A Tale of Two Birds

The perch is always better on the other side of the glass.

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Robird: False Falcons, Ersatz Eagles, and a Rambling Lemming"
  (September 5, 2014)
• "Gone for the Weekend"
  (July 4, 2014)
• "Coffee Cup, Doughnut: the Lemming's Back"
  (March 28, 2014)
• "A 'Bookish' Librarian, Art, Words, and a Rambling Lemming"
  (November 8, 2013)
• "Flying Mechanical Penguins"
  (February 12, 2011)
 

 

Robird: False Falcons, Ersatz Eagles, and a Rambling Lemming

(From 3D Print, Audubon Magazine, via The Tech Journal, used w/o permission.)
(Look, up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, no: it's Robird!)

"3D Printed Robotic Birds Made To Protect Real Birds, Trials Undergoing"
Anatol Rahman, The Tech Journal (September 3, 2014)

"Birds are one of the most beautiful creations of God, but flock of these birds can be a menace for agriculture as they tend to destroy crops. Besides, they can pose a real threat to the aviation industry as they get stuck in airplane engines and raise serious issues. But don’t worry, there will be 3D printed birds that will be controlled via a remote control. These 3D-printed robotic birds are now being tested at airports, landfills and farms to scare away birds that can cause problems.

"Robird is actually a pair of 3D printed robotic birds that look like a real falcon and eagle. Full names of these robotic birds are Robird Peregrine Falcon and Robird Eagle. That falcon bird will be able to travel 50 mph speed. It has been designed to scare away birds. On the other hand, the eagle model will be able to chase off a bird of any size, because no bird dares to stand against an eagle...."

The Lemming thinks this is a pretty good idea: provided that birds loitering about airports either mistake patrolling Robirds for the real thing: or get spooked by high-speed flying robots.

That's what the Lemming thinks: but of course, the Lemming can't leave it at that. Not when there's a perfectly good opportunity to warn humanity — hysterically, of course.

As anyone who saw Hitchcock's "The Birds" realizes, birds are just biding their time: waiting to wreak chaos and destruction upon an unsuspecting world. Or Bodega Bay, at any rate. Lovely place, really.

Birds, Black Vinyl, and the Stepford Wives

The real threat, of course, was from Mars: wearing black vinyl, accompanied by a robot named Chani. Ah, they just don't make movies like "Devil Girl from Mars" any more.

Now that the Lemming thinks about it, though: there's a fairly continuous stream of that sort of thing. Not always with black vinyl, of course.

Well, one doesn't get everything: for which the Lemming is duly grateful:

• "Devil Girl from Mars"
  (1954)
• "King Kong Escapes"
  (1967)
• "Westworld"
  (1973)
• "The Stepford Wives"
  (1975)
  • and 2004
• "Android Apocalypse"
  (2006)

Let's see, where was the Lemming? Ah, yes: ranting hysterically about robots and black vinyl. Right.

Does nobody see Robird for the threat it really is?!! First they fly around airports, lulling humanity into false sense of security. Next, they'll turn to landfills: driving gulls away; and where will the gulls go?!!!

To supermarket dumpsters, of course!!!! There, they'll organize into small strike forces - - -.

No, the Lemming really should stop now. Somebody might actually believe that drivel.

Seriously? Robird: looks like a pretty good idea. Cool, anyway. In the Lemming's opinion.

More of the Lemming's view of robots, penguins, and other related topics:

• "Robots With Attitude: Maybe, Eventually"
  (August 15, 2014)
• " 'Tampering With Things Man Was Not Supposed to Know:' the Angst Continues"
  (August 1, 2014)
• "From the Mind of the Lemming: Amateur Night"
  (September 20, 2013)
• "Turing Tests, Subcognitive Low-Level Association, and Perambulators"
  (April 13, 2012)
• "Flying Mechanical Penguins"
  (February 12, 2011)

Eagles' Nest in Decorah, Iowa: A Webcam

"Decorah Eagles"
raptorresource, Ustream.TV (live feed)


Streaming live video by Ustream
"The Raptor Resource Project brings you the Decorah Eagles from atop their tree at the fish hatchery in Decorah, Iowa. Please visit our web site...."

