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No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
They may be dressed in black, but crow funerals aren’t the solemn events that we hold for our dead. These birds cause a ruckus around their fallen friend. Are they just scared, or is there something deeper going on?
This is another installment of the PBS Deep Look series; this installment is adapted from the “It’s OK to be Smart” series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
Dance: and the Birds-of-Paradise | Cornell / National Geographic
The bizarre dances of birds-of-paradise aren’t mere flights of fancy. Young males inherit those dance steps from their fathers, then refine them through practice and watching adults. Less obvious but equally important are the watchful females—look for them in these video clips. It’s ultimately their choices that decide which dances reach the next generation. The Cornell Lab’s Ed Scholes explains. Filmed and photographed by Tim Laman.
There are currently seventy-two short films in the entire Birds-of-Paradise Project playlist, ranging from 26 seconds to 8:29. In the upcoming weeks, we will present some of our favorites.
A film from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
Blog News – Advertising
You may have noticed advertising appearing on the bottom of emailed blog postings, and on the blog itself. We noticed their appearance starting with the Sept. 28, 2018 posting. There is nothing SMBAS can do about these ads or “you might like” postings. We use a free version of WordPress for our blog and we would have to pay for the ads to go away. WordPress has always had the right to insert these ads which they say “offset the cost of supplying the program for free,” but they haven’t done so until now. Rumor has it that this has something to do with communicating with FaceBook, but we don’t know if that’s true.
We like WordPress and think it’s a very good webhost (and we’re used to it), so we’re going to stay with it. If you don’t like the ads at the bottom, please ignore them. If you save the emails from out blog, you can delete the ads from them while saving our critically important text and fabulous photos.
We’ve put a message permanently into the right sidebar which reads:
Advertising on this site and in the
emails sent to subscribers is inserted
by WordPress and not by SMBAS.
Thank you for your attention.
[Chuck Almdale]
How Evolution Turned A Possum Into A Wolf | PBS Science Video
Until the early 20th century, Tasmania was home to a very weird wolf-like creature. Except that it wasn’t a wolf. Even though it looked like a wolf. How did that happen? Here’s the science of convergent evolution! Want to see more of the interview with Rob? Click here.
After you’ve watched this video, you can go back to my Malibu Lagoon 9/23/18 trip blog, check out again the photo of the lobed toes of the Coot, and read my attempt at explaining convergent evolution.
This is an installment of the PBS – It’s OK to be Smart series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
Voices: Willow Ptarmigan | Cornell Lab of Ornithology
There are few birds whose vocalizations are as comical as those of the Willow Ptarmigan. The Lab’s Charles Eldermire describes the experience of hearing this arctic grouse first hand.
A film from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. The Lab is a member-supported organization; they welcome your membership and support. [Chuck Almdale]
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