Zoo reloaded VII - Birds and a turtle (suitable for all)

Tonight you'll excuse me for being less talkative. I have a terrible headache and I will finish with the post quickly and go to bed. Here we go.

This is an ostrich.

This is the same ostrich, but edited.

This is a water turtle.

Same here. With watermark and all.

I don't know how this one is called, but it has a trendy haircut.

And here's the same. Thanks for watching, see you when my head doesn't feel like exploding.

Zoo reloaded VI - The mocking bird

There's still plenty of material from the ménagerie du jardin des plantes, but probably soon enough there will be a new theme. Until then, you may enjoy what I have prepared for you! And first of all, something from that garden with the tropical plants. Something that, irrelevant as I am when it comes to plants, amused me and I wanted to share with you. Behold.

\m/

Peperomia metallica. Gimme fu, gimme fah, gimme samazamazah! Hah. Cool song. I used to play it with Some Say So, back in Xanthi, Greece, in 2006 and 2007. Also, this photo shows a plant, apparently.

Oh, deer.

Yes, I know, very clever, you never heard it before. Anyway, stop judging me and look at these cute faces. It wasn't very sunny, but even if it were, they have their space to cover from bad (or too good) weather.

This little guy gave the title to today's post. I don't know what a mockingbird is and I'm too lazy to google it, but this swallow is definitely mocking the cage by sitting on it face out.

I don't know, it looks like a big "screw you" to the cages in general. The swallows enter the cages, eat from the food of the birds in there and leave. Swallows and pigeons are the luckiest residents of the ménagerie.

Zoo reloaded V - Not just at the zoo

Continuing with the stories from the zoo, today we will have something from the whole day and not just the part when we were at the zoo. Although we will move backwards. I think that the photos are worth doing such a move. And, since I am the only member of the committee that take the decisions for the blog, I approve unanimously my idea. My congratulations to me. Thank me.

That's a big lizard. Looks like the Comodo dragon although I think those are bigger. Our walk at the zoo gave me many opportunities for interesting photos.

But what is a lizard without a watermark above? Click on the photos to see the difference on the slideshow.

Before going to the ménagerie, we went to a nice garden with tropical plants. I took many photos there, although this little frog grabbed my attention more.

Here you can see it after the editing. It's nice to see this frog there, as well as all the fish that were in the water. I mean, plants are nice and all, but for me animals are more interesting.

Before leaving home, just in the area of the buildings, I saw this. I couldn't ignore it. I've been trying to get one for a long time, to no avail. I think I should learn more about macro photography.

Because this photo looks great, but it cannot show the details of the magnification. So, I'll have it in mind.

Zoo reloaded IV - Cute duckling

Without much talking today, I will move straight to the photos. Or maybe I won't yet. Because I have a huge objection. Do you know the little story of the ugly duckling? In a few words, it was a little duck that was different than the other ducks and they were all saying that it was ugly, until it grew up and became a swan, probably because it was a swan all along. And it wasn't ugly anymore. Which means that before, according to the storyteller, it was ugly. And I'd like to ask the storyteller, are you fucking stupid?? Or you haven't seen a little swan ever?

Am I being unreasonable? OK, let's see.

Well, I was wrong. Look at the ugliness on this disgusting creature. Yuk! It makes me want to puke!

This painfully ugly duckling will become a disgracefully ugly swan, probably. Click on it, to see the ugliness in all its glory. The storyteller was right after all! So ugly!

This is called grue, I think. A beautiful bird. Not like that ugly little swan! Ugh! The ugliness in that bird!

Now, with some editing and a watermark, it looks much better.

This little fellow just dropped his/her food and is now looking at it. There were two little ones, that were extremely lively and they were jumping from branch to rope with great dexterity.

We stayed and watched them for a long time and we would stay even longer if we weren't so tired.

But this little swan, right? So ugly!

Zoo reloaded III - Hot reptile porn / Adult edition (18+)

On our previous week's visit at the ménagerie du jardin des plantes, we saw many admirable things. Although we didn't quite expect to become witnesses of some intense fornicating activities. I mean, many reptiles, mostly turtles, were on it, real hard! It was like a live porn theater in there! You don't believe me? You think I'm just saying it to get more clicks? Well, behold! But first, make sure that there are no children near the computer, because these images would burn in their innocent little brains forever. Forever, I tell you!

But before we move on to the photos, click play on this, to create the suitable atmosphere. Ready? Let's go!

Look at these lizards. Just look at them. They want it and they want it now. They curl and they don't care.

With some editing, we can see better all the filthy action. Lizards Gone Wild #18.

These water turtles, when they don't eat mice and chickens, apparently they engage in animalistic coitus, like animals.

But if you see carefully, these two are more tender to each other. Unlike our next porn stars, for example...