The streaming video from this webcam is live 24/7 - with infrared 'night vision' when the sun is down. Eagles can't see infrared any better than humans can - so they're not bothered by the light.

The nest that the webcam is monitoring is about 80 feet up in a cottonwood tree. The tree is on private property, the fish hatchery is run by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the eagles are a wild pair that's been together since the winter of 2007-2008.

The Ustream.TV page has links to YouTube videos of this year's eggs being laid.

Decorah Eagles streaming video starts after a 15-second commercial - and is interrupted now and then by other ads. This doesn't bother the Lemming, but your experience may vary.

Watching this webcam doesn't have quite the same sort of drama as reality shows - not that the Lemming is an expert on that television genre. On the other hand, it's real.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Lyre Bird: An Accomplished Mimic"
  (November 14, 2010)
  
• 
  
• "And Now, for Something Completely Different: Feeding Baby Birds"
  (October 2, 2010)
  
• 
  
• "San Diego Zoo on Birds, Some of Which are - What Else? - Endangered"
  (September 2, 2010)
  
• 
  
• "Frantic Mother Duck, Ducklings, and a Duck Story to Start the Day"
  (May 26, 2010)
  
• 
  
• "Don't Mess With This Chick"
  (April 25, 2010)
  

Flying Mechanical Penguins

"Festo - AirPenguin"

FestoHQ, YouTube (April 17, 2009)
video, 1:48

"http://www.festo.com/cms/de_corp/9780... - Autonomes Fliegen im Luftmeer
"Selbststeuernd in einem von Ultraschall-Sendern definierten Luftraum. Wendig und manövrierfähig per 3D-Struktur mit Fin Ray Effect® für Front- und Heckpartie.

"http://www.festo.com/cms/en_corp/9780... - Autonomous flying in a sea of air
"Autonomous flying through a defined air space monitored by ultrasound transmission stations. Agile and easily manoeuvrable with a 3D structure which utilises the Fin Ray Effect® at the front and back."

More:

• "AirPenguin"
  Festo

(collage derived from "Festo - AirPenguin," FestoHQ, YouTube, images used w/o permission)

"AirPenguins – autonomously flying robotic penguins

"With the AirPenguins, the engineers from Festo have created artificial penguins and have taught them 'autonomous flight in the sea of air'. For this purpose, control and regulating technology had to be further developed into self-regulating biomechatronic systems, which could also play a future role in adaptive production...."

In other worlds, those are robot flying penguins. There isn't a human operator somewhere, controlling the things. They're flying on their own, making course corrections on the fly. (The Lemming might have avoided that play on words - but decided not to.)

Back to Festo:

"...A group of three autonomously flying penguins hovers freely through a defined air space that is monitored by ultrasound transmission stations. The penguins are at liberty to move within this space; a microcontroller gives them free will in order to explore it...."

Biomechatronic?! Yes, it's a 'real' word. Now. So is cyborg. Odds are that you're somewhat biomechatronic. Particularly if you've got a pacemaker or use a hearing aid. Interesting times, these.

The Lemming could, at this point, launch into a rant about how technology is robbing us of our humanity, and the robots will be taking over, but it doesn't matter because we all died in the food riots.

With a little editing and lots of emotional flourishes, the result might be taken as very "intelligent" in some circles.

The Lemming's not gonna do that.

For one thing, the Lemming doesn't think that flocks of robot flying penguins will be invading central Minnesota and forcing us to toil in their tinfoil mines.

Besides, there'll be enough fussing, when someone gets the idea of putting a video camera on something like the Festo penguins. With a transmitter, and maybe some a little onboard artificial intelligence, they'd make unintrusive security guards. As it is, some folks have been scared of security cameras in parking lots - and that's another topic.

The Lemming thinks the Festo flying penguins are beautiful, graceful robots - and a far cry from the clumsy, clanking buckets of bolts of old science fiction stories.

Could a technology like this be misused? Of course.

Any technology can be misused. A person can do an amazing amount of damage with a rock. But that doesn't make rocks destructive or dangerous. The problem is the people using tech. Not the tech. In the Lemming's opinion.

