Gone birding (first of two)
Aug. 14th, 2016 12:30 am1.

Grey-headed chickadee checking out its guide entry, Vadso, Norway
Photo by Geir Arne Vian
( fourteen more pics, all child/work-safe )

Grey-headed chickadee checking out its guide entry, Vadso, Norway
Photo by Geir Arne Vian
( fourteen more pics, all child/work-safe )
Parrot-palooza!
Aug. 6th, 2016 06:51 am1.

Twelve-year-old kakapo Sinbad, Codfish Island, New Zealand
Photo by Shane McInnes
Kakapo snap wins rare birds photo competition
From the linked article: Sinbad is the son of veteran kakapo Richard Henry, who was found as an adult in Fiordland in 1975 when his species was believed to be extinct.
There are only 125 known kakapo left. Each has been given a name (list at Wikipedia) by the Kakapo Recovery Programme.
( sixteen more pics, two GIFs and two embedded videos, all child/work-safe )

Twelve-year-old kakapo Sinbad, Codfish Island, New Zealand
Photo by Shane McInnes
Kakapo snap wins rare birds photo competition
From the linked article: Sinbad is the son of veteran kakapo Richard Henry, who was found as an adult in Fiordland in 1975 when his species was believed to be extinct.
There are only 125 known kakapo left. Each has been given a name (list at Wikipedia) by the Kakapo Recovery Programme.
( sixteen more pics, two GIFs and two embedded videos, all child/work-safe )
It’s not as hot here as it was the last couple of weeks, but the afternoon is still a good time for catching a few ZZZZZZ.
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Orangutan mother and child, Lowery Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida, USA
Photo by Tom and Pat Leeson
( fourteen more pics, all child/work-safe )
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Orangutan mother and child, Lowery Park Zoo, Tampa, Florida, USA
Photo by Tom and Pat Leeson
( fourteen more pics, all child/work-safe )
For the love of cats
Jun. 16th, 2016 01:52 am1.

Semi-tame cheetah Mtombi with photographer Chris du Plessis, Tshukudu Game Lodge, Hoedspruit, South Africa
Photo (taken remotely) by Chris du Plessis
Amazing moment a cheetah lies down next to a photographer and even lets him stroke her head (story and more pics)
( fourteen more pics, all child/work-safe )

Semi-tame cheetah Mtombi with photographer Chris du Plessis, Tshukudu Game Lodge, Hoedspruit, South Africa
Photo (taken remotely) by Chris du Plessis
Amazing moment a cheetah lies down next to a photographer and even lets him stroke her head (story and more pics)
( fourteen more pics, all child/work-safe )
World Otter Day was Wednesday
May. 28th, 2016 04:16 am1.



Oriental small-clawed otter Lara, Misaki Park, Misaki, Japan
Beginners Blog Otter
( thirteen more pics, two GIFs and three embedded videos, all child/work-safe )



Oriental small-clawed otter Lara, Misaki Park, Misaki, Japan
Beginners Blog Otter
( thirteen more pics, two GIFs and three embedded videos, all child/work-safe )
Gotta start 'em young
Oct. 20th, 2015 03:30 am1.

Susan Bermann with a very confused swallowtail butterfly
Photo by John Bermann
( seventeen more pics and two embedded videos, all child/work-safe )

Susan Bermann with a very confused swallowtail butterfly
Photo by John Bermann
( seventeen more pics and two embedded videos, all child/work-safe )
You need more wildness in your life
Sep. 20th, 2015 09:16 pm-- Max Gladstone
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Lionesses and cubs of the Skorro pride on an early morning walk
Photo by Andrew Nicholson
( sixteen more pics, five GIFs and one embedded video, all child/work-safe. #14 is a beetle (but, c’mon, it’s a ladybug) and #20 is a spider close-up )
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Lionesses and cubs of the Skorro pride on an early morning walk
Photo by Andrew Nicholson
( sixteen more pics, five GIFs and one embedded video, all child/work-safe. #14 is a beetle (but, c’mon, it’s a ladybug) and #20 is a spider close-up )
Cute Shark Weekend
Aug. 30th, 2015 02:59 amBecause you know Discovery Channel won’t be featuring any of these.
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Angular roughshark, Sea of Marmara near Buyukada Island, Turkey
Photo by Ateş Evirgen
( seventeen more pics, one GIF and two embedded videos, all child/work-safe; no violence or gore, even at the links )
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Angular roughshark, Sea of Marmara near Buyukada Island, Turkey
Photo by Ateş Evirgen
( seventeen more pics, one GIF and two embedded videos, all child/work-safe; no violence or gore, even at the links )
More precious handfuls
Jul. 15th, 2015 12:54 am1. 
Pygmy possum, Tasmania
Blog post
( fifteen more pics; all child/work-safe, but includes insects, spiders and snakes (oh my) )

