (Helidoxa rubinoides) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! This is just one of the birds we spotted on our ecotour led by San Jorge Lodges. See more on my Ecuador Birds set. We spent about 10 days with San Jorge Lodges and by the end of our trip had spotted over 100 birds, some in the Galapagos Islands.Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-42702783142525472282013-02-26T13:15:00.000-08:002013-02-26T13:15:10.041-08:00Violet-tailed SylphWhile bird watching in the mountains of Ecuador near Quito at the San Jorge Tandayapa Lodge, we spotted this Violet-tailed Sylph (Aglaiocercus coelestis). A male, his tail is quite conspicuous. The bronze on his shoulder, the matching violet at throat, and the straight black bill help to make the identification. He's also found in the mountains between 800 meters and 1950 meters.
The lodge Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-18968739040724336492013-02-24T19:26:00.000-08:002013-02-24T19:26:11.250-08:00Viewing the Space Shuttle at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, ALWhen I worked at the Boeing factory in Huntsville, Alabama on a government missile project I had many weekends to explore the south. One highlight was a visit to the Marshall Space Flight Center at the US Army Redstone Arsenal. One of the first things people see is the Space Shuttle sitting on a rocket booster.
You can see a tiny people underneath it in the photograph. It's quite awesomeSheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-24290402620583366452013-02-20T15:02:00.001-08:002013-11-28T10:18:32.498-08:00Departing Space Station Commander Provides Tour of Orbital Laboratory
This walking tour shows how many different modules have been added onto the
ISS and how many are coming and all the different missions (in brief). The
biggest part is how astronauts move around on the ISS. And how they live--
eat, work, use the facilities, sleep, and arrive and depart. There looks like
many places that are cool to hang out.Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-47620825441940544812012-11-12T16:59:00.001-08:002012-11-12T16:59:58.889-08:00Corkscrew Swamp
One of the reasons my husband and I always liked to visit the Fort Meyers, Florida region where my in-laws lived was because of the terrific birding opportunities. One of the places we loved to visit is the Audubon managed Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Corkscrew Swamp has two loop trails, one inner and one outer. The two trails traverse several different kinds of ecosystems. This one pictured is Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-30676838354762685322012-08-22T20:19:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:33:51.672-07:00Unusual Bug Spotted on the Golf Course--How to IDI found an unusual bug, for me anyway since I'm new to the south of the US and new to Florida.
Here's the bug photo:
So I went looking to see what he might be. I found two species, closely related in the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. One was a stink bug and the other was a plant bug. Both bugs have many different species. So then I went Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-26667420813973981512012-08-13T13:02:00.001-07:002013-09-20T21:35:46.667-07:00Best Golf Spectators--Sand Hill Cranes
This is how you know that your golf game is really bad. First of all, your ball lies in the sand trap. And second of all, the Sand Hill Cranes won't even pay any attention to you. This photograph was take at Twin Rivers Golf Course in Oviedo, Florida.
I wanted them to look up so I could have a good picture but they just kept at their grooming. We've followed this family since the chicks were Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-551875733405426122012-06-08T12:51:00.003-07:002013-11-28T10:16:18.048-08:00
Boston Common -- the gardens here are a mix of ponds, playing fields, open spaces, statues, and mixed flowers, some annuals and some perennials like these roses still in bloom in autumn. The lamp posts show its well lighted after dusk but provide a focal point for viewing the garden design. Red is a good contrast to green. The rounded shrubs help break up the vertical lines of the weeping Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-4905966667938442152012-05-23T11:32:00.001-07:002012-05-23T11:32:41.660-07:00
Red fox (vulpes fulva) are found in most states of the United States, except for along the Rocky Mountains. They like a habitat of open country, forest. This one was spotted on a golf course in Pennsylvania to my delight. He was playing, snooping along the forest margin and batting at things he found. My first ever sighting of a red fox was also on a golf course--West Seattle Golf Course Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-6326014097844388842012-05-22T21:45:00.000-07:002012-05-22T21:45:32.163-07:00
This American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) spotted at our bird feeder in Renton, WA, is molting--> his feathers changing from winter colors into his breeding colors. Goldfinches like thistle seed and will come to a feeder than has thistle in it. They eat from very tiny slots. Most thistle feeders are squirrel proof because of the narrow slot. A metal tube placed around a bird feeder Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0418-598 S 55th St, Kent, WA 98031, USA47.431803338643334 -122.217407226562547.088963838643338 -122.8491212265625 47.774642838643331 -121.5856932265625tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-90174929336280207472012-05-19T22:00:00.001-07:002014-03-03T13:39:44.738-08:00What to See on the Road from Oslo, Norway to Karlstadt, SwedenWhat to See on the Road from Oslo, Norway to Karlstadt, Sweden
Some of the smaller, out of the way exploration we did while traveling by car in Scandinavia turned out to be the most fun and entirely unplanned. Karlstadt was our favorite town to visit, although Oslo in the springtime feels wild.Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-19142950936360502512012-05-10T09:47:00.001-07:002012-05-10T09:47:09.126-07:00
Pileated Woodpeckers (dryocopus pileatus) are often seen on rotting wood, either on the ground or on old stumps. The first pileated woodpecker bird sighting was at my property in Renton, WA in February on a electric pole. Pileated woodpeckers often only stayed during migration then moved on to richer territory. They like evergreens. As a birdwatcher, I've found they will come to a suet feeder Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-66165520785280654122012-05-06T20:05:00.001-07:002013-11-28T10:19:36.697-08:00
Great Blue Herons are one of my favorite birds. They roosted in my home town Renton, WA, along the Black River. This one was spotted in Maryland, near Ocean City.
Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-52759651813494702132012-04-16T17:59:00.001-07:002013-11-28T10:20:25.997-08:00A review of This Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias B. Freese :: The Compulsive Reader :: A Haven for Book LoversA review of This Mobius Strip of Ifs by Mathias B. Freese :: The Compulsive Reader :: A Haven for Book Lovers
Mathias B. Freese is always thoughtful, questions reality and has interesting remarks to make about many stages in life; he, in fact, offers up his belief that life is somewhat like the Mobius Strip used in his title, circulating round and round and sometimes offering up a bit of magic Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-9951960455673470432012-04-11T18:21:00.001-07:002013-11-28T10:22:45.575-08:00Rising Ocean Temperatures Prime Amazon Rainforest for Fire: Scientific AmericanRising Ocean Temperatures Prime Amazon Rainforest for Fire: Scientific American
The see saw affects as nature tries to balance rising CO2 emissions and resulting affects. In the case, fire adding more CO2 after drought. Fire adds additional carbon into the atmosphere helping to create the continual feedback loop that is involved in the green house effect.Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10095673.post-23909836442745128222012-04-03T17:51:00.001-07:002013-11-28T10:25:56.546-08:00Where to Spy the Elusive Trogons Worldwide - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com{EAV:9bc30a093f76ab5a}Where to Spy the Elusive Trogons Worldwide - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Where we've spotted Trogons during our travels. They are a large bird, that often throws their voice. So many times birdwatchers look too high to find them. They like a level branch, with a good view, usually 15' or more above you, although sometimes higher.Sheri Fresonke Harperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04357117526070985469noreply@blogger.com0