Instead of our usual type of event (go someplace, walk in one direction for a couple hours) the latest Urban Nature Walk meetup was a moth night. Instead of meeting at 10 a.m. on the last Sunday of the month we met at 10 p.m. and stayed up until 1 a.m.
We met up at Franklin Park Zoo, set up some lights to attract nocturnal insects, and went around photographing what we found. Fortunately several people had great photography set-ups (compared to my little point and shoot) so there will be lots of great photographs to look at. Meanwhile, here's my set:

This is a Macaria moth.
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We met up at Franklin Park Zoo, set up some lights to attract nocturnal insects, and went around photographing what we found. Fortunately several people had great photography set-ups (compared to my little point and shoot) so there will be lots of great photographs to look at. Meanwhile, here's my set:

This is a Macaria moth.
( Read more... )
National Zookeeper Week
Jul. 24th, 2014 08:23 pm
This is National Zookeeper Week, so AAZK ZNE is presenting training sessions with some of our animals to show what it is we do, other than feeding and cleaning. Here Sarah is training Inti the Andean condor. Such a smart animal and an able trainer.
3:00 snapshot #1688: Saturday
Jul. 13th, 2014 02:30 pm
Yesterday I went into work on my day off to help promote Bowling for Rhinos. I sat at a table giving out flyers and awarding stickers to children who bowled with the toy bowling sets (suggested donation $1). In the center is Bill Konstant from the International Rhino Foundation, who came to deliver a talk on rhinos conservation and how Bowling for Rhinos is helping. On the right is the president of the zoo, on the left is one of our zooteens.
Intern Movie Night
Jul. 11th, 2014 07:00 pm
The Animal Management administrative assistant (good new friend of mine) and AAZK teamed up to throw a cookout and a movie for the animal care interns.

Most of the people there were not working at the zoo in 2009 when the movie was filmed partly on location in the zoo.

Morticia seems to be busying herself with something. I like to imagine she's playing with her smart phone.

Up at Stone Zoo, Cornelius has regrown his magnificent rack. The neck muscles he must have to carry that around!

I've yet to get an identification on this caterpillar found on viburnum, but I'm going to predict that it's a skipper species.
Star Wars Day!
May. 6th, 2014 08:16 pm
Franklin Park Zoo held a special event on May the Fourth, as many places did. The zoo invited two cosplay groups to come and greet the guests. I don't work on Sundays, but you can bet that I was there just to meet all the characters!
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