“All for one, and one for all”
Naked Neck Chicken
Dandelion cosplay.
Lady Amhersts Pheasant
This guy was relatively new to the zoo and was hiding a lot. To get this shot, I had to wait for an hour, give up, leave, then sneak back in when he thought I’d gone and get this shot in the thirty seconds before he realized I was back.
Peafowl
The wacky toy lenses are hard to use, but sometimes they work pretty well.
Golden Eagle
Remember that fancy lens I got before I went to Peru?
Well, it can snap an Eagle’s tongue from 100 paces.
Granted, that’s not a feature I anticipate needing all that often … but it’s pretty cool.
Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is not bald. It has white feathers that fall as little decorative bits over their brown feathers on their necks. These little decorative bits are often called “lappets”.
The lappet-faced vulture is, of course, completely bald.
Salmon Faverolles Chicken
The one in the middle is not a green kangaroo, but she does have a cricket.
Naked Neck Chicken
Sometimes you frame photos, sometimes they frame themselves.
Night Heron
You don’t need a bell, book, and candle to tell when a bird is possessed.
Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash)
The Wikipedia Talk page for the Hadada Ibis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Hadada_ibis) contains a nice little diatribe as to whether this is a Hadada, Hadeda, or Hadida. However, the page is considered “Low-importance” on the Wikipedia Bird Project scale.
The talk page for the Wikipedia Bird Project does not discuss whether “Low-importance” should be hyphenated. It does, however, state the position that ALL birds are of low importance by default and must have done something of note to be elevated to a higher status. No one can seem to agree about the chicken and the goose.
This ibis, however, doesn’t care.
Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)
Live action hungry hungry hippos is rather scarier than I had imagined.
Lion (Panthera leo)
So I was staring at this tree because someone said “Yeah, the lion went in there and vanished. When she comes out, I’m sure you’ll get a great shot.”
I was set up, pre-focused, and waiting.
Then the boulder turned around and looked at me.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Sometimes taking a little boat trip can get you interesting shots.
Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata)
A year ago, I was extremely excited to see one of these guys awake and get a good photo of him.
A few months ago, I got to pet one (but only in one direction). It’s interesting where life takes you.
Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
Gorillas are also available in “Small”.
Chimpanzees are available in two sizes.
Bee
Y’all know what the bee is helping the flower do. This is foreplay.
Bridge
One interesting thing they do at the Kansas City Zoo that I don’t see much is the ability get a ticket on a little boat that takes you across the lake and back. I had hoped for more photography opportunities than were presented, but after a lot of walking on a hot day, it’s nice to take a little ride … even if it’s awfully tempting to throw some of the less well-behaved parents overboard.
I did get to see this little bridge which was more photogenic when I was not actually on it.
Bat-eared Fox (Otocyon megalotis)
It’s actually a lot easier to sneak up on these guys than you’d think. Though, to be fair, I’ve never seen them in the wild so maybe the ones in zoos just don’t care enough to run away when they hear you.
Tiger
Sometimes you’re just too tired to get up and get a tissue.