Wellington Zoo

Yesterday was a three hour walk around Zealandia and today we spent the entire morning at Wellington Zoo. My feet are so sore now that just walking to the kitchen for a cuppa tea is a mission! I have certainly pushed myself beyond what my poor arthritic joints would like, but hey, we suffer for our art don't we :)

There were sooooo many people at the zoo today! I don't think I have ever seen so many pushchairs and buggies at the same time before. It really is good to see the zoo doing so well but from a photographers point of view I would love to be able to go there one day when there are no children. To be able to get a clear view at the exhibits with no reflections of crowds in the glass would be heaven. I understand that it's just a dream but I can dream can't I?

Tomorrow is an at home day, we might have a play with macro photography. Watch this space for the results!

Tigers

I don't know why it is, but almost everyone likes tigers! In the shops you can find all sorts of things with tiger faces on them from bedspreads to pictures to hang on the wall. Personally I have never really been one to drool over a tiger picture - unless of course I took it.

Realistically I am never going to see a tiger in the wild, so I have to be satisfied with photographing them in a captive environment and until recent years that has always been a difficult task. Now with zoo's using more glass in their enclosure viewing areas, it is a little easier to achieve. Having the glass clean is always a bonus but the camera can focus beyond a little grunge if need be.

These images were shot at the Auckland Zoo and I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to capture the tiger when she was so active. Every time I have visited there since, the tigers were all snoozing in the sun and not very motivated to move at all. These shots were taken just after opening time and I suspect food was either close by or just finished - I am just thankful that I wasn't the meal!

Cute and Cuddly

One of the things I expected to see lots of when I went to the Melbourne Zoo were the animals that we associate with Australia. The kookaburra, the koala, the wombat etc. I don't remember seeing a kookaburra but I have to assume they were there somewhere - we didn't make it round the entire park. The wombat's both had their noses in their feed bowls and were scoffing it down so fast I am surprised they didn't try to eat the stainless steel bowls as well! There were a few kangaroos about the place but they were all laying about resting. I found them rather boring to look at, I would much rather have seen them bounding about in the outback totally free than looking rather bored in a smallish enclosure.

The koala's (there were two of them that I saw) were both up in a tree. Ok so that's where they are supposed to be but it wasn't easy to either see them, or photograph them which I found rather frustrating. I have always thought they looked cute and cuddly but to be honest I didn't much to make me want to hug one. They have rather beady little eyes and appear to be watching everything that is going on around them from their perch up high, and of course if they see a camera pointing at them they hide behind a pole or a branch! Well that's my story anyway.

There were four tiger cubs at Melbourne Zoo when we visited. They were in an enclosure with their mum and they were all cute and fluffy. Big playful kittens! Their paws looked oversized for their bodies so I am assuming they will grow into those paws and will become a force to be reckoned with. I shot lots of photos of the tiger cubs but only a couple of them were actually any good. They were so fisky and bouncing from place to place in their play that it was almost impossible to get a good shot. A missed opportunity perhaps - or a learning experience.