A Visit to the Zoo

I heard there were baby flamingos at the Woodland Park Zoo, so on Tuesday I went to see for myself.  There were three chicks that recently hatched, but one was still too small to mingle with the adults, so only two were on view.

They were wonderful gray fluffballs:

I decided not to try sketching at the zoo, as my past experiences have been too frustrating -- too much movement, and too many people.  So I concentrated on taking reference photos that I might work from later at home.

I focused on birds -- after the flamingos, I went to the wetlands aviary to admire these Common Eiders, a species that I've seen in the wild off the coast of Alaska, but not this close up.

Another favorite in the wetlands exhibit is the Red-breasted Goose -- they are not shy!

Also on view were a pair of stunning Red-crowned Cranes:

Next I headed for the tropical rainforest exhibit, where the birds fly around freely and it's nearly impossible to get photos.  Only this one bird sat still -- and I forgot to find out what species it was, and the zoo's web site doesn't help, so it's a mystery bird!

The African savannah area has another free-flying aviary, where I managed to snap some decent photos of the wonderful weaver birds.

Finally, an animal that is not a bird!  The Ring-tailed Lemurs were out and about, and posing nicely.

Today I'm going to try doing a watercolor painting of the flamingos in the comfort of my home.