Santa Barbara Zoo

Santa Barbara Zoo was one of those places I always wanted to go and never got around to. Driving along the Cabrillo road, I often saw the giraffes from behind the hedge and wondered about the Zoo, but somehow we always seemed to have other agenda. This May they had a new California Condor exhibit opened, and that decided it: we had to go. So, last Saturday Roxy and I hit the road early in the morning and got to the Zoo just as it opened. Spent the whole day there, couldn't walk very well the next day, but boy, was it fun! Though SB Zoo is smaller than the LA one, it has got some animals we don't have here, and it is very nice, clean and fun. Here are just a few photos to give you an idea.

Amur Leopards were snoozing when we first passed by their cage.



We went back after a while, and they were up and pacing, so I was able to get a few mug shots through the glass.



A serene little pond right in the middle of the Zoo...



Toucan... the oversized plastic-looking beak seems like an overkill for the small pieces he was eating.


Titi monkeys - mama and the baby. It was fun watching them - a typical curious toddler and an anxious mom trying to keep him close.


Humboldt penguins... There was a whole lot of them and they were having fun chasing each other through water, doing some spectacular jumps out of the water, grooming each other, waddling around, trumpeting... I think we spent 1/2 hour just watching them.



Scarlet macaws in the aviary.



Blue-and-gold macaw - the Zoo's welcoming committee. His enclosure is near the entrance and he is all smiles, talking, bowing, even doing a little dance for the guests.

There are a lot more interesting and rare animals at SB Zoo - well worth the visit and the drive. Plus, it's not as hot as the LA Zoo - an added benefit.

The bugs that are not

This is NOT a butterfly, it's a threadwing, and it's related to ant lions and lacewings. Most of you will probably never see one: it's endemic to Southern Caucasis region.


This is NOT a stretched-out ladybug, but a totally different beetle, called blister beetle.


NOT a bear. A very large (size of your palm) moth.



NOT you garden variety tiger swallowtail, but the endangered European counterpart.



NOT a ritual mask from a Japanese kabuki theater. Just a juvenile assassin bug.

Portraits

Another photoshoot, this time at LA Zoo. Mainly portraits.

This is done with Canon S3IS compact. Once my new dSLR arrives, I will try to shoot similar photos again and compare the quality.


For now, let's see how well you know zoology. How many of these can you identify before looking at the tags?

Red crowned mangabey female deep in thought over some food.


Crowned crane looks exhaused by the incessant noise made by flamingo chicks nearby.


Indian rhino enjoying some tree bark.


Ring-tail lemur meditating at a sunny spot.


Um... unknown species, gotta look this one up!


Gerenuk: "I am all ears".


Young male tiger, making noise like young males are wont to do.


Cape vulture giving me a distrustful look.

A face only a mother can love - cape vulture chick.


A non-resident house finch at a bird feeder.


White-faced whistling duck standing watch over the nest.

Gorilla - pretty much laughing at us...

Chimpansees engaged in a girly chat.

The buzzing fluff

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures. Heard that one before, right? Well, so have I, but I just can't get over it. The smallest of all birds, some smaller than the eye (or the brain) of an ostrich, they are nothing but a bunch of fluff with a needle-like beak - but with what an attitude! What amazing agility! And how beautiful they are - all colorful, with gorgeous iridescent feathers that change colors as they fly. I have been fascinated by them ever since I came to California and discovered the abundance of those little buzzers here.

Did you know a hummingbird can flap its wings 200 times per second, can hover in one place and - the only one of all birds - can fly backwards?!

Here are some of the recent hummingbird pictures I took. Only a week ago they were happily feeding and chirping in the trees. Today they were already flying in pairs and buzzing angrily if any strangers came close to their territory. Must be spring - nest-building time.

On this picture of Allen's hummingbird, you can't really see the colorful neck. Then the bird moves an inch, the sun hits the feathers differently, and...

voila! the red necktie!


This little guy was trying to intimidate me by flying straight overhead or hovering in the air right in front of my face! After which, with a victorious air he would return to his perch on the cactus branch. I wonder if his missus was building a nest somewhere nearby...



