The Urban Pantheist

At work there was quite a commotion when one of the landscapers noticed this pair of screech owls and their 5 chicks in a small tree next to the gift shop! They got a lot of attention from animal lovers with binoculars and cameras. The next day they were seen a couple trees away, behind the gift shop where it was a bit quieter. Nice to see these wild predators doing well here.


Right next to the front door of the gift shop this evergreen tree was sprouting an unusual growth. A very quiet still dove pretended I didn't notice it, and then so did I.

These tracks suggest some drama. The parallel lines at the right were made by the wing feathers of a bird. The bird probably dropped out of our pine tree onto the snow, following the sound of a small mammal burrowing there. The footsteps at the left are confusing, but I think they belong to the bird as well. I suspect the bird (an owl) dropped onto the snow, missed its prey, then hopped a few steps before flying off. Before the blizzard, Alexis found a mallard wing in the same spot (which is also the same spot I found the owl pellet). Hope to see the animal responsible for all these signs soon!

Here's one of our new zookeeper interns taking Widget the screech owl out for a spin!


And some nice oyster mushroom gills, why not?

Melissa and Fenris, at the end of a session where they practiced their educational program.

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Julia is repainting the hobby horse! She doesn't have access to decent brushes so she's finger-painting!

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A small crowd gathers in the rain to get a glimpse of the new baby kangaroo.




It's pretty at the zoo, even in the rain.


I just posted this on facebook and it's getting liked like you wouldn't believe. Kiki is teaching Edna how to handle Fenris.

It had been a while since we visited Dane Park, and we discovered lots of tiny life forms. It was delightful.


This wildflower appears to be a kind of bellwort, or Uvularia; I've never seen it before, which was very exciting.( Read more... )

Self portrait on deer enclosure pond.
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