San Diego Zoo

A Word A Week Challenge: Pose

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Today I’m participating in the A Word A Week Challenge. This week’s theme is “pose”. I encourage you to click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, please subscribe to this blog to receive updates of the new photos I post, usually 3 to 5 times a week.

This super cute grizzly bear was posing at the San Diego Zoo, hoping someone would throw him some of that popcorn he could smell. How disappointed he must have been when the popcorn walked away…

A Word A Week Challenge: Pose - grizzly bear at the San Diego Zoo — A Word A Week Challenge: Pose – grizzly bear at the San Diego Zoo

Same San Diego Zoo, different bear, this time a panda bear. Those guys sure know how to pose for the camera.

This praying mantis was annoyed to have my camera so close and it decided to stop and freeze, hoping I’d go away. It worked because I got my photos and left it alone after that.

A Word A Week Challenge: Pose - praying mantis — A Word A Week Challenge: Pose – praying mantis

This green Junebug beetle posed on some colorful yellow rose petals for me while I took its picture.

A Word A Week Challenge: Pose - green Junebug beetle — A Word A Week Challenge: Pose – green Junebug beetle

Last but not least, this white great egret sure knows how to strike a pose and show off!

A Word A Week Challenge: Pose - white great egret — A Word A Week Challenge: Pose – white great egret

November 13, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal PhotosTags: A Word A Week Challenge, A Word A Week Challenge: Pose, giant panda bear at the San Diego zoo, green junebug beetle, grizzly bear, nature photography, photos of animals, praying mantis, San Diego Zoo, white great egret 13 Comments

WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says… KOALA XING!

This is my second entry in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is “the sign says”. I never do a double entry for photo challenges but after visiting the new Australian Outback exhibit at the San Diego Zoo today, I can’t help myself.

The whole koala exhibit has been redone and this is what you see on your way to the new location.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says KOALA XING! — WordPress weekly photo challenge: The sign says KOALA XING!

We looked very attentively but didn’t see any koalas crossing the road. Probably because their enclosures are well secure and they can’t get out. 🙂

If you ever visit a koala exhibit in the zoo, you’ll probably notice than each male koala gets its own enclosure. That’s not because they’re considered so special, but rather because male koalas don’t get along and become aggressive and fight when put together. What a surprise…

As for the females, they all share one large enclosure and seem to get along just fine. Are you surprised? I’m not. While browsing the exhibit, we spotted the cutest baby koala, sleeping right next to his mother (you can see her back on the left of the picture). Isn’t he the cutest thing? Now you understand why I had to share.

Baby koala sleeping in a tree next to mom koala

June 1, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, California Photos, Photography, Photos of San DiegoTags: Australian Outback, koala baby, koala baby and mom koala, koala baby sleeping, koala crossing sign, koala photos, koala xing sign, nature photography, photography, photos, San Diego Zoo, Wordpress weekly photo challenge, Wordpress weekly photo challenge: The sign says 6 Comments

Sunday Post: Attraction

Today I’m participating in Jakesprinter’s Sunday Post photo challenge. This week’s theme is Attraction. Remember you can click on each photo for a larger view.

As a tourist town, San Diego is full of attractions. My kids and I visited two of them this morning. We first went to the world famous San Diego Zoo. I love the elephant topiary welcoming you at the front. There is one elephant on each side of the San Diego Zoo sign.

Sunday Post: Attraction - Entrance of the world famous San Diego Zoo — Sunday Post: Attraction – Entrance of the world famous San Diego Zoo

We were planning to spend most of the morning at the zoo but with the unexpected rain, we shortened our visit. We saw many animals but probably one of the most famous attractions at the zoo are the giant pandas. The 9-month old baby was out with his mom, taking a nap in the trees.

Sunday Post: Attraction - Giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo — Sunday Post: Attraction – Giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo

Unfortunately the light was terrible to take pictures and this was the only angle available. So here’s baby panda – Xiao Liwu. It means Little Gift in Chinese.

Sunday Post: Attraction - Baby panda Xiao Liwu at the San Diego Zoo — Sunday Post: Attraction – Baby panda Xiao Liwu at the San Diego Zoo

His mom Bai Yun was taking a nap too.

