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Squirrel Eating

I decided to go to the zoo today.  I take just about the same pics every time I'm there, but it's something to do and sometimes the animals are doing something interesting.

As I walked along the path, I saw this squirrel on this fence only about 3 feet from me and since I had a long lens, it was a perfect shot.  It's probably one of the best animal photos I've ever taken even though it's an ordinary American squirrel.  He must have really liked what he was nibbling on because he stayed like that for quite a while and I was able to get a bunch of images.  

It's the little things that can give joy.

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Cheetah at the Zoo

Even though the holidays are over and all the decorations have been taken down at the local zoo, I decided to go there because the weather was so beautiful and I thought the animals might be a little more active because of the coolers temps.  

This Cheetah was walking around its enclosure and then it finally settled high up on the rock formation.  I was able to get an image that pretty much blurred out the bars.

Just gorgeous!

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Tortoise

Seen at the Waco, Texas Zoo.

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Jaguar

This Jaguar is resting in his enclosure at the Abilene, Texas Zoo.  Jaguars have two color palettes, the one seen here and total black.  They're local to South America.

My heart is grateful today that:

it was such a peaceful day

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Pink Flamingos

A quick trip to the zoo today because the weather is so incredibly gorgeous. 

I'm grateful for:

finishing a project that I've been procrastinating over for weeks

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Feed Mill

This feed mill produces animal feed and nutrition products.  It's located downtown along the railroad tracks for easy transportation.

Grateful for:

spending some time catching up with a friend after Bible Study tonight

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Blue and Gold Macaw

This Macaw is a resident of the Abilene Zoo.  He/She is on one of the branches of the tree almost all the time.  I don't think I've ever heard it talk, but maybe he's just not motivated when I'm there.  

These large parrots eat seeds, nuts, fruits, palm, fruits, leaves, flowers and stems as well as a large variety of vegetables.  They can live up to 60 years and often outlive their owners.  Macaws bond for life and are monogamous.

My heart is grateful for:

so much beauty in the animal kingdom 

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Curious Giraffe

I spent some time at the zoo this afternoon.  There are seven giraffes at this zoo which include 2 or 3 juveniles.   The enclosure makes it pretty difficult to photograph them without including some of the fence, but this particular creature was very curious and spent a lot of time right in front of me.  I would move to the right and she would move to her left.  After a while I moved left and, sure enough, she moved too.  

I don't know what she found so fascinating about me, but I was very happy for all the images I was able to make.  I only had to remove one thin wire from this image and voila, a great giraffe portrait.

Today I'm grateful for:

my renewed determination to lose a few more pounds