Puget Sound Museum of Natural History

01/25/2024

Friday bird walks are back. Meet at museum (Thompson 295) 3 pm Fridays. Peter Wimberger will be co-leader with students. Peter reported 18 Townsend's Warblers foraging on the ground today (24 Jan) near the President's woods along with kinglets.

11/21/2023

10/31/2023

Eye color - also changes with age in some species.

LINKED PAPER The mechanistic, genetic and evolutionary causes of bird eye colour variation. Corbett, E.C., Brumfield, R.T., Faircloth, B.C. 2023. IBIS. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.13276. VIEW No one would consider cormorants to be the most colourful bird family – until you look at

09/19/2023

Why digitize?

iDigBio is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation [DBI-1115210 (2011-2018), DBI-1547229 (2016-2022), & DBI-2027654 (2021-2026)]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of...

09/13/2023

An egg data slip marking the beginning of imaging of data slips with the help of docents and volunteers. Images will be added to computer records and posted online to supplement the minimal data in the computer record.

This data slip refers to a horned grebe clutch from Manitoba.
The eggs are not recognizable for many species and are marked with a set mark near the hole used to empty the egg. The set mark usually consists of the American Ornithologist Uniion (AOU) # the and unique identifier assigned by the collector. In this case the set mark "3 N-7/8" or "3 n-7/8". Eight refers to the number of eggs and 7 is the seventh clutch for the collector for the year or forever.

Egg data slips provides verification of species and additional habitat and vegetative data. The paper is disolored with age (99 years). The computer record typically only contains species, date, location, and collector.

Update - As of 3 Nov, 798 imaged, about 4,000 to go.

11/17/2022

Speaking of birds in the hand…today we had this gorgeous Barred Owl brought to us. Owls are super exciting to look at under UV light because their feathers contain a pigment called porphyrin that fluoresces hot pink! Because porphyrin breaks down over time, older feathers tend to lose their pink glow. This difference in fluorescence makes UV light an excellent tool in determining an owl’s age, but also a cool way to observe their molt pattern (aka the order in which they drop and regrow feathers).

This owl was unfortunately hit by a car on Vashon Island. A reminder to drive slow and stay vigilant for the wildlife who share roads with us!

01/12/2016

How good is your bird anatomy? Check out this awesome interactive guide from the Cornell Lab, and quiz yourself with their flash card mode. And you can quiz yourself on real birds being prepared in the prep room at our next Night at the Museum event - stay tuned for more information!

How much do you know about bird anatomy? Test yourself with an interactive reference guide to all the important anatomical systems in a bird.

10/08/2015

03/07/2015

Quantification of feather structure, wettability and resistance to liquid pe*******on. A relative new look at wetting and dewetting, including spontaneous dewetting of cormorant feathers. Still unanswered is why Pelagics (pictured) or Brandt's cormorants don't hold their wings out like Double-cresteds? The paper is at:
http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/11/96/20140287