Photo Credit: John Mason
Bird of the Day: African Village Weaver (Kakum National Park, Ghana)
Photo Credit: John Mason
Yosemite’s Finest
Sunrise over the Merced River after a winter snowstorm, Yosemite National Park, California. Photo by Flickr/Getty Images
Listen to the description of Yosemite in the words of someone who knows:
I sit in an alpine lake basin and eat my lunch: cheese and crackers, lemonade, and an apple. I lay my head on my knapsack, which is almost an extension of myself. I have had it for a long time, and thanks to all of the food I have carried in it, it is an odoriferous repository of memory of peaks climbed and meadows traversed, of the sounds of meadow thrush in canyons, of canyons idled in to feel sunlight and wind on skin, to see the waning light of day and the starry light of night, and be bathed in the ambience of alpenglow. The sounds of gurgling streams — like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony — banish all worry from the human soul. Continue reading
Traditional Kerala Attire
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Kasavu Mundu and Kasavu Neryathu are traditional handloom cotton fabrics with Kasavu (golden brocade) used for saris and as dress material by the Malayalee people. Woman elegantly wear the mundu (sarong type skirt) and neryathu (draped shoulder cloth) over a traditional sari blouse. Kerala men wear the mundu around the waist and the neryathu around the shoulders. Continue reading
Conservation Could
The Ryukyu Black-breasted Leaf Turtle is the subject of Japan’s first ever listing proposal to CITES © Taku Sakod
We are always hoping for good news related to wildlife, whether through habitat conservation, rebounding endangered species, or any of a number of other worthy initiatives to reverse human impact on our fellow species on this planet. We often find more bad news than good. Several stories we have linked to recently report on the progress, and lack thereof, at the CITES gathering in Thailand. This conservation story evokes a certain engine that could:
Bangkok, Thailand, 8th March 2013—Japan is asking the world’s governments to help protect the Ryukyu Black-breasted Leaf Turtle, a rare turtle found on only three small islands in the Okinawa group. Continue reading
Vegetarian Roulette
Yonan says he became a vegetarian in part for health reason, but also for environmental ones.
Click the image above to go to the podcast of this interview with Washington Post food editor Joe Yonan. It is funny to think that committing to a vegetarian diet could pose a career risk to anyone, but if you are a food-focsed writer or editor, of course:
You could see how high cholesterol might be a job hazard for these folks. “The meals that we food people get into can sometimes be way over-the-top of the kinds of things that normal people eat,” Yonan says.
But it’s not just foodies who are cutting back on meat. In a poll conducted last year with Truven Health Analytics, NPR found that 39 percent of adults surveyed said they eat less meat than they did three years ago. The main reason they cited for the change? Health concerns. Continue reading
San Francisco Bay Trail, CA
Bird of the Day: Red-tailed Hawk
From Behind the Wheel: Truth In Advertising
Thekkady
The Poetry of Science
This conversation between two luminaries of modern science: Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and host of NOVA and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins is as poetic as it is informative, and well worth the time it takes to listen.
Professor Dawkins says that science is the poetry of reality. We take pleasure in his and Professor Tyson’s expanded bandwidth… Continue reading
Hindhu Festival – Maha Shivaratri
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Maha Shivaratri means “the great night of Shiva”. Shiva- the name meaning auspicious- is one of the Hindu Trinity, comprised of Lord Brahma The Creator; Lord Vishnu The Preserver and Lord Shiva The Destroyer. This festival is said to commemorate the day on which Shiva protected the world by drinking a pot of poison that had the power to destroy the entire universe. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Spot-billed Pelican
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Bangalore, Karnataka
CJ, Kashmir And Awesome Powder At The Top Of The World
Russ Juskalian for The New York Times. A skier in a backcountry section of the Gulmarg area.
Our friends at the New York Times appear to agree with our friend CJ that the place to be this ski season is Kashmir. Click the image to go to the story in the Travel section of Sunday’s edition:
The risks of a ski trip to Kashmir? Security, avalanches and the altitude. The rewards? Perfect powder, an absence of crowds and staggering Himalayan beauty.
Flavours Of Kerala – Idli
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Idli is a South Indian savoury cake made by steaming a batter made with fermented rice powder, black gram dal and salt in a special pan with rounded indentations. Idlis are popular throughout India especially the southern part of the country. The dish is usually served with sambar and various chutneys, including tomato, coconut or coriander.
Continue reading
If You Happen To Be in New York City
From today until May 19 the New-York Historical Society will begin hosting a multi-phased exhibition of Audubon‘s early, exuberant period as an illustrator-naturalist:
Audubon’s Aviary: Part I of the Complete Flock
To celebrate the sesquicentennial of the New-York Historical Society’s purchase of the Audubon avian watercolors and the the release of the lavishly illustrated book Audubon’s Aviary: The Original Watercolors for “The Birds of America”―published by the New-York Historical Society and Skira/Rizzoli and winner of a 2013 New York Book Show Award Continue reading
Don Edwards Wildlife Preserve, CA
Bird of the Day: Great Blue Heron
For Foodie Friends
This is the third of the “From Scratch” entrepreneurship-focused podcasts we have sampled, and each one so far has been excellent. The first two had a very strong connection to conservation, which explains why we sampled them first. This one has no connection to conservation, but there is a great spirit of community embedded in everything Keller says. He is notably clear-headed in acknowledging the role his family played in his development, and how his eventual success was due to people who might not have been expected to support him. Click the image above to go to the podcast.
From Behind the Wheel: Psychic Mass Transit
Elderberry – Sambucus nigra
Native to the sub-tropical regions of Europe and Australia, Elderberry grows widely in Kerala’s Hill Range gardens above 1000 meters. The clustered berries are an important food for many birds and the flowers are a favorite for honey bees and other pollinating insects. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Green-tailed Warbler
Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic
Mammals In Modern Habitats
Little did we know that there was an organization called The Mammal Society, let alone that they sponsor such a phenomenal photo competition each year (see some of the prizes offered to understand why so many people contribute). We appreciate the acknowledgement that wild mammals are increasingly found in domesticated locations, which is not how it should be but here is what it looks like:
In 2012-2013 we ran the first Mammal Photographer of the Year competition for amateur photographers. Judges, including Kate MacRae, AKA “Wildlife Kate”, and photographer Steve Magennis are looking for images that tell a story, show rare behaviour, highlight mammals in a fragile environment, or make the ordinary extraordinary. The aim was to bring mammals into public focus, raising awareness of the issues they face, and hopefully encouraging us to appreciate the species that are often overlooked but essential to the health of our habitats. Continue reading
Nagarahole National Park – Karnataka
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Nagarahole National Park is located near Mysore in Karnataka, covering an area of 643.39 sq km. This national park is one of the best-maintained wildlife reserves in the country. The name of the park is derived from naga, which means cobra in Kannada (the local language of Karnataka) and hole, referring to streams, or river. The park, also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park, has an abundance of fauna including spotted deer, wild boar, gaur, elephants, leopard and tigers. Continue reading
Organikos 