Hello Tweeties,

this week's issue of Birds in the News is now available. This issue features Christmas Bird Count information for a number of states in the USA, and it also features a really nice image of a Sun Conure chick, Aratinga solstitialis, thanks to photographer John del Rio;

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/12/birds_in_the_news_155.php

the most recently demystified mystery bird was a Pine Grosbeak, Pinicola enucleator, thanks to photographer,

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/12/todays_mystery_bird_for_you_to_91.php

courtesy of photographer, Marv Breece, here's today's mystery bird for you to identify;

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/12/todays_mystery_bird_for_you_to_100.php

you might also wish to read my (long overdue) review of Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds of North America;

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2008/12/peterson_field_guide_to_the_bi.php

It includes several art works as well as several sample page plates for you to look at. A reader commented about the video podcasts in the comments section -- I did not review those.

Last but not least, with all this recent talk of overwintering Anna's hummingbirds, I thought I'd share a link to an informative story I wrote about torpor in hummingbirds;

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2006/04/hummingbirds_and_torpor.php

happy holidaze,

GrrlScientist
Devorah
http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/
Roosting high up a tree somewhere in Central Park, NYC