Pygmy possum, Tasmania
Blog post
( fifteen more pics; all child/work-safe, but includes insects, spiders and snakes (oh my) )
A little vacation, at last.
May. 2nd, 2015 02:31 pmB and I are (finally!) having the house tented for termites. We'd hoped to do something more environmentally friendly than the gas, but the termites are too widespread for local treatments. So gas it is. At least it doesn't leave a residue like the stuff they used many years ago did.
We will have to vacuum up dead spiders and ants and whatever else has moved in. At least it'll kill all the ant nests in the walls, but Argentine ants are tough critters and will probably move back in soon. If we want to keep them out (ha!) we'll have to do a lot more caulking and sealing. Oh, and it turns out we'll see more ants as they come in to clean up all the dead creatures. (I wouldn't mind that -- free cleanup crew -- if only they'd all go back out afterwards and leave us the heck alone!)
We've arranged to stay in a hotel for three days. The house will be safe to move back into in two, but we'd like to stay an extra day. The hotel is close enough to the zoo that we can spend a couple of days there. We haven't been down there in many years -- it's about forty miles, and an hour of travel time (on a good day!), from where we live now, which is a hell of a trek for us, so we usually just go to the Safari Park, which is half the distance and half the time, and is a wonderful place as well. (Both are part of the Zoological Society, for which we have a yearly membership.)
We just have to double-bag and seal up (or toss) everything edible in the house that isn't in metal or glass and unopened. I've cut back the plants against the wall of the house. There wasn't much, but the lizards have been living in the vegetation. I've tried to make sure they can't get under the tarp.
There's no way we could have done this while Missy was still here. Boarding her was out of the question, even before she got so sick, and we couldn't stay away for more than part of a day either. We both still miss our kitty girl, but at least B and I can get away for a few days and relax and have a little fun. Life goes on.
We will have to vacuum up dead spiders and ants and whatever else has moved in. At least it'll kill all the ant nests in the walls, but Argentine ants are tough critters and will probably move back in soon. If we want to keep them out (ha!) we'll have to do a lot more caulking and sealing. Oh, and it turns out we'll see more ants as they come in to clean up all the dead creatures. (I wouldn't mind that -- free cleanup crew -- if only they'd all go back out afterwards and leave us the heck alone!)
We've arranged to stay in a hotel for three days. The house will be safe to move back into in two, but we'd like to stay an extra day. The hotel is close enough to the zoo that we can spend a couple of days there. We haven't been down there in many years -- it's about forty miles, and an hour of travel time (on a good day!), from where we live now, which is a hell of a trek for us, so we usually just go to the Safari Park, which is half the distance and half the time, and is a wonderful place as well. (Both are part of the Zoological Society, for which we have a yearly membership.)
We just have to double-bag and seal up (or toss) everything edible in the house that isn't in metal or glass and unopened. I've cut back the plants against the wall of the house. There wasn't much, but the lizards have been living in the vegetation. I've tried to make sure they can't get under the tarp.
There's no way we could have done this while Missy was still here. Boarding her was out of the question, even before she got so sick, and we couldn't stay away for more than part of a day either. We both still miss our kitty girl, but at least B and I can get away for a few days and relax and have a little fun. Life goes on.
Giant panda-palooza!
Nov. 30th, 2014 03:49 pm1. 
Mother and Baby, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Photo by Clare Kendall
( Fourteen more pics, four gifs and three embedded videos, oh my! )

Mother and Baby, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Photo by Clare Kendall
( Fourteen more pics, four gifs and three embedded videos, oh my! )
It’s too darn hot…
May. 2nd, 2014 07:02 pm…in my neck of the woods, anyway. Observe:
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Here's my advice:
( three more pics and two videos; child/work-safe )
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Here's my advice:
( three more pics and two videos; child/work-safe )

Alternative cams for your giant panda fix are at San Diego Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Memphis Zoo, Chengdu Research Base and Edinburgh Zoo.
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