Poodle moth, Venezuela

Poodle moth, Venezuela, a photo by artour_a on Flickr.

Filed under: Science, nature

Know your coffee birds: Blue-crowned Motmot — Coffee & Conservation

Coffee & Conservation provides information about the connection between coffee and the environment — especially bird habitat.

One bird that frequents environmental sensitive coffee plantations is the Blue-crowned Motmot (Momotus momota), a “member of a family of New World tropical birds related to kingfishers. Like kingfishers, they nest in burrows which they dig themselves into soil cliffs or road cuts; these burrows are five to up to 14 feet long, and winding. Most motmots are medium-sized (robin size or larger), and are sit-and-wait predators of large insects, small reptiles or mammals and similarly sized prey, along with a little fruit.

The Blue-crowned Motmot is the most widely distributed motmot, and is found from Mexico to Argentina in lowland forests, on up to 1300 meters. It’s fairly tolerant of somewhat disturbed habitats, and thus can be found in open woodlands and second-growth forest such as those found on shade coffee plantations.”

Know your coffee birds: Blue-crowned Motmot — Coffee & Conservation.

Filed under: Coffee, birds, nature, South America

Animal Cam: Condor Chick at the San Diego Zoo

This Condor chick is only two weeks old. You can visit her at SDZ Global Wildlife Conservancy – Video – Condor Cam and vote between now and April 2nd on her name.

And here’s mom:

#animalcam #raptorcam

Filed under: Feel Good, animal cam, nature, raptors

Animal Cam: Red-tailed Hawk Nest at Cornell University

Live! Red-tailed Hawk Nest at Cornell University, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This is the female, Big Red, who just laid her third egg on March 22 and the clutch is likely complete. Incubation lasts 28-35 days, so hatching should be around the week of April 13.  You can also vote on a name for her male partner.

The sounds are not anything special, compared to those of the Bald Eagle Cam, but the site has a chat feature which can be fun.

#animalcam #raptorcam

Filed under: Feel Good, animal cam, nature, raptors

Animal Cam: Bald Eagle Feeding

More pics from Alcoa Bald Eagle Camera at Davenport Works.

#baldeaglecam

Filed under: Feel Good, animal cam, nature

Animal Cam: Bald Eagles [updated]

I haven’t figured out yet how to just watch the cam of these bald eagles without the surrounding corporate material, but this is nonetheless wonderful: Alcoa Bald Eagle Camera at Davenport Works.

The sounds are also wonderful.  I’ve had it playing all morning in the background – it’s really made a change to the feel of my office.

Update: I think the eagles might be onto us:

Filed under: Feel Good, animal cam, nature