Related posts:

• "Beware Warmonger Imperialist Space Aliens!?"
  (January 11, 2011)
• "Meet Fenway the Robot, Hospital Helper"
  (September 21, 2010)
• "Penguin Robot? Roller Skates? You Decide"
  (February 11, 2010)
• "Robovie-II and Robovie-IV: Robot Assistants for Store and Office"
  (January 7, 2010)
• "Next-Generation Prosthetic Hand - and Intel Says Direct Neural Interface Brain Chips by 2020"
  (December 2, 2009)

Lyre Bird: An Accomplished Mimic

"Amazing! Bird sounds from the lyre bird - David Attenborough - BBC wildlife"

BBCWorldwide, YouTube (February 12, 2007)
video, 2:55

"David Attenborough presents the amazing lyre bird, which mimics the calls of other birds - and chainsaws and camera shutters - in this video clip from The Life of Birds. This clever creature is one of the most impressive and funny in nature, with unbelievable sounds to match the beautiful pictures. From the BBC."

The Lemming remembers when tuning in a radio signal occasionally sounded like the lyre bird.

Lyre birds are quite accomplished mimics: imitating other birds, camera shutters (manual and motorized), a car alarm, and a chain saw.

Kingfisher Photo - Remarkable

"Acting Like Animals: What a Catch!"
Nature Photos, via Daily Squee!

"Oh, believe me. I know I'm an amazing diver. I mean, they don’t call me the kingfisher for nothing, amirite?

"But really, I treat fishing as more than just a method for survival. I like to think of it as an art form. It’s like poetry. In the words of Yeats: 'Make your accomplishments seem...'...."

That text goes with this remarkable photo:


(Nature Photos, via Daily Squee!, used w/o permission)

I checked out the original of this photo at Nature Photo ("Kingfisher - photo stock": which is at higher resolution and, in the Lemming's opinion, better quality. Also copy-protected.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: Feeding Baby Birds

"Baby Cockatiels Chirping and Eating"

graceberrie, YouTube (February 13, 2006)

"Two hungry baby cockatiels making ridiculous noises while eating and waiting to be fed"

Wait to see how the second cockatiel acts, when it gets its turn.

Enjoy.

San Diego Zoo on Birds, Some of Which are - What Else? - Endangered

"Animal Bytes: Birds"
San Diego Zoo

"What is a bird?

"Birds are vertebrates, with a backbone and skeleton, although some of the bones are hollow to keep the bird light. Their forelimbs have the same bones as the human arm, but they are highly modified to form the structure for wings. Some of the bones in the wrist and fingers are fused together for extra strength.

"Fancy feathers

"Like mammals, birds are endothermic, but they are the only animals that have feathers. Feathers are made of keratin. Each feather has a stiff, hollow center shaft with hundreds of side branches called barbs. Each barb has two rows of side branches called barbules. This structure allows air to gather in the feathers, making them lightweight and keeping the bird's body heat from escaping...."

It's a pretty good introduction to birds - and yes, some birds are endangered.

Like the San Clemente loggerhead shrike and some other birds in Hawaii. Which the San Diego Zoo is helping. They've got a managed breeding program for the San Clemente loggerhead shrike, and they've been doing pretty much the same thing for some of the Hawaiian birds.

Some of what's on the page seems terribly obvious: Like "What is a bird?" Think about it, though: The San Diego Zoo's mission is to be "...a conservation, education, and recreation organization dedicated to the reproduction, protection, and exhibition of animals, plants, and their habitats...."

Not everybody's been around for the half-century that the Lemming's logged on planet Earth - and defining what you're talking about makes good sense, from a teaching point of view.

As for making the island safe for the San Clemente loggerhead shrike, and helping them survive? Provided that it doesn't mean pushing people off the other Channel Islands, I don't see the harm in it. (Avalon, on Catalina Island, north of San Clemente Island, was evacuated back in 2007: but the folks moved back after the fire was out. NPR (May 11, 2007))

The San Clemente Island bird project is a collaborative thing with the U. S. Navy, by the way.

And maybe it's a good idea to keep San Clemente loggerhead shrike around. According to the San Diego Zoo, the birds eat mice and lizards.

Finally, it may be noteworthy that pigeons, sparrows, and crows don't seem to make the 'endangered species' lists.

