Taronga Zoological Park, Sydney
Sunday 26th February
Today we drove to the Taronga Zoological Park. We spent nearly three hours visiting the various exhibits. It was obvious that much had been done to improve the animal displays since our last visit nearly six years ago. Although the enclosures generally are not very big, they seem quite adequate and good attempts have been made to allow good views of the animals. Unfortunately my favourite animals, the Red Pandas, were not to been seen; they must have been asleep out of view.
There have also been many improvements as far as human facilities are concerned. Extensive new restaurants, new toilets and a chair lift are all good additions. Several sets of escalators help greatly with the slope of the zoo grounds, especially when one has parked at the top and have to walk uphill all the way back to the car.
During our visit I took many good photographs of the animals. We were just in time to see the Bird Show and I managed a seat right near the front. I took a number of excellent shots of the White-Bellied Sea-Eagle and the Wedge-Tailed Eagle as well as the Powerful Owl. The show was as entertaining as usual. I also zoomed in on the head of a giraffe – and not a head and shoulders shot as that would not be close up! I also managed some excellent shots of the city skyline, the bridge and the harbour.
I didn’t concentrate on looking for native birds flying free but still recorded a short list. We were pleased to have a cool breeze blowing as it was quite warm. Out of the breeze it was hot. We are having trouble adapting to the high humidity here in Sydney. At 30 degrees it feels much warmer than the same temperature at Murray Bridge because of the humidity.