Sunday Post: Attraction - Panda Bai Yun at the San Diego Zoo — Sunday Post: Attraction – Panda Bai Yun at the San Diego Zoo

She managed to display a couple of poses while I was taking my pictures. How nice!

Since the weather wasn’t getting any better, we headed to the San Diego Natural History Museum, a five-minute walk from the zoo. Here’s what welcomes you inside when you enter the museum from the Balboa Park fountain entrance.

Sunday Post: Attraction - Dinosaurs at the San Diego Natural History Museum — Sunday Post: Attraction – Dinosaurs at the San Diego Natural History Museum

The San Diego Natural History Museum is currently displaying the amazing Dino Jaws exhibit, which demonstrates the feeding habits of various dinosaurs. There are about 10 robotic full-size dinosaurs on display throughout the exhibit, including this Baryonyx trying to catch a fish. I love the shadow of the jaws and teeth on the back wall.

Sunday Post: Attraction - Dino Jaws at the San Diego Natural History Museum — Sunday Post: Attraction – Dino Jaws at the San Diego Natural History Museum

Of course, there are many other attractions in San Diego, but I hope you enjoyed this little sample.

May 5, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal Photos, California Photos, Photography, Photos of San DiegoTags: baby panda Xiao Liwu, Bai Yun panda San Diego Zoo, Dino Jaws exhibit, Dino Jaws exhibit San Diego, photography, photos, San Diego, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo giant pandas, Sunday Post, Sunday Post: Attraction 14 Comments

WordPress weekly photo challenge: From above - Postman butterfly (Heliconius Melpomene)

Butterflies: the postman butterfly (Heliconius Melpomene)

If you missed my previous butterfly showcases, take a look at the paper kite butterfly and the giant owl butterfly.

The next butterfly I spotted at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Butterfly Jungle this week is the postman butterfly (Heliconius Melpomene). I actually knew about this little guy before I saw him because he’s in one of my son’s favorite books on insects. Both the postman caterpillar and the butterfly are poisonous so birds usually leave them alone. The postman caterpillar even features long spikes all over its body, so I’m not sure who would want to eat it anyway. If the book is correct, postman butterflies really like passion flowers. That’s about how much I know about this guy!

Remember you can click on the photo below to see it in a larger format.

April 6, 2013February 7, 2020 by Milka Pejovic Categories: Animal PhotosTags: butterfly photos, Heliconius Melpomene, nature photography, photography, photos, photos of butterflies, postman butterfly, postman caterpillar, San Diego Zoo 2 Comments

WordPress weekly photo challenge: Color

I’m participating in the WordPress weekly photo challenge and this week’s theme is color. The goal is to select photos that feature one color prominently in the frame. What a fun challenge!

For this specific challenge, I decided to share photos I took in a single day, while visiting the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. There sure is a lot of color there if you look closely.

Remember you can click on each photo to see a larger view. If you like what you see, I’d love for you to subscribe to this blog so you can see my new photos as I post them.

My first photo is of a busy bee on bright yellow flowers. I’ll share more photos of bees on these flowers in an upcoming post in the next week or so, so stay tuned.

I wanted to photograph this protea pin cushion up close and I used the purple flowers as a contrasting background. The bright blue sky helps too. If you like protea pin cushion flowers, you can view more here.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Color - orange protea pin cushion flower — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Color – orange protea pin cushion flower

Besides lilac blooms, I’m not sure there’s anything more beautiful than wisteria blooms. If you like wisteria, I’ll be posting more photos of it in the next week or two. Remember to subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Color - purple wisteria — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Color – purple wisteria

If you follow this post, you just saw the photo below this morning, but I wanted to share it with the people who do the WordPress weekly photo challenge. I really like how the pink flowers stand out next to this amazing giant owl butterfly.

Wordpress weekly photo challenge: Color - pink flowers and giant owl butterfly — WordPress weekly photo challenge: Color – pink flowers and giant owl butterfly

I used the last photo in a post earlier this week but I thought it’d fit perfectly here too. These fluffy yellow blooms belong to a very large tree that was covered with thousands of them.