Here are some older pictures; I took them years ago and they have been posted on a photo website.

This guy literally flew into my picture - I was actually trying to shoot a bee...


This silly couple of Anna's hummingbirds built their nest in a tree inside a parking lot. I watched them for a few days and took some photos, hoping to see the young ones soon, but sadly the nest got blown off by a strong wind one day...


This not-so-quality picture is Costa's hummingbird, a different species I found in San Diego.

That's all, and happy Valentine's Day to everyone who cares.

But wait, there is more!

Prague Zoo surprised me not only by its size (it's very large), but also how well kept and clean it was, how beautiful the grounds were and how progressive it was in general. This is rare for post-socialist countries climbing out of economic difficulties, but for Prague it's even more praiseworthy, because not too long ago, in 2002 , the city and the Zoo were damaged by a flood. There were photos of the flooded Zoo, of the extend of the damage done, reports of heroic rescues of animals by the zookeepers and of the losses... Since then, the Zoo was rebuilt and expanded, and is now among the top 10 best zoos in the world. Some call it the best zoo in Europe.

The Zoo starts with a Walk of Fame - only instead of movie starts there are the footprints of the zoo stars and primadonnas - monkeys, tigers, zebras...








I did take a lot of videos at the Zoo, which I can't post here. I will only show some of the animals I haven't seen in any other zoo, or those we particularly liked. Like this bat-eared dog, which was, I think, Roxy's favorite.




These two birds of prey were among my favorites. I like how they looked me, as if considering whether or not I am worth catching. The snow owl was actually hissing at me, trying to scare me at first.

These monkeys are looking for fleas in each other's fur (and not finding any, by the way) at the Indonesian Jungle pavilion, one of the most unique exhibits at the Zoo. There was a binturong at the exhibit, too - something I haven't seen anywhere else - but he was hiding in the tree.

Part of the Indonesian pavilion is a dark tunnel , where nocturnal animals can be seen roaming around, and the bats fly around free.

Pelicans...

I liked the giraffe habitat, because we didn't have to look up - the observation desk was at the level of their heads, so we could actually look them in the eye :)



Polar bears rarely feel and look good in captivity. This one was so shining white, healthy looking and energetic, it was a pleasure to behold!

What's that on your nose?

This magnificent creature is a rhinoceros beetle – one of the largest and most fascinating beetles in Armenia. When I was a kid, first collecting bugs, then photographing them, I really wanted to find one, but never did. So, this here monster represents my childhood dream come true!

Some interesting facts about rhino beetles, gleaned from books and Internet: they are mostly useful creatures, their larva feeds on rotting wood, recycling it back into the ecosystem, only males have the horn and use it for territorial/food fights with other males. Females are larger, but with no horn.

What I find fascinating about these beetles, is that they are considered among the strongest creatures in the world. A rhino beetle is said to be able to carry 850 times its own weight!

The close relatives of this guy are the huge African rhinos, some of them as big as the palm of your hand! This European cousin is only about 5-6 cm (2-2.5 in) long. But he does have an imposing appearance, doesn’t he?

AN ODE TO OUR LONG-EARED FRIENDS

Even a brief look at Armenian folklore will reveal the following fact: a donkey was by far the most popular animal with our ancestors, featured in more folk tales, sayings, proverbs, idioms and jokes than any other character (okay, maybe dogs are mentioned quite as frequently). This is easily accounted for, if you remember that Armenia is a mountainous country where, before the heavy machinery even existed to dig roads and tunnels, most traveling and cargo transportation was done via narrow mountain paths. A donkey was indispensable for this sort of thing, better even than a horse, especially because not everyone could afford a horse. So there you have it – please welcome the hero of Armenian national folklore!

Though it is a thankless task to translate idioms and proverbs, I will site some donkey-related ones, still widely used:

You will often hear a stupid and obstinate person being called a donkey, donkey head or, if the stupidity is particularly irritating – a donkey foal. (These expressions are particularly popular with drivers and politicians these days.) Similarly, to speak like a donkey means to say something stupid. And if someone is especially obstinate and insists on getting his own way no matter what, he will certainly be described as spurring his donkey on.

