A room with a view at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Giraffes at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
I guess most people enjoy seeing giraffes in zoos or in the wild. I know I do because they are something special in the animal kingdom. I suppose the attraction comes from their extremely long necks. The view from up there must be interesting.
The giraffes at Taronga Zoo in Sydney have another advantage. Not only are they able to easily look over the large crowds of people, but they also have a magnificent view of the harbour, the CBD and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Most people would envy the view from their place.
Giraffes at Taronga Zoo, Sydney
Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Red-bellied Black Snake, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
While I am not an expert on reptiles, this is one species with which I am familiar. The Red-bellied Black Snake is one of the most easily identified of Australia’s snake species. It can be quite aggressive and quite venomous.
I am happy to report that I’ve only ever seen this species on a handful of occasions. Probably the most dramatic was one that slithered over the top of my boot while I was engrossed in bird watching. I’m not sure if my feet touched the ground for several metres as I leapt away in fright. I guess the snake received just as big a fright. It sure shook me up for a few minutes. I prefer to watch snakes in the safety of zoo enclosures, like this one at Taronga Zoo in Sydney.
Lizards, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
On our visit to Taronga Zoo in Sydney earlier this year I took a few good shots of various reptiles, including the lizards shown on this page. I am really floundering to identify these wonderful creatures. I wish I knew more about reptiles. If any of my readers can help me I’d be most grateful. Are they Chameleons?
Update: Thanks to one of my readers I can now put a name to these species. The top one is a Common Iguana from America, while the one below is one of the Fijian Iguanas.
Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Reptiles, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Reptile, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
I’m not really into reptiles and so I can’t remember what kind of lizard this one is. It was in the reptile house at Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney. If any of my readers can identify it, I’d be very grateful. This is also a reminder to myself to get hold of a good identification guide to reptiles.
Topknot Pigeon, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
Topknot Pigeon, Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney
I find that zoos and wildlife parks are excellent places to hone one’s photography skills, especially those with walk through aviaries. On a few occasions, however, one can get the conditions just right and a good shot can be obtained even when shooting through the wire surrounding the aviary.
The above shot of Topknot Pigeon was taken through the wire of an aviary at Taronga Park Zoo. You can see the wire behind the bird, but the wire in front seems to have completely disappeared.
Topknot Pigeons are present along coastal eastern Australia, from Cape York peninsula down through to south eastern NSW. it can also sometimes occur in far eastern Victoria, near Mallacoota.
I have only ever seen this species once in the wild, nearly 30 years ago in Gibraltar Range National Park between Grafton and Glen Innes in north eastern NSW.