This little guy was chasing every female turtle happened to pass by him. His lust was insatiable. It was bringing us in an awkward position as we were watching carefully.

Not just that, but he's screaming. Dude! What are you screaming? You're a turtle. You have no voice. Or he does? Do turtles have a voice? No, right?

Zoo reloaded II: Pink flamingos edition

After a weekend without internet (that didn't hurt me, I must admit), we're back with more pictures from the zoo. Today's post is dedicated to the pink flamingos that have all this space for themselves, yet they are stuck on each other all the time. Strange birds, but surely beautiful. Here they are:

They like being crowded, what can I say? Maybe because the pond is small?

I guess that it's because of the water. Don't forget to click on the photos to see them as a slideshow. This way you'll see better the details and the watermark.

An albino pink flamingo? A pink flamingo that stayed under the sun a bit too long? We'll never know.

In any case, I like how it looks with the pink head in front but out of focus.

This one is very nice. It's a head but which body is it emerging from? Probably the one on the right. It's nice, anyway.

And now it's even nicer. You know, with the colour enhancing etc.

It seems that for someone who likes wildlife photos but doesn't want to go far, the ménagerie du jardin des plantes is an ideal destination! Just make sure that you have at least one spare battery and plenty of gigabytes in your memory card if you decide to go there with your camera!

Zoo reloaded

Equipped with two lenses finally, since yesterday the 18-55 mm arrived, we went back to the Jardin des Plantes where we visited two places. One with the tropical plants, where I took some photos, and the second was the zoo. Total photos today, more than 400, of which only about 30 were good enough for me to share with you. And this is what I will do, starting tonight! Enjoy them!

When you have the telephoto lens, you don't need to climb. You bring your subject in front of you.

The edited photo. Why I put the watermark only on the edited one? I don't know. Because it's edited, I suppose. Probably I will start putting watermarks on the unedited ones too.

A vulture. A white one. I think it's from Nepal. A beautiful creature.

The editing clears things up a bit.

The monkeys were extremely cute, especially the little ones. This one was staying with its mother all the time we were there and it was one of the cutest creatures I've ever seen.

Let's try to see it a bit more clearly. Excellent work, ma'am!

Once again, I feel obliged to say that I don't support capturing animals and taking them away from their natural habitat. But there's always the other side. Many of those animals are endangered species and the people at the zoo take extremely good care of them. They have lots of space to simulate their natural environment. This is a hard equation for me though. I'm not 100% for or against it, like I'm 100% against circus, for example. This is different.

Birds, flowers and insects

A few more photos from previous week, when we went near to the park behind Notre Dame. There are some more, we're not done yet!

In other news, hopefully tomorrow (Aug 21), the 18-55 mm lens will be here, which means that I'll be able to take other kinds of photos as well as portraits, which I'm planning on starting quite soon. Off to today's photos now.

The pigeons were around the people, waiting, almost forcing for some pieces of bread. This little guy came, took the remains of an ice-cream cone and left. Kind of a lonely eater, I suppose.

Nice brown colour that looks better after the editing.

Now for the hardcore stuff. Bees, wasps, hairy or bald, there's enough yellow dust for everyone in the garden!

Let's lighten up the colours a bit, shall we? Yeah, much better now.

Various representatives of the bee-like insect family (And I'm not even an entomologist!) are keeping two flowers busy. The shallow depth of field makes the image look almost like fake.

Some colour enhancing and the result looks even nicer. Great stuff. Just great stuff. Remember to click on the photos in order to see them bigger and in more detail.

Random Seine photos

On the ending of this week, I still have many photos that need to be posted and today I'm giving you three photos taken last week, around the same subject. The one written on the title. You want me to say it again here? OK, today's photos have to do with the Seine river. Satisfied now? I hope you are. Let's go to the photos while you're enjoying making me repeat myself and look stupid.

This is from the metro. One of the very rare moments when line 1 gets on the surface. I'm glad that I got everything in focus except for the iron bars in front.

I like the fact that some people live in boats on the river. I don't know how it is in the winter, for example and if it's actually comfortable to live there, but still, it looks interesting.

While walking near St Michel and Notre Dame, I noticed this couple. And like a slimy and disgusting human being, or a paparazzo in short, I took a photo. With wrong white balance, as we saw a few posts ago.

I passed a warm filter and it looks a bit more normal, but still, I wasn't careful and I ruined several nice photos. At least we have the concept which I find very interesting.

And something deeply symbolic. What are we? Just little balloons on the river, waiting to be swallowed by dark tunnels. Or not, I don't know.

Yeah, probably not. Not everybody is light enough to be easily taken by the flow of the river and, anyway, it's 7:00 in the morning and instead of sleeping I'm posting photos. Am I sick or what? Don't answer that.