NATIONAL ZOO 2009 ~ PART 1

Well DaveKay has made the annual trip to National Zoo and is sharing the trip with all. First stop, (one of DaveKay's favs) is our boy Tai Shan.

Ever notice that no matter how expensive the gift is, kids really like the boxes, lol.

Then off to see those beautiful flamingos

Snack time

OK, I admit it, I can't find the email that was sent after the photos so I have no idea what birds these are but they are cute.

I do know what this one is though. (Seems to me I got real up close and personal with one once, lol)

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Images courtesy of DaveKay.

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Thanks DaveKay for sharing all your exciting trips with one and all. I, for one and I'm sure I'm not the only one, will more then likely never get the chance to visit these places and your sharing your trips enables me to 'see' many more places.

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Looking forward to our next 'trip'. SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE !!

EAGLE TRAIN 2009 PART 2

As promised, here are the other photos from this year's Eagle Train. We were really treated to a good show this year, and I was so glad the first-timers got a good dose of those fabulous birds! We were so excited, we are probably going to go on the Fall Foliage trip in October! The eagles will still be flying high!

This is a new shot of the Kuykendall House - looks about the same as last year, but we noticed there was furniture in it this year

This is the eave stone on the house. It reads, "1789 ISAAc Kuykendall", with a bad job of spacing!

When these ruins were a home, you can see what a magnificent view the residents had!

Various shots of the birds in flight

These are the shots that I was telling you about - the "UFO" that I picked up on them If you have the capability to magnify these three shots, you will see the small white object that appears in the distance. Heaven knows what it is, but it just seemed a little weird to see that
(I've done some magnification so you can see what showed up)

O.K., so that does it for this year's Eagle trip - all in all, a very nice day well-spent with new friends as well as old acquaintances! And of course it was a real joy to see those magnificent birds showing off for all of us!

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Next trip - the National Zoo in July! Really looking forward to that! And you KNOW I'll have some pics for you then!

Enjoy! DaveKay

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Images and captions courtesy of DaveKay

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I've got 1 or 2 things to say, first sorry it took so long to get these up and second THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for sharing your trips with all of us. I have a feeling DaveKay that this years trips will very special to you with those new eyes.
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Looking forward to out next 'trip'. SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE !!

EAGLE TRAIN 2009 ~ PART 1

Those magnificent birds really gave us a show this year! They constantly ran the river all day, and rode high on the thermals. As far as we could make out, it looked like there were three fledglings in the nests. If they turn out to fledge O.K., that will be a great boost for the population! The pictures didn't turn out too badly, considering I was shooting from a moving train through moving trees on the train side of the mountains, plus shooting against a pure tree-green backdrop on the other side! It's a good thing those guys have white head- and tail-feathers! They sure look great this year!


This deer thought he could give the train a good run!

The conductor
said they do it all time!

One of several shots of the nest that I got. This one shows the "residents" the best.

Different takes of the birds as they flew up and down the river.

This is a killdeer that had her eggs right next to the tracks on a parking lot in Petersburg! These birds are not nest dwellers, and lay their eggs in open areas such as this! Silly birds! They manage to exist most of the time!

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All I can say is WOW ! ! ! You have some awesome shots there my friend. Thank you for sharing them. Looking forward to the next bunch. As for the 'something' you captured, I love a good mystery

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Images and captions courtesy of DaveKay

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Looking forward to our next 'trip'.

SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE ! !

MORE FROM CRC

These are a few more shots of the CRC in Front Royal, just to give you an idea of how large and beautiful this vast complex is!

Images courtesy of DaveKay
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These are long over due and I apologize. No excuses I simply forgot I had them. Again I'm sorry DaveKay.

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Looking forward to our next 'trip'

SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE !!

SPECIAL ANNUAL EVENT

In 1974, the Director of the National Zoo founded the Conservation and Research Center (CRC)in Front Royal, Virgina. The site was originally used by the US Government, who leased it from farmers. in 1909. It housed a series of Calvary remount stations, supplying horses and mules to the Military. In 1911 the land was purchased by the Federal Government and remained a supplier of mounts through both World Wars. In 1948 the land was passed to the USDA and was developed to study beef cattle. The project closed in 1973, leaving the area vacant. In 1974 the Director of the National Zoo recognised the need for a captive breeding program and founded the CRC. In 1975 the title was transferred to the Smithsonian and work began. The most well known programs center on captive breeding and reintroduction of endangered species. The current collection is over 400 species. One weekend a year the facility is opened to the public with the 'Autumn Conservation Festival' sponsored the Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ).
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Here's what DaveKay had to say about it ~
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That place was phenomenal! It opened in 1908, and comprises some 2300 acres. The government bought up 42 farms in order to gather all the land in one bunch. It started out as a breeding and training center for the horses in the 1st Cavalry in WWI. General Patton's horse is buried there in their special horse cemetery. At the end of WWI, and the beginning of WWII, horses were replaced by armored vehicles, so the facility started training dogs for combat. Sometime in the 1930's, the National Zoo took over the place, and started using it for breeding research on Zoo animals. It's open one weekend a year and you can bet it's going to be on our schedule every year!
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Red (lesser) Panda

