Animals, not Birds

Taken at the Featherdale Wildlife Park near Sydney, Australia. These cute critters were walking around in the open areas of the facility. Panasonic GX85.

This was taken inside the special butterfly area at the Franklin Park Conservatory. I'm not an insect photographer, so it was quite a revelation to find that it is HARD to get any photos of these insects, as they flit around the area. See: swansonphotos.com/franklin Taken with the Panasonic GX85.

Taken during our 2018 safari in South Africa. We got to see a number of lion groups in the Kruger National Park area. This was taken with the Panasonic GX85 with a 200-400 telephoto, and then cropped with GIMP.

We were visiting a state park near Haines, Alaska, when a crowd of people moved towards us rather rapidly. They said there was a brown bear walking along the lakeshore and they were getting out of the way. We set up our long telephoto lenses on our cameras, and took a look around. Indeed this bear was walking the shoreline, and we managed to get some interesting views. OK, now for the Sunday Challenge . I noted from the invitation that the subject could be an actual "sliding door" or some such object, or could be a moment in one's life where a simple decision could have a major effect. Of all the photos I've posted to Ipernity, this would be the nearest to a "sliding door" moment. We drove into the parking lot of the state park, and took our cameras out for some photo opportunities. I was first out, while Sandra gathered her equipment. I turned right, and walked to the hill overlooking the lake and river. There was the bear, and this is the photo. If I had turned left, I would have walked right into the path of this grizzly bear, and who can predict the outcome of that collision. On review, I consider many such "sliding door" experiences in my life, but I cannot immediately find any other photos that would express them. That is a bit ironic, since it seems like I had a camera around my neck for most of my youth, from 15 years old and onward.

Taken on Grand Canary, Spain. We were taking a tour from our cruise in 2013, and stopped in the small town of Teror. There was a very nice park with a pond full of lily pads, turtles, and this lone frog. Image processed with GIMP.

This dog was relaxing near the port of Nanortalik, while we walked around the area. The cruise ship Veendam can be seen in the background. I've added this to the Sunday Challenge for 1 January 2023. Our view ahead into 2023 should include some cruise travel, after nearly 3 years of frustration. Happy New Year to All!! See: swansonphotos.com/greenland

Taken during our safari at Kruger National Park, South Africa. Near the end of the first day, the driver took us around to see some animals in the dark. He used a spotlight to illuminate them, which probably caused some irritation... There was a pride of lions in the grass nearby, and his spotlight caught this lion quite close to us. (The lions are over-lit, but there are now some possibly dangerous shadows. Who else is in the grass, waiting for a Sunday Challenge?) I used the Panasonic GX85 with a long telephoto lens, and processed with GIMP. More night photos at: swansongrp.com/P/p/night_narrative/index.html

Just one of the interesting sights at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Pretty strong fence there. (Have A Nice Weekend, perhaps at the zoo...) Image processed with GIMP.

The apes are in an open compound, but the zoo has added a wall on the back. There are "holes" in the wall that allow the apes to have some privacy. This mother is being bugged by the baby, something I expect all mothers have to deal with. Image processed with GIMP.