It could be done, though.

Given a little imagination and creative analysis of the birds' DNA, the pigeons residing within a kilometer of Kansas City, Missouri's Washington Square Park could be called a distinct species (I suggest "Kansas City T-Bone Pigeons") - but that's another topic.

Sort-of-related posts:

• "Discovery Channel Hostages and the Environment: It Could have been Worse"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (September 1, 2010)
• "Tiny, Cute, and Endangered: The Long-Eared Jerboa, 2007"
  (August 9, 2010)
• "Your Daily Adult Requirement of Cute: An Extremely Satisfied Bird"
  (June 14, 2010)
• "Frail, Delicate Little Mother Nature?!"
  (December 20, 2009)

Kiwi on a Treadmill

"Kiwi rocking the treadmill"

SpaceGhostNZ, YouTube (July 28, 2010)
video, 1:14

"Thanks for helping this video gain over 200,000 views! I have been getting a lot of confused comments, so here is a more detailed explanation below (Thanks bittencookie who is quoted here)

"Piwi the Kiwi is hitting the treadmill not to lose weight but to restore his leg strength after breaking his legs in two separate accidents.

"Luckily, wildlife experts found Piwi and transported him to a wildlife park to mend his broken leg. The vets decided to use a treadmill to help with Piwi's recovery.

"At first, Piwi wasn't too thrilled to be on the treadmill, but the vets have said that his workout has drastically improved his muscle tone and great chance of surviving out in the wild again."

(This video will display at its original size if you follow the link to the YouTube original.)

I don't know whether to call Piwi the Kiwi 'unlucky' for breaking his legs twice: or 'lucky' for getting help from those vets.

Related post:

• "Dolphin with a Rubber Tail, Tortoise on Wheels - Animals with Prosthetics"
  (August 17, 2009)

Your Daily Adult Requirement of Cute: An Extremely Satisfied Bird

"Mystery Monday: Birdie Ball"
kyrie, via Daily Squee (June 14, 2010)

"Can anyone identify what this little fluffball is?"


(kyrie, via Daily Squee, used w/o permission)

The Lemming knows what that little fluffball is. Judging from the expression, it's very satisfied. Right?

And now, For Something Completely Different: A Cute, Ugly Little Bird

"Like a Cotton Ball on Toothpicks"
Mayaraschad, via Daily Squee (May 28, 2010)

"Um, you mean a “Q-tip”? More like a “cute tip”! Buhh, it’s so fluffy. That’s not a baby flamingo, is it?"


(from Mayaraschad, via Daily Squee, used w/o permission)

I'm not sure quite what to compare that little - thing - to. It puts me in mind of something that's been left in the dryer too long.

Cute, though.

Frantic Mother Duck, Ducklings, and a Duck Story to Start the Day

"Duckling Rescue "

YubiShines, YouTube (April 11, 2008)
video, 1:16

" 'In a rare rescue operation in Garden Grove on Wednesday, animal control officers came to the aid of about a dozen ducklings stuck in a storm drain.

"The drama unfolded at Lampson Avenue and West Street.

"Rescuers arrived to find the mother duck frantically pacing around the drain opening.

"Officers were able to scoop the 14 ducklings into a box, which was lowered through a manhole.

"The mother duck followed animal control officers to a pond where she was reunited with her babies.' "

The small central Minnesota town where I live has its share of ducks: being on a lake and a river guarantees that. The point is that I've seen ducks. They're not the most expressive creatures around. They're good at quacking, waddling, flying and swimming - but emoting? Not so much.

So, the word "frantically" in this video's description seemed a bit far-fetched to me.

After watching the video, though, I agree: that's one frantic mother duck.

And, once they're released in the water, that is a speedy bunch of ducklings.

Enjoy.

Taming a Panicked Parakeet

"Caring for Parakeets : Taming a Parakeet"

expertvillage, YouTube (September 25, 2008)
video, 3:27

"If your parakeet is wild and excited, learn different ways to tame and calm parakeets in this free pet care video.

