A Day at the Zoo 15: A Different Kind of Tit Picture

© Giliell, all rights reserved

Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Our orang utans are doing their best to help with the species conservation, although they demonstrated well that humans can’t plan everything. About 12 years ago a mature orang utan lady and her daughter moved in, hoping that the lady would breed with our male. Turned out the female adult was pregnant already, surprising everybody with a baby in summer. But even after the baby was grown quite a bit, the lady told the dude in no certain terms that he could stuff his dick into the meat grinder or she’d do that for him.

He waited a few years until the daughter had matured and then successfully mated with her, having several kids. He got sent to a different zoo last year to see if could keep up his good work in the conservation of this wonderful species.

A Day at the Zoo 14: I don’t know if any of them is called Alvin

© Giliell, all rights reserved

Chinese chipmunks, also known as cute overload.

© Giliell, all rights reserved

I love those little tufts on the ears, so much like tiny horns.

© Giliell, all rights reserved

© Giliell, all rights reserved

And a grey chipmunk that inhabits the ground of the enclosure. It was not chilled out as the other one.

© Giliell, all rights reserved

 

Harakka in Autumn: Chapter 15

It’s time to join Ice Swimmer on his walk around Harakka.

Chapter 15 – East

Emerging from the Wetland ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved

The bird watching shelter we visited earlier is on the right. Sunday was definitely brighter than Saturday. Across the water are the island Särkkä and Suomenlinna Sea Fortress.

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Jack’s Walk

Happy Birthday to me! ©voyager, all rights reserved

Today is Jack’s 11th Birthday, sort of. Jack is a Leap Year Baby and since there is no February 29 this year we’re celebrating today. So far, Bubba has listened to his parents sing to him off-key, had bacon and eggs for breakfast and then had an exciting romp up at the lake. Plans for later in the day include gifts (a new rubber pig that honks and squeals and a bag of his favourite treats – Greenies,) more singing (Jack loves to sing) and a nice bit of salmon to top his kibble for supper. All in all, I’d say that’s a pretty good day for a not-quite birthday.

A Day at the Zoo 13: Budgie does as Budgie can

© Giliell, all rights reserved

There’s a walk in aviary with budgies, many of them happy to say hello to the visitors (the zoo provides feed you can give them). The keepers probably spend a lot of time checking for escapes, but some of them always do, although they also seem to return as soon as it gets dark and cold. Except for this little fellow, who has decided to move out permanently and make its home in the wooden beams of the aviary. Literally. It seems like the keepers have just decided to let it go as an example of how wild budgies nest.

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BBC: Badly Behaved Cranes

Every spring and autumn, the cranes pass our little neck of the woods. And every spring and autumn I look out for them, but usually they’re so early or late in the day, that it’s hard to spot them, flying in their majestic V form, but today they were here at around 11 o’clock and my camera was ready.

Of course they did not show their typical pattern, but I think the shots are pretty nevertheless (I had to do a bit of post production, but I swear it did not involve copypasting crane silhouettes). Do click for full size.

© Giliell, all rights reserved

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Jack’s Walk

The shape of water on wood ©voyager, all rights reserved

Well, we have a fresh layer of snow again and, although it’s very pretty and it reflects a lot of light, I’m fed up with the stuff. I crave the changing shades of green things; the growing grass and leaves that burst into life. I crave the sound of songbirds through an open window and the earthy smell of fresh air blowing through the house. I am so ready to ditch my big coats and heavy boots. My feet want to go bare and feel the warmth of sunlight on the sidewalk and the cool of grass on the lawn. Come, Persephone. It’s time to send Boreas packing.

As a bonus today, this is an early animation produced by Disney studios in 1934. I’m hoping that Spring will see it as an invitation.

Harakka in Autumn: Chapter 14

We’re back on Harakka with Ice Swimmer, but we’re not on the top of the island as predicted in the previous post, Chapter 13 – Interlude III, Mystery Path. That chapter was mistakenly published out of order by this administrator. We’ll get to the top of the island on March 4/19 in Chapter 16 – Top and Around. My apologies to Ice Swimmer.

Chapter 14 – Wetland

Wetland ©Ice Swimmer, all rights reserved

There is a valley near the southeastern shore. In the valley, there are wetlands.

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February Light

It’s the last day of February and it’s been a long, dreary month for me. Nightjar has light, though. Beautiful light, and she’s sharing it with all of us.

This year the shortest month went by rather quickly for me. Between work, gardening and lack of inspiration there weren’t many photo opportunities. Luckily, this time of the year it is not necessary to leave my own garden to find something interesting and this was a very sunny February. At the end of the month I finally felt inspired to make an interpretation of February Light, playing with low angles and shooting flowers against sunlight while not caring about blowing out the sky.

©Nightjar, all rights reserved

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A Day at the Zoo 11: The Goat and the Peacock

© Giliell, all rights reserved

Like in most zoos, our peacocks roam freely, which means that they have access to the enclosures of other herbivores. In this case, the dwarf goats. They had just been fed and you can imagine who thought that HE had been fed.

© Giliell, all rights reserved

Unfortunately I’d put the shutter time really low before and didn’t notice, so the pics are blurry, although their blurriness also adds to the overall mood.

© Giliell, all rights reserved

© Giliell, all rights reserved

© Giliell, all rights reserved

© Giliell, all rights reserved

Well, I guess he was right…