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After too long (defined as more than a month) Andy and I went to the Bronx Zoo this afternoon. On a summer Sunday, we figured we wouldn't even bother with Wild Asia or the Congo Forest, either of which would mean waiting in line to pay a surcharge. The things to definitely see were the emus, okapi, and snow leopards.
On the way to the emus, we wandered past the pelican-and-gibbon exhibit (the gibbons live on an island, the pelicans in the water around it; they don't really interact). There were half-grown wood ducks in the water; still clearly this year's ducklings, but the males are starting to show the wood-duck green and blue coloring. We'll go back next month and see how they're doing: the area can use more wood ducks.
The okapis were out and about, and excellent to watch at length. But i wanted a sign that said
after listening to the people around me for a little while. I can cope with the children who see a striped quadruped and think zebra. It's the adults who tell an infant "that's a zebra" and, when I point out that it's an okapi, say "she won't remember it." This is a reason for lying to a child? If she won't remember the name, "look at that animal" might be the way to go. And the adults who say it's half giraffe and half zebra, and don't bother to mention its real name. I suppose I should be glad they read enough to recognize that it is in fact related to a giraffe.
The other high point, along with the wood ducks, was watching herons on the pond next to the cafeteria-and-gift-shop area. The official, on-the-signs animals there are flamingos, ducks, and koi. But it's a nice big open pond, with food, so it's got some big turtles; some red-wing blackbirds; and, today, herons. A little green heron (not very green, but that's his name) and a yellow-crowned night heron. We watched that bird for a long time, as it stood, then stalked slowly along the shore, then stood again. We checked the book when we got home, and that's another for the life list. (Less exotic than the two before it--calliope hummingbirds, storm-tossed on the wrong edge of the continent, and a bald eagle.)
Snow leopards don't do well on hot summer days, so we stopped there briefly, then headed back to the bus. But first we stopped to take another look at the young wood ducks.
On the way to the emus, we wandered past the pelican-and-gibbon exhibit (the gibbons live on an island, the pelicans in the water around it; they don't really interact). There were half-grown wood ducks in the water; still clearly this year's ducklings, but the males are starting to show the wood-duck green and blue coloring. We'll go back next month and see how they're doing: the area can use more wood ducks.
The okapis were out and about, and excellent to watch at length. But i wanted a sign that said
NOT A ZEBRA
after listening to the people around me for a little while. I can cope with the children who see a striped quadruped and think zebra. It's the adults who tell an infant "that's a zebra" and, when I point out that it's an okapi, say "she won't remember it." This is a reason for lying to a child? If she won't remember the name, "look at that animal" might be the way to go. And the adults who say it's half giraffe and half zebra, and don't bother to mention its real name. I suppose I should be glad they read enough to recognize that it is in fact related to a giraffe.
The other high point, along with the wood ducks, was watching herons on the pond next to the cafeteria-and-gift-shop area. The official, on-the-signs animals there are flamingos, ducks, and koi. But it's a nice big open pond, with food, so it's got some big turtles; some red-wing blackbirds; and, today, herons. A little green heron (not very green, but that's his name) and a yellow-crowned night heron. We watched that bird for a long time, as it stood, then stalked slowly along the shore, then stood again. We checked the book when we got home, and that's another for the life list. (Less exotic than the two before it--calliope hummingbirds, storm-tossed on the wrong edge of the continent, and a bald eagle.)
Snow leopards don't do well on hot summer days, so we stopped there briefly, then headed back to the bus. But first we stopped to take another look at the young wood ducks.
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