Dawn Chorus: Fall in New England

by juliewolf

I love living in Vermont.  Our birds aren't as exotic as the Southwestern Species, and we don't commonly get the coastal excitement that they do over in NH and MA, but we get birds that are adaptable to the cold.  Fall in Vermont is especially interesting because we get boreal birds passing through as well as some occasional surprises.  One surprise happened to me just the other day in the form of this Barred Owl

                               

I didn't photograph it for long, but apparently it's been hanging out in this one spot, not far from my house (I could walk there without too much hassle), for months.  

Below the fold, I'll share some of our other local Fall birds, as well as a fairly major surprise/life bird.

continued at Daily Kos....

Scary Evidence of Climate Crisis I Saw With My Own Eyes

by Jill Richardson

Last month, I spent 2 weeks in Bolivia, researching food and agriculture there. Toward the end of the trip, we headed south to the department of Oruro (they divide the country into 9 departments, which are then subdivided into provinces). The trip began with a few presentations on the climate crisis, and throughout the trip, our guides pointed out the receding glaciers on the mountains. People we met commented again and again about the flood last January, the rains being late this spring, etc.

But this was all known. Then, on the 9th day of the trip, we ran into a surprise. It was one more indication of global warming, but it was something that even our guide had not observed before.

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Hawai'i - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is a photo diaries meant only as a brief respite from the ugliness of the day and as a reminder that we share this fragile planet with all manner of amazing creatures. I hope you enjoy your visit here.

The Waianae Coast

continued at Daily Kos....

A More Ancient World: The Forests of the Night, the Silence of the Sea (Warning - Many Photos)

by matching mole

I'm going to post-pone part II of the Great Barrier Reef for a week to take a bit of break for Hallowe'en.  Below the fold are a bunch of scary looking critters.  A lot of biologists and environmental types attempt to de-scarify snakes, spiders, etc.  This is a valuable thing to do - it saddens me to see people so cut off from the natural world that their response to any organism is (unjustified) fear, horror, or disgust.

And yet...

continued at Daily Kos....

Hawai'i Underwater and More - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

Welcome to another one of these photo diaries meant as a brief respite from the stuggles of the day and as a reminder that we share this planet with all manner of wonderful critters...

Byodo-In Temple in Kaneohe
...and the occasional beautiful human-created space.  
(this is an infrared-HDR photo)

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Hawai'i and More - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

Good evening.  It is time for another one of these photo diaries provided only as a brief respite from the struggles of the day and as a brief reminder that we share this planet with all manner of amazing critters. I hope you enjoy your visit here.

Molokai Dawn

continued at Daily Kos....

Hiking in the Green Mountains {A photo Earthship}

by eKos

Welcome to the eKos Earthship, your one-stop-shop for green diaries and series.

Announcement: the server hosting eKos software is temporarily down, so the Flash widget isn't working right now. Hopefully it will be back up soon.

Tonight, we're doing something a little different. I'm going to share some photos of my weekend on a section of the Long Trail in beautiful Vermont. This of course will be accompanied by our usual eco-diary roundup.

Peruse the eKos Library to find previously listed diaries. You can also follow eKos on Twitter.

Tonight's editor: patrick

All views expressed by today's editor do not necessarily represent those of eKos or eKos listed diarists.

continued at Daily Kos....

The Amazing charity: water, in Photos

by Patric Juillet

Last year I wrote a little noticed diary about a man who is bringing clean, potable water to thousands of folks in parts of the world where it's badly needed. Read about Scott Harrison's charity: water. I posted it on New Year's Eve and that might explain the slow traffic.

                                                 

This story is personal to me as one of my uncles lived in the Central African Republic, in Bangui, where he was stationed in the fifties and sixties to teach farming. As a kid I remember watching in awe the grainy B&W films he used to send to us twice a year.

Despite the economic downturn, charity: water has managed to perform miracles for the Bayaka in the Central African Republic.

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Hawai'i - A Photo Diary with bOObies

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another one of these photo diaries meant as a small refuge from the strugggles of the day and as a brief reminder that we share this planet with all manner of amazing critters. I hope you enjoy your visit here.

Sea Star Shrimp Periclimenes soror on a Cushion Star Culcita novaguineae
When you turn over these echinoderms you often find these tiny crustaceans.  Their color varies to match their host.

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Hawai'i - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another one of these photo diaries meant to provide a brief respite from Tea Party insanity and Meta Madness and as a reminder that we share this planet with a wide variety of amazing critters.  These photos with a couple of exceptions were taken this past weekend.  I hope you enjoy your visit here.

He'eia
Windward Oahu.

continued at Daily Kos...

Underwater Hawai'i with Boobies - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another in a series of photo diaries intended as a brief respite from the struggles of the day and as a reminder that we share this planet with an amazing variety of critters.  I hope you enjoy your visit here.