"Expert: Elizabeth Cantu
"Bio: Elizabeth Cantu has owned and been working with parrots since 1994. She has been active in captive parrot rescue and rehabilitation.
"Filmmaker: julio costilla"

This isn't a polished video with a professional narrator: you'll hear quite a few "um" and "you know" interjections. That said, Elizabeth Cantu does a good job of explaining how to convince a panicked parakeet that you're not a source of danger.

There's common-sense advice, like 'don't let the kids rattle the cage,' and a fairly clear step-by-step process for letting the bird know that you're not a threat - and that your hand is a place to find food.

Elizabeth Cantu also tells what to do, if the parakeet can't take the presence of your hand - at first.

Archaeopteryx, Birds, Feathers, and Fine-Tuning

"Early Feathers Too Weak for Flight"
Dinosaur News, Discovery News (May 13, 2010)

"The early bird -- didn't fly very well.

"Recent fossil discoveries that showed feathers on some of the early flying animals, like the well-known Archaeopteryx, created a bit of a flap in the archaeological world.

"And now comes a report that those feathers may have been too weak for use in flapping flight -- helpful only for gliding.

"Robert L. Nudds and Gareth J. Dyke report in Friday's edition of the journal Science that the central shaft of feathers on Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis were much more slender than on feathers of similar-sized birds today.

"Archaeopteryx flourished about 145 million years ago and Confuciusornis came along later, about 120 million years ago...."

There's more to the article, of course. A sort of bottom line is that we've got more information about Archaeopteryx feathers now - and can fine-tune models of the creature's behavior. Right now, it looks like Archaeopteryx was arboreal, a five-dollar word meaning the critters lived in trees. With its unflappable wings, it couldn't have been a strong flier- but it could have jumped off branches and glided.

We still don't know if the shafts on Archaeopteryx feathers were hollow, like contemporary birds, or solid. It didn't matter, in practical terms.

If Archaeopteryx had tried flapping it's wings like one of today's birds, and feathers were solid, they'd have snapped. If they were hollow, they'd have buckled. The things just weren't big enough to take the forces birds' feathers do.

Well, that's assuming that Archaeopteryx feathers weren't made out of something exotic, like titanium. That's interesting speculation - and probably a biological impossibility.

These days, we don't have to guess what Archaeopteryx feathers were made of:

"Chemical signature of Archaeopteryx revealed"
The Hindu (May 13, 2010)

"For the first time ever, chemical analysis of Archaeopteryx — a transitional fossil between dinosaurs and bird — has been carried out, and first ever maps of dinobird's chemistry have been created. The maps reveal half a dozen elements (mainly phosphorus, sulphur, zinc, calcium, manganese, iron) that were actually part of the living animal.

"The study marks a paradigm shift in the way palaeontology samples are studied in future. Chemical analysis of fossils, both hard and soft tissues, along with the rock in which they are embedded (matrix), would soon become a norm...."

There's quite a bit more detail in The Hindu article, about the chemical analysis and what it means.

Cryptochrome and Birds With Quantum Eyes

"Reverse-Engineering a Quantum Compass"
Wired Science (April 30, 2010)

"If the weird rules of atomic physics do help birds find their way around the globe — as some scientists suspect — a new study has identified ways of finding out how.

"The study is among the first to propose a direct test of how quantum entanglement, an effect that inexorably links two electrons in a way that Einstein called 'spooky,' could change the behavior of whole animals.

" 'This paper has really made a contribution by suggesting an experimental test,' comments Thorsten Ritz, a physicist at the University of California, Irvine, who was not involved in the new work...

"...'For a long time people thought this couldn't be, because nature is just too messy,' Ritz says. But work over the past decade by Ritz and others suggests that the mechanism birds use to 'see' Earth's magnetic field and navigate accordingly could rely on quantum effects.

"Ritz and colleagues previously identified a molecule called cryptochrome, which is found in the nerves of avian eyes, as a candidate for controlling birds' ability to sense magnetic fields.

"Electrons in cryptochrome usually come in pairs, each with an opposite spin like a planet revolving on its axis. But when light strikes the molecule, it can carry one of the electrons away. The presence of a magnetic field can then make each spinning electron wobble like a plate balanced on a stick. When the wayward electron returns to its original molecule, any change it has picked up in its spin sparks a chemical signal that some scientists believe allows birds to see magnetic fields as a pattern of colors...."

