urbpan | Creatures in and of the zoo

A weird crow call drew me out from my office. Just outside, a red tail was getting harassed by a single crow and few songbirds. This grackle was the most persistent of the mob.

I don't know what these house sparrows are doing. The female has got a good grip on the male, but why?

The female slips through the mesh a little further before eventually losing her grip on the male--then he flew away.

Near the zoo hospital a cottontail enjoys a little sun.

A beautiful but dangerous creature, poison ivy makes its first reappearance.

I decided to test out the telephoto capability of my camera with this young Grevy's zebra. Hello!

In the crack between a wall and the paved way, some weeds compete for dominance: Here's a burdock rosette. Will the plant live its full 2 year life cycle? Will its enormous taproot find enough soil nutrients in the gap of the pavement?

A young Ailanthus tree sends some leaves out to gather fuel. There are 60 foot trees of this species cracking sidewalks in cities around the world.

This glossy buckthorn is a humbler species--at best it will grow to be a rangy shrub or a skinny little tree.

Inside the Bird's World building I saw this small dull-colored songbird. It wouldn't be easy for a house sparrow to get into this part of the zoo, but it's within the realm of possibility. I took a number of pictures so I could look at them later and determine what I was actually seeing.

There! As the bird contorts to preen himself, he reveals his leg band. A permanent metal band on his right leg identifies him as a male. I deduced that it was an orange bishop, in non-breeding plumage.