Hello tweeties,

the most recently demystified mystery bird was an adult male Evening Grosbeak, Coccothraustes vespertinus, as everyone successfully identified. This bird was really popular with the general public, and helped to give the mystery birds a little boost in general popularity (so now you see another reason that i include "easy to identify" and colorful birds);

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/01/todays_mystery_bird_for_you_to_96.php

thanks to photographer, Joseph Kennedy, here's today's really pretty little mystery bird for you to identify;

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/01/todays_mystery_bird_for_you_to_66.php

Rick Wright, who has been our kind teacher, is sidelined for the moment, so some of the mystery birds need analyses. If anyone would like to write an analysis for one of these mystery birds, feel free to contact me so we can work out the details. (I could write these analyses myself, but i am focused on writing about scientific articles and book reviews -- and i like to give other people a chance to share in the fun, too).

on another note, i just wanted to let you know that an essay i wrote about birds was included in this year's edition of OpenLab. Amazingly, I am one of only four authors (one of whom is my friend, Carl Zimmer) whose work has been included in all three editions of OpenLab! This book republishes the best 50 blog essays in the sciences for the previous year, and it will be available for sale soon;

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/01/openlab2008_im_in.php

if anyone would like to edit my essay and help me adapt it from the blogosphere to the print media, i would be most grateful for your kind assistance. again, contact me so i can send you the already-been-edited-by-me version for your perusal.

cheers,

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