If birds can see Earth's magnetic field, that would explain a few things. What's interesting about this paper is that the scientists have a specific mechanism in mind for how birds can detect magnetic fields.

About the "quantum eyes" in this post's title: I could have written, "eyes whose nerves contain cryptochrome," but I don't think that would have 'sounded' as cool - and would have made the title awkwardly long. Sort of like that last sentence.

Cryptochrome may not help birds see magnetic fields, though. entanglement can be helpful, but maybe not for birds. University of Innsbruck, Austria, Physicist Hans Briegel and colleagues ran some tests. They found that entanglement makes the electrons in pyrene, a molecule that isn't involved so much in things biological, more sensitive to magnetic fields. Cryptochrome? Entanglement doesn't make a difference.

It's early days - and I'm pretty sure that's not the last word on cryptochrome and birds' eyes.

As I've quoted in another blog:

"Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine."
Sir Arthur Eddington English astronomer (1882 - 1944)

- - - and that's what keeps it interesting.

Don't Mess With This Chick

"Tough Fluff"
Prongs, via Cute Overload (April 23, 2010)

"Gah head, make an 'I love shredding chicken' joke. I dare you."


This closeup shows just what a tough egg this chick is.

Like they say, 'look out for the small ones.'

These Houses are For the Birds

"Avian Architecture / Building Birdhouses"
Building Collector (March 25, 2010)

"Spring is officially here and our thoughts turn to…outdoor flea markets in search of souvenir buildings! Well that, but spring also means blooming flowers and chirping birds.

"Those nesting birds with growing families have to live somewhere and we architectural aficionados would not let them live among mere sticks. Avian architecture can take two forms - outdoor bird houses and indoor bird cages..."


(from Building Collector, used w/o permission)

This is a short post. There's not much text, and three photos. Eight, if you count the 'panes' in each photo. On the other hand, there are links to several commercial pages - with pictures of remarkable birdhouses.

This isn't your ultimate birdhouse page: but the photos give you an idea of how many different ways there are to provide living space for birds, and visual fun for us.

Cute Digital Birds In a Laundry Music Video

"Pleix Piu"

Modern242, YouTube (March 01, 2010)
video, 1:03

"Playful film of little birds popping out of socks, boots and cups to create music.... created by Pleix and Warm & Fuzzy"

I think "Warm & Fuzzy" just about sums it up. Although, technically, the little birds aren't fuzzy at all. Essentially, they're hard-surfaced spheroids with a dull finish.

Not that the video is dull: at all. Oh, and did I mention this? It's cute.

I think the title is Italian for "More Pleix". What pleix are, I haven't a clue.

The Grackles of Austin: More Than You May Want to Know

"Murder Most Fowl?"
Health & Science, Time magazine (January 25, 2007)

"It's not nice to mess with Mother Nature — especially in Austin, Texas, where there is a record of an actual citywide tree hug taking place in 1989. So when five dozen birds fell from the sky earlier this month talk shows and chatrooms were ablaze with theories and outrage over what killed Austin's grackles.

"While bird lovers admire grackles for their iridescent feathers and canny ability to mimic human voices, for others they're a nuisance — dirty, noisy and a plague that has prompted cities and institutions across the country to declare war on the black clouds that roost...."

And, although grackles aren't anywhere near as borderline-indestructible as cockroaches and ticks, they're not pushovers, either.

Which is why Austin's civic authorities got so interested when grackles started showing up on the streets: dead, without a mark on them.

The article (a little over three years old, now) isn't quite 'news' any more: but it's a good backgrounder on grackles, and reveals what was killing the grackles of Austin.

Some of them, anyway.

By the way: I'd heard of canaries in mines, but not grackles.

And Now, for Something Completely Different: Four Cute Birds

"The Impossibirds"
Not That Mike The Other Mike, via Cute Overload (February 17, 2010)

"Ladies and gentlemen, this just might be the cutest darn thing on the entire Intertubes: Four impossibly cute, perfectly perched, flying floofballs!..."


(from Cute Overload, used w/o permission)

There's a closeup of one of those birds, too. It's cute. You have been warned.

Seriously? Isn't this one photo already above the recommended daily adult requirement for cute?