Calgary Zoo 1

Another photo of the male Andean Condor at the Calgary Zoo. Unfortunately, the lighting was really bad in their enclosure - they were either in the shade or in very bright sunlight. The poor guy was harrassed by his mate a lot of the time!

Such a mixture of glorious colours and patterns!

We don't get Mute Swans in the wild here, just Tundra and (fewer) Trumpeter Swans. This Mute Swan lives at the Calgary Zoo.

One more photo of the female Andean Condor at the Calgary Zoo, to give an idea of the massive wing size.

Let me introduce you to baby Richard, a fairly new arrival at the Calgary Zoo. That's Mom in the background. Looks like he might be having a few teething problems, LOL!

One of the Mute Swans seen at the Calgary Zoo - they are not found in the wild around here.

I'm not sure what this plant is, but I will have to go back to it next time I go to the Calgary Zoo's Conservatory and try and get a better, sharper photo! I love the little endings to those red stamens (?). van swearingen says: I think it's Pavonia multiflora, or similar, a/k/a Brazilian Candles. Thank you so much for the ID!

A Mute Swan at the Calgary Zoo - the only way to see one of these Swans, as they are not seen in the wild here.

..... who is the fairest of them all? One enclosure at the Calgary Zoo has a boardwalk over water and I love seeing the Mandarin Ducks, Herons, and so on. When I was there yesterday, I watched the pair of Black-crowned Night-herons change place on their nest. The one that left the nest flew and perched on the fence about three feet away from me. Can't imagine how much fun it will be when they have their young ones! I had only ever seen a handful of these birds before, in the wild, and always at a very great distance, so it was great seeing them at such close quarters yesterday. This is rather a "messy" photo, but I just liked seeing the two birds together for a moment.