Someone who is sluggish or tuned out will be dubbed slumbering in a donkey ear. For instance, if you are the last one to hear that your boss is marrying his secretary after 7 years of relationship, you were definitely taking a nap in one of those furry ears.

The condition of mountain roads and the rocking gait of an average donkey must have been the reason why a person who is feeling tired and beaten will describe himself as having just dismounted from a donkey. Somewhere along those lines goes the following saying: mounting a donkey is shame, getting off is twice the shame. I think it means: if you took something upon you - do it, no matter how unpleasant the task is.

Don’t die, donkey – spring will come, grass will grow describes empty promises. Others might be donkeys, we are just a donkey saddle is to say - life/progress is passing us by. Looking for a dead donkey to take the shoes off usually describes an opportunist, or someone taking advantage of others. Pull the donkey out of the mud means to survive a challenge (if you didn’t study for the test and got an A just using your wit, this would be a very appropriate thing to say)


Ate the donkey, turned away from the tail – my mom would say when I run out to play leaving the last sentence of my homework unfinished (didn’t happen too often). And if I didn’t appreciate something yummy she made, her comment was: what does donkey know about almonds? Loaded donkey runs faster – she would sigh taking yet another task upon herself.


A donkey, even if it makes 40 trips to Jerusalem, will still be a donkey – doesn’t need much explanation, I think.


All this aside, however, donkeys are rather smart animals, if somewhat obstinate and loud. They are tough, hard working and cheap, and to this day are still popular throughout the countryside. What with the rising gas prices, I am thinking about getting one myself!

To conclude, a fable by a 13th century Armenia writerVardan Aygekci.

Messengers came to a donkey: “Rejoice and be glad and prepare gifts, you had a grandson.”
“Woe to me, friends”, - the donkey answered. “Even with hundred grandsons, my load will remain just as heavy.”

SOS

If you look at the map of Armenia, you will notice in addition to Sevan Lake in the middle and several smaller water reservoirs in various areas, a group of strange, geometrically shaped lakes in the southern corner of the country. These are artificial fisheries of Armash, bordering with the "no man’s land" between Armenia and Turkey, and there we went last Sunday with a small group and the President of the Center of Bird Lovers of Armenia as a guide.

What makes the fisheries special is the amount and diversity of water birds there. After some other lakes in Armenia were drained or the habitat around them destroyed as a result of human activity, the birds started making their nests at the fisheries, which are surrounded by reeds and are rich with food. Beside the ducks, herons and egrets, terns and cormorants of all shapes and sizes, that are fairly common (even though some of those are threatened too,) there are some spectacular birds that live here – spoonbill, glossy ibis and black stork, for example. Pelicans and flamingos, that are not native to Armenia, stop over at the lakes during their migration.

Seeing as the lakes are practically the last resort for these birds in Armenia, you would think this a wonderful opportunity to dedicate at least part of the vast territory of the fisheries to a bird sanctuary, close it to hunting and fishing and open to kids, families and birdwatchers. Not so fast! The government does not seem in the least bit interested in stepping in, and the owner of the land, it seems, couldn't care less about endangered species (let me put it this way - he is yet to prove that he does). All that matters is that these birds eat fish. He grows fish for profit, and they eat it! So, without further ado, he sets to destroy them every which way he can. Besides regularly burning the reeds with nests, eggs and babies, he also allows an Italian-Armenian joint venture tour company to bring over groups of hunters to shoot the birds and has his own people shooting them as well, as they proudly boasted to us while we were walking around the lake. “They eat fish” said the young man with a gun showing us a shot black crowned night heron, a squacco heron and a duck.

The zoologists approached the owner of the fisheries more than once, asking him to stop allowing hunters to the lakes, but the answer still stands as negative. By the most optimistic predictions, it won't take long until the birds stop returning to these ponds, and will move to our southern neighbors for permanent residence. If they don't disappear altogether.

Sad.

Where do stork babies come from?

The photo is clickable-enlargeable. Did you notice how many sparrows make their nests on the outskirts of a stork nest?