A romp through the Zoo's main collection of African Animals. You never know what you'll encounter. Today the
Sitatunga,
Tragelaphus spekii, were especially pleasant to admire. The buck and his three dams. There is also a newly born male, but not on public display today...
Great photo of the zoo's
Southern White Rhinoceros,
Ceratotherium simum.
Another favorite place to observe at the zoo for me is the African Aviary. Here the
Von der Decken's Hornbill,
Tockus deckeni, plays the photo hog! Perhaps he thought I was carrying a grape for him?
And if you are observant. If you take your time. If you just possess a modicum of patience and curiosity--you might just discover something special. Unadvertised on the floor of the African aviary was this sweet little
Blue Duiker,
Philantomba monticola. A sort of African bush/jungle antelope. A very diminutive creature. A cousin to the Dik-dik.
The
Plains Zebras,
Equus quagga, and the
Common Ostriches, Struthio camelus, were lulling together.
Watching them from the viewing pavilion, and then suddenly aware of other activity above--I discovered a colony of
Barn Swallows,
Hirundo rustica, that had come to roost on the tops of the light fixtures and other ornaments all across the ceiling of the pavilion. How random and wonderful, right?
Other old friends included the
Lesser Kudu,
Tragelaphus imberbis...
....and the
Saddle-billed Storks,
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis.
Also the afore mentioned Dik-dik. To be specific a
Kirk's Dik-dik,
Madogua Kirkii.
There are also two other staples of zoo's everywhere: Giraffe and Elephants.
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