Thursday, August 13, 2015

At the zoo (the second night)


The first night my friend Sally and I went to the zoo, we took the tram.  The second night we walked.  And walked.  And walked.

I had to make a stop before we went to the zoo which didn't take as long as I anticipated.  As a consequence, we got to the zoo before it opened.  Of course, that just meant I had time to find a bit of shade and take a few photos. 



Perhaps you can see the line of people waiting to get into the zoo.  Again, this looks like a botanical garden rather than a zoo.

Sally had read the proposed county budget had gotten rid of a huge portion of promised funding for the zoo, and she wanted to do her part by buying a membership. 

As an update, we just learned the county commissioners have approved the new budget which severely limits the funds originally promised the zoo.  I suspect we'll soon see an increase in ticket prices.

She filled out the membership form, then they took her picture for her "badge."

In the meantime, I took photos of the art created by the elephants.  Stephanie is no longer alive, so I suspect her "art" is more valuable than that created by Cinda.  I still prefer the chimp art I showed the first zoo post over anything the elephants paint.

As we walked into the park, I was drawn to this area I had photographed the previous week.  So many more plants were blooming as opposed to only one the previous week.

Another look at the map showed we were on our way to Africa.




I may not know a leopard from a tiger, but I know these beauties when I see them.



They are a favorite of many, including many of my readers who were here with me last time when I photographed them on the tram.



Then I made a HUGE mistake.  Sally asked if we should go through those doors and visit Australia.  I said "why not."  Biggest mistake I could have made,


because for nearly two hours, we walked and walked and wound our way around this very small area that contained thousands of birds.

Birds I'd never heard of

or seen before.


Birds Sally talked to while I spent lots of time trying to get a decent photo.
And this was just the FIRST bird we saw.  We were in for a long, long night.


At least there were placards that told what we were looking at.









Each bird species was enclosed in its own area, and I could identify them and not feel like a fool calling them something they were not.

However, when I turned the corner, I immediately knew what I was looking at.

After all, I had created a spread about the beautiful black swan in the altered book I'm currently working in.

I got extremely excited and took several photos, even though none of them turned out as well as I had hoped.

I'll leave you with these photos of the black swan, indigenous to Australia and the very first I've seen in reality.

Thanks for joining me on this voyage through Australia, which is all about birds, birds, and more birds.  I'll show more as I get them off my camera.  Did I mention there would be more birds?

11 thoughtful remarks:

Ohhh Snap said...

wonderful trip to the zoo. Loving those giraffes, and the birds of coure. (I'm watching a documentary on the Ivory Billed Woodpecker called Ghost Bird). The Cassowary is a bird to approach with great caution if there isn't a very sturdy fence between you. I believe they are a bit like velociraptors with their toenails if they are bothered.

One of my favorite books in the world is "Birdology" which has a chapter on Cassowaries.

PS hope your mail arrived safely.

Krisha said...

WOW! What a great place to meander through and enjoy. I love the giraffes, always have. Everything is so green....can you tell I'm in the draught driven CA?

The birds are so colorful and unusual, and that black swan is something I've heard but never have seen one either. Beautiful!

Thanks for the stroll through the zoo, I even I got bring along my coffee...........*grin*

Divers and Sundry said...

The walking tour did give you a chance for more photos of the animals! I've always been partial to birds, so you can't spend too much time with them in my opinion :)

Viktoria Berg said...

Such a fun series of posts; I love the zoo so much. I particularly like Sally´s decision to get a membership to support it, she is a role model to us all!

Valerie-Jael said...

Wonderful photos, I would love to visit that zoo, it seems to have an enormous lot to offer. The black swans are lovely, I saw some in a park not far from here last year. Have a nice day, hug, Valerie

froebelsternchen said...

AMAZING photos Elizabeth!
That must be a super Zoo..
saw a documentary at TV recently about zoos around the world-
it was very thoughtprovoking -
must be great to visit many of them -
I went to the zoo in Vienna with my daughter very often as she was little..we had a pass for one year entry..
but all what she wanted to do there always was going to their super playground and play with the other kids...lol.
Happy weekend Elizabeth!
oxo
Susi

Helen said...

yes,the giraffes are great!! you and Sally have very different tastes, but the black swan is worth your trouble!

johanna said...

oh, i so would like to photograph a cassowary one day. but actually not behind These grid fences... i mean, they can´t fly away, so i´m not sure i understand why they hold them in such high Cages.
love the giraffes, could spend hours watching them. and the black swans... i´m sure Sally will use her Membership Card repeatedly. and you will accompany her, too!

Carol said...

Great photos ! I went to the Zoo yesterday :) My daughter, her son and her boyfriend drove up for the day and we went to the History Museum, the Zoo and then a really cool restaurant that a friend of her owns. We had a great visit but I didn't take a whole lot of photos. I was into enjoying the day .

pearshapedcrafting said...

The zoo looks much better with the animals!! Just a quick question, does the zoo only open in the evening and what time does it go dark? Love the zebra pics!! Chrisx

pearshapedcrafting said...

…and you are thinking …what!!!! I am on catch up and didn't see the join!!! he! he! I won't comment on both but I loved that Kea too!!! Hugs, Chrisxx