Beautiful Animals

"Neither rain, nor storm, nor gloom of night shall stay these fliers....."

Mandarin Ducks

Gorgeous rosborne!

amazing aren't they

Beautiful mandarin ducks..

Here's a cinnamon teal duck -

Nice osso!

Since we're on a duck kick, I love these little guys (buffleheads):

looky here, Boida - the first Prince of the year! Lots of frog spawn in the pond too (but we went to minus 6 a couple nights ago so it's not looking too good )



He's a handsome fella!



wow - Ros et al - those ducks are spectacular.... super stunning!

Come over here and give Grandma a kiss!

He's just out and out flaunting it now. How rude!!

You've been an active bunch.

Rosborne and Tai, Love dem ducks. Gorgeous.

Letty, The pigeon will always have a special place in my heart. I always stop to enjoy the pigeons whenever I'm at the hospital. Considering bringing some bread crumbs with me next time.

Tsar, The gharial in the picture can't be Grandma. The gharials with the donuts on their noses (that's the scientific, technical term) are boy gharials. So the guy in the picture ain't grandma.

Izzie, If that frog is a prince, send him in my direction. I could use a guy with some family jewels.

Snake-necked turtle seeing the world for the first time:

He looks a little awe-struck, doesn't he?

Motherhood is something:

That's discrimination! Whose to say he's not a transgendered gharial?

As for the cutest little turtle child? Lucky ain't he to born in this day and age!

Yet another glorious picture, Francis.

I say it's a guy. Do you actually think a female would walk around with a donut on her nose? Get real.

Love this shot from National Geographic:

Is the third bear the referee?

Or a tag team partner?

Can we fight too?

You're on, Francis. Put 'em up.

That one on the right knows the flying crane maneuver!

Speaking of fighting, I recall reading a true account of a baboon and her baby. It was titled, "Battle by the Breadfruit Tree."



The photographers had a blind in a breadfruit tree filming animals in their natural habitat.

A leopard attacked the mother baboon, and he succeded in disemboweling her. Before the leopard could get the baby, the mother sent out an sos in a scream as she was dying. Suddenly their appeared an entire tribe of baboons that destroyed the leopard. There was not a piece of it left except a tiny bit of it no bigger than a hand. The photographers were so stunned by the sight of this quick battle, they didn't get the photographs.

Love dem primates, Letty. Look at those faces.

Pipe-vine swallowtail: