tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post2604811844112201517..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Mexico Part 1: How Frigatebirds Are Sort Of Like Mexican CopsWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-51204042671713801262011-03-31T10:22:10.201-06:002011-03-31T10:22:10.201-06:00Wow, this just takes me back to Mexico! I went on ...Wow, this just takes me back to Mexico! I went on a hike south of PV and saw wild parrots (?) in the jungle, and completely and utterly fell in love with the frigates, who couldn't? Was sad to see the beach goers feeding them french fries however. Much better in Barra de Navidad...they don't eat junk there. Wonderful blog...I will keep reading.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-58155665958348623262010-04-20T21:27:42.562-06:002010-04-20T21:27:42.562-06:00Another great post, as always. Parental sex should...Another great post, as always. Parental sex should be very cool with us on a genetic level: since you have no genetically closer relatives than your siblings, your genes should be very happy to see your parents making more of them! <br /><br />On the fines: conflict or confluence of interest? In classical Athens, there were no criminal suits, only civil prosecutions, and if you took it upon yourself to prosecute, then you kept the fine—so there was an incentive for you as a citizen to police your comrades. Conversely, if you got less than a fifth of the jury to vote your way, you got fined, as a measure of protection against frivolous prosecution.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01823267394299389825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-85050921959576973652010-04-20T21:21:49.068-06:002010-04-20T21:21:49.068-06:00The grackles are making their reappearance in nort...The grackles are making their reappearance in northern Arizona, and no matter how many times I hear them, their vocalizations always come as a shock. They're like cold water, fingernails on chalkboard, and wasabi all rolled into one. They're the ornithological equivalent of Howler monkeys.<br /><br />Congratulations on your mutually satisfying encounter with the policeman. Can I rent you next time I drive to Mexico?<br /><br />~ShelleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-50703701373439793772010-04-20T10:34:14.567-06:002010-04-20T10:34:14.567-06:00Christopher- Yes, they are another common New Worl...Christopher- Yes, they are another common New World thing with a lame name. My personal pet peeve: “<a href="http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2008/07/piney-looking-trees-part-2-douglas-fir.html" rel="nofollow">Douglas Fir</a>”, <i>Pseuotsuga</i>, which is of course neither <a href="http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2008/07/piney-looking-trees-part-3-white-fir-is.html" rel="nofollow">Fir</a>* nor <i>Tsuga</i> (<a href="http://watchingtheworldwakeup.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-tree-geeks-do-on-rainy-days-blog.html" rel="nofollow">Hemlock</a>).<br /><br />*Back like 50 or 60 years ago <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_C._Peattie" rel="nofollow">Donald Peattie</a> made an attempt to rename it the “Douglas tree”, but it never took hold.<br /><br />Sally- So supposedly the Boat-tailed Grackle, <i>Q. major</i>, is now just thought to be a subspecies of GT Grackle. But maybe it’ll change again. And the whole issue of municipalities and taxes should make for a good tangent sometime…<br /><br />Yes, it was in South Park. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but way back when, my first winter in CO, I was driving alone late at night along 285 through South Park, probably 70-75MPH. It was a full moon, and though the road was bone-dry, the landscape was snow-covered. Out of curiosity, I killed my headlights for about 20 seconds, and I could drive just fine, bright as day. (Of course my night-vision was a lot better ~ 20 years ago…)Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-63144462690354807302010-04-20T08:15:10.889-06:002010-04-20T08:15:10.889-06:00In Arizona we had something called "boat-tail...In Arizona we had something called "boat-tailed" grackles; I wonder if they're a different species. (Yes, I'll rouse myself and look it up sometime.)<br /><br />Your creative solution to inflation is interesting, except for the fact that small municipalities rely on this as a significant source of income. Indirect bribery... interesting! Our local PD seems to have a lot of new "toys" lately.<br /><br />20 mph over on 285? Hope it was one of the South Park stretches and not the Platte Canyon/Kenosha Pass one!Sallyhttp://foothillsfancies.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-2217286976246443272010-04-19T17:08:43.334-06:002010-04-19T17:08:43.334-06:00Icterids bug me. Or rather, the nomenclature of ic...Icterids bug me. Or rather, the nomenclature of icterids bugs me. I mean, a sizeable, clearly recognisable group of birds, on one of the major English-speaking continents, and there's no bloody decent vernacular name for them as a whole? "New World blackbirds"? Only a few of them are primarily black. "New World orioles"? They're not an oriole - give them a name of their own, for heaven's sake - and besides, the 'orioles' are again only one small subgroup. Even 'icterid' is pretty lousy - <i>icterus</i> means 'yellow', and again only refers to a subset.Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-36406115610857162352010-04-19T13:56:30.698-06:002010-04-19T13:56:30.698-06:00Confession: I had not heard of Grackles before tod...Confession: I had not heard of Grackles before today.<br /><br />The bribe: Your kids got a bonus culture lesson.<br /><br />Parents having sex: logically you are correct, but it still seems weird to be OK with your parents getting it on. A small scene in "dances With Wolves" shows a Native American couple getting frisky under the bearskin in the family teepee. I had never considered how intimate relations were conducted if you only have one room, but it totally makes sense.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-8542344511270032222010-04-19T13:38:33.795-06:002010-04-19T13:38:33.795-06:00SBJ- there sure are pelicans up around Antelope/GS...SBJ- there sure are pelicans up around Antelope/GSL. Different species though- ours are American White Pelicans, <i>Pelecanus erythrorhynchos</i>; the PV Pelicans are Brown Pelicans, <i>P. occidentalis</i>.<br /><br />I considered blogging about pelicans this trip, but figured I might get around to them locally on a future GSL-related post.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-55945179490217959142010-04-19T11:29:36.615-06:002010-04-19T11:29:36.615-06:00I hadn't had been pulled over in ten years. Un...I hadn't had been pulled over in ten years. Until I moved back to Utah. Two tickets in less than a year. And based on the amounts of the fines and locations of the officers, it had far less to do with public safety than municipal revenue.<br /><br />As for birds, I was hiking on Antelope Island yesterday, and I'll be damned if I didn't see pelicans. Am I making this up, or are there pelicans on the Great Salt Lake?Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-13634071913800704162010-04-19T08:42:23.609-06:002010-04-19T08:42:23.609-06:00BIRD POST! my favorite!
GT Grackles are actually t...BIRD POST! my favorite!<br />GT Grackles are actually the dominant grackle species in the Dallas area. I'm convinced they're the source of cinematic sci-fi sound effects.Marissa Buschowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902867977131616596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-84137298079368573602010-04-19T07:47:24.153-06:002010-04-19T07:47:24.153-06:00Loved the pic of the "New World Monkeys"...Loved the pic of the "New World Monkeys". Hilarious! And I have also wondered about that aspect of evolution in which a species diverges for millions of years but their ancestors seem to arrive at a common destination anyway. Is there some pre-destined evolutionary path that all species are headed?<br /><br />So, how did you explain the bribery and did he understand? Or will this incident re-emerge with a phone call from the principal asking why he was trying to bribe a teacher when caught misbehaving? Ha Ha - just kidding! <br /><br />mtb wAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com