Today seemed like a perfect day for a trip to the zoo. If you've never been to the zoo in the winter, you don't know what you're missing!
It's been a long time since I've seen my dear friend Jane, so I've been looking forward to this outing most of the week.
All week, the weather today was forecasted to be sunny, clear & above 0. When I left home this morning to pick up Jane, things looked promising. Although it was still quite chilly, the sky was clear & there was no breeze. It looked like a fantastic day to head to the zoo.
A half hour later, with Jane on board and mandatory Starbucks in hand, we were on our way to the zoo.
The parking lot was virtually deserted when we arrived a few minutes before the gates opened. We sipped our coffees and caught up on news and waited for 9:30. Other cars straggled in. More photographers got out... we are a die-hard bunch to be sure!
At 9:30, we headed in and planned our day. The best tips I can give for the zoo are, 1) arrive early and get in before the families and kids, 2) plan your circuit based on the feeding schedules for best chances to see the most activity and 3) if you're going in the winter, dress in layers - long underwear is a good thing!!
Our first stop was the polar bear exhibit, which had been under construction on our prior visit - but also, no bears...yet. So off we wandered to the Sumatran tigers where we met this lovely lady.
Feeding time for the tigers was some time away yet, so we spent some time in the indoor Australian exhibit while we waited and met a Kookaburra who liked his meals tenderized (he must have smacked this poor mouse on the branch a dozen times!).
Feeding time came for the tigers and we returned to watch as they enjoyed a snack of fresh beef ribs.
1:00 came and it was time for the polar bear feeding so back we went and were pleased to see three bears now out in the exhibit.
After the bears, we wandered the zoo for a couple of additional hours, taking random shots. It ended up being overcast and quite chilly so we stayed in the pavilions as much as possible, which unfortunately meant that our lenses fogged over every time were went inside, so much time was spent standing around waiting for the glass to clear.
Our final stop was the rhino building where mandarin ducks share the water with the rhino. the lighting in the building isn't the best, but I wanted to try to capture the stunning plumage of the ducks.
All in all, a very long, tiring day. No really spectacular shots, but the most important and pleasant part of the day was spending time and catching up with Jane.
- Paula
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