Images

Unhatched eggs in Brewer's sparrow (Spizella breweri) nest.

Sagebrush in central Idaho.

Big sagebrush near Parawon, UT.

Atlantic salmon runs in the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers of Maine are federally endangered and remain low. Inefficient fishways at dams continue to slow and prevent upstream migrations to spawning habitat, and delays of weeks to months are common. These delays expose fish to elevated water temperatures, resulting in increased metabolic demands.

Bird Banding - Elizabeth Sellers points out identification characteristics in the plumage of a male common yellowthroat to John P. Mosesso during a capture-recapture study at a Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program bird banding station.

Giant panda on grass. Mei Xiang is a female panda at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. She is being studied by scientists in efforts to save the endangered species.

Side view of giant panda. Mei Xiang is a female panda at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. She is being studied by scientists in efforts to save the endangered species.

Side view of giant panda. Mei Xiang is a female panda at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. She is being studied by scientists in efforts to save the endangered species.

Giant panda on rock. Mei Xiang is a female panda at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. She is being studied by scientists in efforts to save the endangered species.

A forested glade along the Fern Lake Trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Tree ferns and a waterfall visible in the background in a mountainous rainforest garden.

Tropical rainforest vegetation including tree ferns, epitphytes, vines, bromeliads, and a waterfall in a mountainous rainforest garden.

Tree ferns and profuse tropical vegetation framing a mountainside waterfall, visible in the background, in a rainforest garden.

Tree ferns, ephiphytes, bromeliads, banana plants, and other rainforest vegetation framing a waterfall, visible in the background, in the tropical rainforest mountains.

Bird Banding Station - Master bird bander, David Mitchell, collects a cloacal swab sample from a gray catbird during a capture-recapture study at a Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program bird banding station. The sample will be tested for avian influenza and other diseases.

Ticks spread the widest variety of diseases that are harmful to humans, including Lyme disease. Here, a University of Tennessee scientist examines a drag cloth used to catch ticks in the field for research purposes.

Horseshoe crabs congregate annually at Delaware Bay.

Members of the Nisqually tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service beach seining in the nearshore habitat.

This orchid variety was photographed at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida.

A sage-grouse hen ready for release after being radio-marked and having an identification band placed on her left leg.

Back view of the Powell River Aquatic Research Station.