A curious turtle inspects a calibration cube used to reconstruct the 3D view that two GoPros capture in stereo. The videos are used to record fish swimming behaviors in the field. This work was done in Bonaire in April 2023 by Darien Satterfield. [Photo and caption by Darien Satterfield] [Edited by Ian Ramshorn Haliburton]
Category: Field Frame
Field Frame Friday: Hot, Sweaty, Fieldwork Ready
Taking breaks and having fun is important in all professions, but especially in field work! Kirsten and Jon found that putting frozen Gatorade bottles on their foreheads and dubbing themselves ‘gatorade unicorns’ was the perfect way to take a break from looking for little fish in an urban waterway (above) and have a laugh in…
Field Frame Friday: Coming Out of Your Shell (Twice!)
Testudo marginata, the Marginated Tortoise, is the largest species of Mediterranean tortoise—although these tortoises start out tiny and humble! Like many other tortoise species the Marginated Tortoise is at risk of extinction in the wild. One component of this species’ conservation is the use of captive breeding programs. To provide the best conditions for new…
Field Frame Friday: Spotty Dads are not Shoddy Dads
A Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) father keeps a vigilant eye on his nearby nest from a creek-side perch. In Spotted Sandpipers, males take on most of the parenting duties, including incubating the eggs and protecting the newly hatched chicks, while females provide less parental care. One goal of my research is to determine how parental…
Field Frame Friday: Gobble Grabbin’
Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) can be common backyard birds in some cities—like here in Davis, CA! Texas A&M PhD Student Amanda Beckman visited Davis as part of a study spanning the country to learn more about the genetic and behavioral impacts that urban living might have on Wild Turkeys, receiving some help in the field…
Field Frame Friday: A Little Moo for You!
Jersey dairy calves (like the cutie seen here) are smaller than their Holstein counterparts, which are the black and white spotted dairy cows. Jerseys typically weigh around 60 pounds (27kg), compared to Holstein calves who can be born at over 100 lbs (45kg)! These are the two most common breeds of dairy cows in the…
Field Frame Friday: Simply Ravenous
Common Ravens (Corvus corax) are famously smart, adaptable and opportunistic, and while these traits serve them well, they can often get them into trouble, too. What kind of trouble do you think the raven on the left got itself into to earn a bright blue tag and the attention of scientists? The tagged raven and…
Field Frame Friday: Who’s this chick??
A Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) chick shows off its shiny new leg band, which contains a unique ID number used by researchers to identify this individual. This chick will continue growing throughout the summer, migrate south for the winter, and perhaps return to its birthplace in the Mono Basin to breed next summer. [Photo and…
Field Frame Friday: Turtle party!
Meet Testudo hermanni hermanni, a Mediterranean tortoise present in Italy, France and Spain. Its captive breeding was made necessary by the destruction of its native habitat. The challenge for current breeders, unlike most of the species bred as pets, is to maintain as much as possible the purity of the species, subspecies and, if possible,…
Field Frame Friday: This is how I show my love – QUAIL
A California Quail (Callipepla californica) poses majestically on a shrub. California Quail participate in brood-mixing, where multiple female quail will raise multiple offspring (related and not-related) in communal family groups. It is suggested that females involved in communal family groups also live longer than those in single family groups. There are benefits of being a…
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