Neat things at the Lowry Park Zoo.

The baby penguin is getting big.

Flamingos trying to sleep.

A new baby rhino, born mid-July. The kids were going crazy watching him run around with his mother. He was so cute.

Pretty bird in the aviary.

One of the elephants cooling off.

Just a few neat things I saw on my recent trip to the zoo.

Last trip to the zoo for a while

Baby mallards swimming around the hyenna exhibit.

 

More pictures of the blue heron family.

Twin blue herons.

Lizard

Common ground dove.

I packed up my camera stuff and head out to the zoo for one last look at the baby spoonbills before they leave the nest. At this point they should be about 6 weeks old. I went straight to the nest and was in for a big letdown. They were already gone. The nest was empty. I guess they start taking off and wandering around at that point. There were only a few late blue heron babies hanging around. Now the alligator exhibit is just a boring water hole full of alligators. I was glad I made the effort to get there for 4 weekends in a row to see the spoonbills growing up. I did find an adult spoonbill sleeping high up in a tree close by. It was still a productive trip. I spent an hour walking around getting some exercise before the heat got to me. I'll probably not be back until late fall, maybe around November. It's just too hot now.

Wild stuff at the zoo

Blue jay in the tree.

Cool grasshopper. The zoo is full of them.

Adult blue heron feeding baby that's not so little anymore.

Baby blue heron yelling for mom to go get more food.

Baby blue heron profile. It'll be leaving the nest soon.

One of the last baby moorhens to be born. There might still be a few stragglers.

On my trip to the zoo to see the spoonbills, I walked around and found a few interesting things. The zoo is full of grasshoppers right now. Some of them have a lot of color. The last of the baby blue herons are getting big. Soon the alligator exhibit will only have alligators in it. How boring. My plan is to check on the baby spoonbills one more time before they take off.  I'm not sure how old they get before they leave the nest. Hopefully, I'll have another week to catch them.

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Baby spoonbills all grown up

The parent sitting close by in a tree. I think she's wondering "Do I really want to go and get attacked by these hungry birds? Aren't they old enough now to go out on their own?"

"I'm next, I'm next."

"Yum, Mom's regurgitated food."

"I hate being last."

All grown up now.

A video of the babies begging for food. Mom was sitting in a tree nearby.

Four weeks after I saw the first speck of pink fuzz, I headed to the zoo again. When I first got there, the babies were just sitting on the nest.  A few minutes later, they all jumped up and started begging. I looked around and saw that one of the parents had flown into the tree behind me. She sat there for a few minutes and then flew to the nest. I was excited I had arrived when an early lunch was just starting. The mom stayed for a while and then flew off, leaving the babies sitting around again. By then it was hot and my bug spray was wearing off so I headed home.

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Spoony babies update - 3rd week at the zoo.

"Mom, we don't see it."

"Mom, tell Bubba to get off me."

"Everyone, look busy. Here comes another photographer."

"Don't worry, that creepy lady with the black box can't get you."

"But we can if you fall down"

Third trip to Lowry Park zoo since the roseate spoonbill babies were born. I think the lady at the front gate gave me a "You're here again?" look. A week later and they are getting big. Their bills are starting to really look like a spoonbill beak. The pink is just getting a little deeper. They were busy all morning. They kept trying to climb over each other. People were noticing the nest more than before. That big group of pink really sticks out over the alligator exhibit. I think at least 2-3 trips are still in my future. I'd like to see them taking those first flights but it would be shear luck if that happened on the weekend. There are a lot of baby blue herons that are just growing up flying from tree to tree and there are still a few late couples just laying eggs.

Alien babies at the zoo

"I'm not going in there."

"Look at my big feet."

"Big sis is blocking our way out."

"I am not ugly!"

"Gimmi kiss, Mom."

I found this moorhen family hanging around the ponds at one of the primate exhibits at Lowry Park Zoo.  After hanging out with the baby spoonbills, I walked around the zoo to see what else was going on. I think baby moorhens win the prize for the "Face only a mother could love" category. I think there were two families there because the one in the 2nd picture was much older than the other two. They all stayed close together though. It's that time of the year. Everywhere I go I see small black dots swimming behind momma moorhens.

Synchronized swimming

"All together now, duck for fish."

"All together now, up and swallow."

"All together now, look for more fish."

"All together now, heads down, wings up."

"All together now, burp up fish."

"Start all over again."

On one of my recent trips to the zoo to check out the wild spoonbill babies, I walked over to the African section of the zoo. I stopped to see the white pelicans in the big aviary and noticed how funny they all looked doing the same thing at the same time. I watched for a while and realized they did this over and over again traveling in circles around the pond. I wonder if the white pelicans that visit Circle B Bar Reserve in the winter do this. There are hundreds of pelicans huddled close together at the reserve so I guess it's harder to notice this little routine. I thought it was cute and started snapping some pictures.

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Update on the Spoony babies.

"Where's dad with the food????"

"Turn around and stop showing off your backside."

"Mom, wake up. I'm hungry."

"No rest for a parent."

"All together now, Do Re Me!"

 

Video of what the parents listen too all day long.

Second trip to the zoo to see the baby spoonbills since they were born.  The babies are a little bit bigger. They are already taking up a lot of space on that nest. They didn't sit still for a minute while I was there. The parent kept trying to sleep. When I first got there both parents were on the nest but quickly one of them flew away and didn't come back the entire hour and a half that I was there. I think they had just been fed before I got there. Another update to follow next week.

My first spoony babies!

"Listen Mom, I have to tell you something."

"I can't get comfortable."

"Who's your favorite, Mom?"

"Look at my pink wings!"

"Three's a crowd."

"Don't poop on us Mom."

I stopped by Lowry Park zoo for a quick visit to check on the spoonbill nest. What a nice surprise to find 3 babies on the nest. They were so cute! I spent about an hour taking pictures. If I had my camera pointed at the nest, people would stop and notice the nest above the alligator pond. If I wasn't taking pictures, most walked by without even noticing the nest. People where noticing the big alligators laying below. They were mesmerized by how big the alligators were. The babies were my first spoonbill babies. They were light pink and fuzzy. I hope they don't outgrow that nest too fast. I'm going to try and stop by each weekend to keep track of their progress.

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