QuinCunx

Plate 21 of Birds of America by John James Audubon depicting Mocking Bird. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Bird is the Word | Library of Congress Blog :  "Recently, a friend of mine started talking about “ The Big Year ” bird-watching competition and her desire to participate. And, I’ve been enlisted to help. The informal competition takes bird watching to a whole new level, with birders vying to spot or hear the largest number of bird species within a single calendar year and within a specific geographical area. Sandy Komito holds the current record with 748 species seen in North America in a calendar year. Neither of us are really bird watchers, so things will certainly be interesting on this adventure. Fortunately, we can look to some Library of Congress resources in preparation. Perhaps we could use as our starting point the works of John James Audubon (1785-1851), known for his famous drawings and paintings of North American birds . The first edition of his “ Bird...

English: This funicular transports golfers and their carts between holes at the resort's golf courses. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) HowStuffWorks "What is a funicular railway?" :  "A funicular uses the technology of an elevator (a cable pulling a car up) and the technology of a railroad (a car on a track). Devised in the 15th century as a way of getting people and things up steep hillsides, the funicular now is more likely to carry skiers to the top of a mountain. In the United States , they are often referred to as incline railways." Related articles This is Not a Crazy Roller Coaster, Just a Funicular Railway in Switzerland Take a ride on Switzerland's friendly Gelmerbahn funicular railway, whatever that is...(15 Photos) A Mountain Walk

IN FLIGHT, UNSPECIFIED - MARCH 15: (EDITORS NOTE: Lens profile correction was applied to the image) (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) In this photo provided by Red Bull, Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria is seen before his jump during the first manned test flight for Red Bull Stratos on March 15, 2012 in Roswell, New Mexico. In this test he reach the altitude 21800 meters (71500 ft) and landed safely near Roswell. Red Bull Stratos is a mission to the edge of the earths atmosphere, where upon reaching altitude of 120,000 feet by helium baloon, pilot and basejumper Felix Baumgartner will then freefall to the ground in an attempt to break the speed of sound. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife ) Video of Felix Baumgartner's Supersonic Free Fall - NYTimes.com :  "Stepping from a capsule tethered to the balloon, the daredevil plunged to Earth , reaching a maximum speed measured at 833.9 miles per hour , or Mach 1.24, becoming the first human to break the sound barrier under his o...