Solitude

A lone duck.

Bamboo

This caught my eye, because of new green growth in the stems,

topped by the the dry, old bamboo from last year.

I've seen it old, dry, and brown.

And, I've seen it all green.

But, this was the first time I've seen it in combination.

Australian Outback

I snapped a shot of this sign, simply because I got a chuckle out of it.

That's a lot of flies!

Taken at the Sedgwick County Zoo, in Wichita, Ks.

Buffalo

Taken at the Sedwick County Zoo, in Wichita Ks. At the Zoo there's some posted information about how the American Indians found a use for every part of the buffalo, nothing went to waste.

These buffalo live in a time and place, where they are protected, fed and well cared for.

This is also a good landscape photo of a Kansas prairie.

Enlarge the photo and you may even see some people.

child on a monkey's back

The expression of "a monkey on my back" is often heard by those who have a burden weighing heavilly upon them.

If this gorilla could talk - it's expression might be about a child on a monkey's back. It's so nice, that the zoo has statues of animals that allow for children to play among a wild kingdom of safe bronze sculptures.

Breeze

There's just something about curtains being blown about by gentle breezes, that appeals to me. Even when the curtains are old, faded, tattered and torn, such as these.

This photo was taken in the Gorilla Forest section of the Sedgwick County Zoo.

Gorilla's and a Goose

Aha!

My apologies for this bad photo,

but it shows yesterday's view from a different angle.

Interaction

By looking at this photo, it's hard to tell , why this Gorilla is so stillfully facing this building. But, what he (or she) is so attentive to is a zookeeper who is making hand signals and awarding treats. There is only a gate between them. My guess is, the zookeeper is teaching sign language to the gorilla, and adding some stimulating activity to it's day.

Pink blossoms

The colors of spring are finally blooming.

Scratching....

... an itch.

The pink flamingos at the Sedgwick County Zoo, are brilliant this year.

This one was in process of scratching his head, or neck, as I snapped the shot.

Be sure to scroll down to the video below this post, to see how to wash an Elephant!

Elephant shower

I know it's only 1 photo a day, but just have to work this in somewhere. It goes well with the Water theme day.

While at the Zoo, the little one said "Let's go in the building... can we?... can we?... please... please can we go in the building" And, so we did. I was delighted that we followed the toddlers coaxing - in time to see "How to wash an elephant!"

I hope you all enjoy it. Isn't that elephant well behaved? It looks like she loves getting her bath and shower. I'll post the end of bathtime - grand finale photo, tomorrow. It was almost like a trip to the Circus.

Army helmet?

This shell reminds me of an oversized army helmet. It also looks like it's been recently shined with "Turtle Wax". (anyone remember that brand of car wax?)

Iguana

Perfectly positioned to watch people passing by.

If memory serves me correctly, this is a Grand Cayman Blue Iguana

King Cobra

Taken at the Sedgwick County Zoo - a non-flared King Cobra.

Restaurant skeleton

This is a photo taken last summer of a restaurant under construction at the Sedgwick County Zoo, in Wichita. It will be interesting to see how it's coming along. For all I know it may be finished, but according to the sign it's scheduled for opening this Spring. There was a "name the zoo" contest being held, on the radio the other day. I've not heard if a winning name has been selected, yet.

Can you think of a good name for it?

Tropical path

This shady "tropical" path is in the Sedgwick County Zoo, near the Orangutang and Chimpanzee exhibits. It's a nice area to walk through - and quite a contrast to the Kansas Prairie shown in the previous two photos. It's nice to be able to experience the change of scenery provided by the Zoo. It's like going to far away places, in just a short drive.

Something's fishy...

If I was that dragonfly, I think I'd be a bit nervous - afraid of becoming a snack for the fish.

Pidgeon

This pidgeon was roosting on a wooden board under the roof of a covered bridge. It almost went unnoticed - but I happened to look up. Most people look over the sides of the bridge at the water below, as ducks and fish are swimming around.

There is a food dispenser mounted on the bridge, and for a quarter (or two) you can buy a handful of "fish food" to toss to the fish below. Often times as children open the door of the food dispenser - some of the pellets fall on the floor. If pidgeons can eat the small pellets, then this bird has found a safe and shady spot near a "cafeteria".

Zoo Blvd

Sept 1st DPB Theme Day - Street Sign
This is what most of Wichita's residential street signs look like. I thought this one would go nicely with the Zoo photos, as it is Zoo Blvd. The Sedgwick County Zoo was began in 1963 (planning stages), so this stretch of city street was given this special name sometime after that.