Genetic Music: Music from DNA and protein sequences

I always start the day by checking in on Rocketboom video blog.

Today, February 28th, 2007 there was a special treat. They showcased a site that I want to share with everyone. Genetic Music: Music from DNA and Protein Sequences

Take the amino acids found in DNA, assign a musical note to each and then play the resulting notes. Sounds boring? No. Visit the site and listen and see for yourself. There are several DNA samples to listen to.

There is a great deal on their site. It has been around for a few years, but this is the first I have heard of it. Check it out.

A falcon returns…

Noontime, I get a call.  “There’s a falcon spotted on the roof of 77 Beale directly above the nest ledge!”  It’s time for lunch anyway, so I hustle over a couple of blocks to check it out and sure enough, there is a familiar shape up on the rooftop.

The shot above was taken with a 17-85mm zoom lens to show the scene.

The shot below was taken with a 500mm plus 2 tele-converters stacked together and then the shot was cropped about 50%.

Here is a tighter crop showing a white feather above the right eye.

That feather is a positive ID that the bird is Gracie, the female that has been nesting for the last few years at PG&E.

Here is a shot from last year showing the white feather more clearly.

Only a week to go before the first egg gets laid.

If you want to check out the complete set of photos click here. 

Thanks for looking.

Glenn

Red-tails in the wind

Found the red-tailed hawk on the temple again on Monday afternoon, the wind waws up and the bird was in a sheltered spot on the steeple.

The wind kept disturbing its feathers…

After a while it decided to move into the sun, I caught a good view of the underwing area.

The sun was harsh, but I was using some fill flash.

I moved the camera position to get a blue sky background.

The wind kept messing up its feathers, this is my favorite shot.

After a while, my fingers started to chill from the wind, and I went in for the evening.

Check out all the shots on my website here

Cheers to all, hope you enjoyed the view.

Glenn

Palo Alto Baylands and Shorline Boulevard

Saturday the 17th, we decided to go down the peninsula to the Baylands just off Embarcadero Rd at Hwy 101.

I didn’t take a photo of the nature center, so here is a shot from the center’s website

Click on the link above for details of the hiking and birding available there

Anyway, it was warm that day and we had gotten a late start. The lighting was harsh and the air was shimmering. Here’s a shot of a Norther Harrier hunting in the distance.

Gulls, egrets and Song Sparrows (below) were there in abundance.

We were there at high tide and saw quite a few Willets relaxing in the marsh.

One of my favorite shore birds, a Black-necked Stilt did some wading and showed off the rich mud hidden below the water surface.

There was a visit from a White-tailed Kite hunting, it flew right over the parking lot as we were packing up to go to the next stop, Shoreline Rd.

If there was ever an extra-terrestrial bird, this would have to be it.

The next stop on our birdwatching adventure was two miles south. Taking Shoreline Drive exit and traveling east to the golf course, we parked and walked out on the trail towards the salt pond and found literally a thousand ducks there.

Click here for a panorama.

There were old derelict duck blinds falling into the ponds with ducks scattered all over.

Savannah Sparrows were present here as well.

Anna’s Hummingbirds kept appearing along the path.

This one let me get fairly close and I was able to photograph it stretching and taking off. Check out the whole page for the sequence of those shots.

While walking along the water, a Clark’s Grebe would pop up during its hunting for fish.

The trail takes you past a protected area for Burrowing Owls, but it helps to get there early if you want to see them. (We didn’t)

Back at the parking lot, another great shot presented itself as this House Finch posed on a branch right in front of our car. I shot over 30 shots of this bird. Here’s one of the best.

If you live in the South Bay, this area is a great place to bird. Hope you enjoyed the shots.

Two Steeples, Two Raptors

Coming home from work Friday February 16th, 2007, I found the Red-tailed Hawk on the Buddhist temple steeple at 22nd and Capp St. and the Peregrine Falcon on the steeple of the church at 23rd and Capp St. Both were visible to each other and both were very relaxed.

I went down to the temple and shot photos of the red-tail first.

It was around 5pm and the light was soft.

After a few shots, I walked a block back to see the peregrine and found it very relaxed as well.

It was in deep shade and the light was not at all flattering.

Standing directly below the steeple, I panned the camera over to the temple and photographed the red-tail seen here in this shot on the right hand side, mid way up in the shot.

The Peregrine scritched its head, making it look like a wave…

I walked back to the temple for one last look at the red-tail who was keeping an eye on the peregrine.

On the central roof peak ornament, these starlings were enjoying the evening as well and totally unconcerned with the hawk just a dozen feet away.

For the complete shoot photos, visit here.

All shots taken with Canon 30D body, 500mm F4 lens with 1.4x teleconverter

Thanks for looking.

Glenn