Red Wolf (Germany) Sure reminds me of a Fox, lol

Horse Cemetery

Just a part of the Conservation Area. Beautiful!

Civil War Cavalry re-enactors




Transportation around Race Track Hill

Eld's Elk

Micronesian Kingfisher

Exotic Mynah Bird

Researcher checking Peking Duck egg for embryo development







Clouded Leopard A gorgeous cat!

Images courtesy of DaveKay

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I can see why DaveKay is going to make this an annual trip. Thanks so much for sharing it with all of us. I have another group of photos from this trip that will be posted in a few days. And they are just as good as these.

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Looking forward to our next "trip".

SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE !!

TANGIER ISLAND VISIT

Description of our Tangier island trip. In a word - spectacular! I was almost born an Aquarian, because I love being on the water so much, and being on the Chesapeake Bay further proved the point. It was a gorgeous day, as you can see in the photos, and the one and a half hour trip to the island was great!



Main St., Tangier Island


Main St. at "rush hour"

A real "poser"

Our trusty craft

Beautiful bay homes

Heading out into the bay

Out in the open water, with a "friend"

Distant view of Tangier Island

Inner harbor at Tangier




Another "poser"

Pulling into Tangier docks

This says it all

Tangier Island itself has quite a history - it was discovered in 1608 by John Cook, and settled in about 1830 by members of the Crockett and Pruitt families. It presently has a population of about 600, with a cat population around 325! While we were there, we only spotted two of them! Go figure!

The island is only 4 feet above sea level, and floods quite often, but the islanders manage quite well , and evacuations are easily executed. There were several houses there that were being raised up on pilings, and it seems most of the dwellings there will follow suit in the future. They have a small fire dept, and a smaller hospital, although they have a mainland rescue squad that is always ready to respond. They have no jail, and perps are taken to the mainland ASAP. The crime rate is practically non -existant, but they did have a murder 10 years ago - a policeman shot a young man for not going to church one Sunday (so the story goes).

The people of Tangier are down-to-earth, hard-working types who are getting along just fine without all the "amenities" of mainland "big city" life. They have a microwave dish for phone service, and they do have cable, but the main mode of transportation is either golf cart, or bike.

If I had the means to do so, I could very easily exist there! It's my kind of place.

I might have a few more pictures for you at a later date, but I'm working on the shots that I got on our trip last weekend to the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal. It's the Center that is operated by the Washington National Zoo, and is open to the public only one weekend during the year. Last year, it rained buckets, so we couldn't make it . This year the weather was perfect - lots of sun, but with a cool breeze. More on that trip later!

Hope you enjoy the Tangier pics!

DaveKay

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Images and history courtesy of DaveKay

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Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a very laid back, relaxed place to live, which right now sounds very good.

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Looking forward to our next 'trip'.

SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE !!

NATIONAL ZOO VISIT ~ PART III

Hello!

Sorry about the delay, but I'm finally getting to you the next installment of our trip to National Zoo. This one's for the birds!

Especially the flamingos - they are truly one of the most colorful and graceful of the large birds. I had never seen one really up close, except for the plastic ones you see on front lawns! Believe me, these birds are gorgeous! And LOUD!

I never realized they could raise so much of a ruckus! In addition to the adults, I have included some chicks, too.

I saw these chicks on the camsite when they hatched, so it was neat to get a live update on them.

We learned that hatching flamingo chicks in captivity is somewhat rare, so the National Zoo has been blessed with at least three of them!

In addition to the flamingos, I have added a shot of the original "Fruit Loops" bird, the toucan. Talk about colorful!

I have some additional shots that I am going to prepare for another installment - for future viewing!

Hope you enjoy these!

Later...

DaveKay

Images and story courtesy of DaveKay

Sure looks as if you had a wonderful time at the Zoo and I'm sure all are looking forward to the next set of pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Looking forward to our next 'trip'

SAFE TRAVELS EVERYONE !!