Sunday, April 24, 2016

Spring Break Redux: The Woodland Park Zoo, part 5 of 9

Lets continue our visit to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. I left the Maned Wolves and headed to a area with a couple more aviaries. I like aviaries. The first was the Temperate Wetlands Aviary featuring ducks from far eastern Asia and the Pacific rim region. Here I witnessed a show as old as time--an interloper trying in vain to muscle his way into the relationship of a pair of Pacific Eider. The boyfriend was not a fighter and often ran, swam, flew away only to weasel his way back to his girl. She on the other hand would attack the other male as he approached to fight with her guy with a real furor, but only to the water's edge and then she left the bully to chase after her beau. It was a scene that repeated itself over and over again. The next was the Conservation Aviary that featured about 16-20 species, many larger birds, who's existence in the wild is endangered. I found the Vulture Guinea Fowl to be among the most curious here. And then I walked through the farm, met some goats, a curious sheep, and my baby girl--a diminutive Panda Cow. Who knew?! And she was a doll baby, too. With no one else around, I called to her in a low soothing voice and she came right over to me.




 Pacific Eider
  Pacific Eider
  Smew

  Vulterine Guineafowl
 Vulterine Guineafowl

 "Panda" Cow
 "Panda" Cow

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