March 17, zoo

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I don't think of myself as a fearful person, but sometimes I'm afraid of the dumbest things.

I can take public transportation in a strange city, but am really resistant to driving, alone, in a strange place.

Wearing my French socks for courage, I get ready to drive to the zoo.

It was no problem at all to drive from downtown to the Louisville zoo. I need to work harder at making myself do the things I am afraid of........... Do you suppose that I would become more courageous if I did more scary things?



Ring-tailed lemur.

I have no idea what this is (if there was a label, I didn't see it).

This was small-tree size, and was growing in the exhibit with the lemurs.  The spiky leaves covered all the branches and stems.

Mom, this one is for you.

It was a lovely bright-and-sunshiny day.

Not the easiest light for a photographer.

As always, my documentation was spotty.  When I get into picture-taking mode, I very often don't think to even read the documentation, let alone capture an image so I can remember everyone's name.  I think I read the documentation on this eagle, but can't remember what it said.....

Here's one we all know.  Sort of.  I don't know what kind of giraffe this young one is.

Note shadow, and stork in background.

Love that little taller tuft of hair on one horn.

Louisville is several weeks ahead of Ann Arbor, spring-wise.  We visited Charlotte for a big swim meet several years in a row.  I wondered how Louisville would compare.  I think Louisville is about half-way between Ann Arbor and Charlotte.  Louisville in the third week of March is about where Charlotte was in the third week of February.

Forsythia -- my eye craves that yellow in the landscape!

One animal I did remember to document.

The sign said this is a Mhorr's gazelle, which is extinct in its native Morocco.  There are several dozen individuals in zoos, and the hope is that the population can be built up....

Look at those impossibly delicate legs and feet......

Loved the horns; forgot to document the identity.

Mr. and Ms. Mallard.

Bongo.  I wonder if the crossed horns are a liability.

Love that red-brown color.

Stork.

Zebra.  Of course I have no idea what kind of zebra, any more than I know what kind of stork is above.

Amused by the way the stripe pattern makes the tails look like they have been braided.

Ah that difficult light.................

This camel was enjoying a good old face skritch on the fence post.

This may be the first time I've seen exactly one meercat.

It looks pretty relaxed, but it was very vigilant about looking in all directions.

The cousins were enjoying salad for lunch.  In addition to greens, they had whole red onions.

I have no idea what this is.  The clusters were about an inch across.

Brand spanking new equipment for the not-yet-open new polar bear exhibit.

Repeated shapes and colors.

In order to facilitate reading the Louisville posts in chronological order, I have put a link at the end of each post to the next one. The post after this one is here.

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