Spotted Eagle Ray
This is a case of trying to salvage a low-contrast technically flawed photo using some software tools to give a different look. Maybe not entirely successful but better than the original.

continued at Daily Kos....

Hawai'i Underwater - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another photo diary meant to provide a brief respite from the stuggles of the day and as a reminder that we share this planet with all matter of amazing critters. These photos were taken this past weekend, including sunrise at Lanai Lookout at the eastern end of Oahu and during four dives on the west side of the island.  I hope you enjoy your visit here.

Pre-Dawn

continued at Daily Kos....

Underwater Hawai'i - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another of these diaries meant as a respite from the stuggles of the day and as a reminder that we share this planet with a huge variety of incredible creatures.  Remember we are all related.

These photos were taken during four dives this past weekend on the north shore of Oahu in Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District. I hope you enjoy your visit.

Rain Over the Mokuluas

continued at Daily Kos....

Okavango Wildlife - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

Another one of these diaries meant to provide a brief respite from.. well you know.  These photos were taken in the Okavango and Linyanti regions of northwest Botswana.

Savuti Sunset

continued at Daily Kos....

Hawai'i Underwater - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another in a series of diaries meant only as a brief respite from the stuggles and infuriations of the day and as a reminder that we share this planet with all manner of amazing critters.  These photos were taken during a handfull of dives over the past two weekends including a night dive last night at Pupukea Marine Reserve. I hope you enjoy your visit.

Lanikai Beach

continued at Daily Kos....

Biodiversity Photodiary: Carnivorous Plants and Friends (aka Little Blog of Horrors)

by matching mole

This is the international year for biodiversity.  Early this year I planned to write a series of diaries in honor of the year.  I haven't got very far but will try to make up for it now.  Yesterday I finally visited a habitat I'd heard quite a bit about ever since we first considered moving to Tallahassee over three years ago.  Although the Florida panhandle is called the redneck Riviera and is rightfully known for its right wing politics, it is also one of the most biodiverse regions of the US.  The long leaf pine forests, rivers, and swamps house an incredible diversity of plants, reptiles, and other forms of life.  One spectacular example of this diversity are bogs filled with carnivorous plants.

continued at Daily Kos....

African Wildlife and More - A Photo Diary

by Haole in Hawaii

This is another one of these diaries.  You probably know the drill by now.  No meta or conflict, just some photos of wildlife and some beautiful things.  I have to say that I am in a serious post vacation funk abetted by tons of ugly news and a country that seems to have gone utterly insane. I doubt I am alone in my anger and disgust.  I hope this helps in some small way.

The Mokuluas, Oahu

continued at Daily Kos....

Dawn Chorus Birdblog: The Virginia Rail And Poetry

by Pam LaPier

A secretive, diminutive bird that seldom vocalizes outside the breeding season, the Virginia Rails are a hard bird to track so its precise status is unknown. One thing is for certain, the oil that has proven so deadly for the other wildlife of the Gulf region will have an impact on these vulnerable creatures.

continued at Daily Kos....

Bikes In Heat On Open Streets! - A Portland Photo Diary

by JayinPortland

I don't know why I do this, but I hang my jacket on this planter hook on the ceiling right in front of my window.  At least 3 or 4 days a week I slowly open my eyes to what looks like some huge guy standing over my bed pullout couch in the dark, at which point my heart considers early retirement.  For a few seconds at least, until I get my bearings and remember that it's just my jacket and that jackets only attack people in weird cult flicks.

So anyways, this is how I started my day.  Jumped in the shower, choked down a bowl of oatmeal and cursed myself for not setting the coffee maker last night.  Well, I'll just hit the coffee shop across the street for a cup and I should make the bus because it's not due for...

Now.

Whoops.  Okay, well now I have 17 minutes to get my cup of coffee and make it back to the bus stop.  And I did.  We're heading up to work SE Portland Sunday Parkways, and then we're gonna hit the Hawthorne Street Fair for a little bit afterwards.  Come along!

continued at Daily Kos....

Bikes in Istanbul?

by citisven

A while ago I wrote about a bicycle tour I took as part of the Ecocity World Summit last December in Istanbul. It was organized by Bisikletliler, the Istanbul and Turkish Cyclist Association, and afterward I got to speak to their founder and captain, Murat Suyabatmaz, about the challenges and opportunities of bringing bicycle infrastructure and culture to a rapidly growing megalopolis of currently 15 million.

Parts of the interview are integrated in a piece entitled Istanbul and Bicycling, Like Dark Bread It's Good For Everyone I just posted yesterday on sfgate.com, but I thought our talk was inspiring and educating enough to post it here in its entirety.

continued at Daily Kos...