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Sunday, January 30, 2011 - Bosque Birdwatchers RV Park, San Antonio NM

Wigeon v Mallard, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011
Wigeon v Mallard, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, San Antonio NM, January 24, 2011

Photo finish - variations on a theme

It's a close call but I lean a bit toward the subtlety of the American Wigeon over the brashness of the Mallard for best-of-class in duck design. Those are two magnificent birds, but now if I were to take the subtly complex design of a Wigeon head and neck and stick them on the slick Mallard body I'd have a... well, I'd have a hybrid Mallard.

Night camp

Site 10 - Bosque Bird Watcher's RV Park, San Antonio NM

Observational Learning

[Learning by watching] is called observational learning. When it comes to evolutionary fears, as well as to many other areas of learning, animals and people learn by watching what other animals or people do, not by doing something themselves and learning from the consequences. I have the impression this lesson hasn't quite been absorbed by most educators. You read that hands-on learning is best, but that may not always be so. Obviously evolution has selected for strong observational learning in animals and in humans.

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