Beautiful Animals

Apparently some wildlife photographers are better and keeping hidden than others. The fox (see above) found the hide.

The elephant (see below) found the camera.

Well! That might explain why the sloth was crossing the road...
to get to the dump on the other side.

Corrected revision:

The red kite was once on the brink of extinction, but now the bird of prey is once again soaring over the British countryside. Part time nature photographer Gareth Scanlon captured the birds play-fighting in mid-air from his back garden in Brynnamman in Carmarthenshire, Wales...
Picture: GARETH SCANION / BARCROFT MEDIA

...Kites were once considered a pest in Great Britain and by the 18th Century humans had wiped them out in England and Scotland. Only in Wales did they cling on to life - with a few breeding pairs surviving in remote parts of mid-Wales by the late 1970s. The success story of the Welsh red kites rests on the survival of one female that lived in Wales during that period. Today, all 600 breeding pairs that now live in Wales are descended from this single bird. Red kites in England and Scotland have been reintroduced from Germany, France and Spain, with an estimated 700 breeding pairs of red kites in England and 130 pairs in Scotland.
Picture: GARETH SCANION / BARCROFT MEDIA

Oh, noes! Your Daily B & O's have been forwarded around the world almost on a daily basis...now I'll have some 'splainin' to do! Hurry back...with lots of pics!

A black grouse lets off steam after a ferocious battle with a love rival. The feisty bird was hot under the collar after brawling with other males in a bid to win the affections of a female. British photographer Oliver Smart snapped the sight in Kuusamo, Finland.
Picture: Oliver Smart/solent

Fabulous grousing... by an expert.

Animalia pet fair in St. Gallen, Swizerland.
Photo: Ennio Leanza / AP / SFgate




"The monkey's on her back, which is normal for a titi mom who has recently given birth. The mini-titi was born 11 days ago at the Santa Fe Zoo in Medellin, Colombia."
Photo: Raul Arboleda / AFP / Getty Images / SFgate




Swan lake performance: A swam dances on Lake Viacha outside the Belarus capital of Minsk.
Photo: Viktor Drachev / AFP / Getty Images / sfgate




Polly-saturated: This Rose Ringed Parakeet nesting in London's Hyde Park is one of an estimated 32,000 sub-Saharan African birds populating the southeast of England. They are believed to be the descendants of birds released as unwanted pets.
Photo: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images / sfgate

"Moonlit mountain goats climb a rocky bluff at Papago Park in Phoenix."
Photo: Michael Chow / The Arizona Republic/ sfgate




"Walla flower: A ladybug nestles in the petals of a flower in Walla Walla, Wash."
Photo: Jeff Horner / The Union-Bulletin

So many great photos...hard to choose just one as my wallpaper of the day! I do love those mountain goats in the light of the moon, though.

A lion gets a slap around the ear from a lioness after he discilplined their two-month-old cub in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. British photographer Elliott Neep, from Wantage, Oxon, said: "The young cub had been sunbathing with his mother, brother and sister when they were disturbed by their dad. He came up and nuzzled them but the cub snarled and the dad took exception to it and dispensed his own form of discipline with a loud growl. It was like he was telling him: 'Don't snarl at me.' The mum came over and slapped the dad with her claws out, leaving a scratch. He retaliated and slapped back but kept his claws sheathed."
Picture: Elliott Neep/solent

Okay, NOW that little guy should have been entered in that mustache and beard contest they recently held.

http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/

He looks a bit like the one on the far right...

Interesting claw practices..

Osso... love that ladybug and the supercanine/Frisbee shot in the prior post.



http://www.csmonitor.com/CSM-Photo-Galleries/Photos-of-the-Day/2011/Photos-of-the-day-05-19/(photo)/360727

Irish, The kites are beauties. Glad to read that they're making a comeback. I'm not sure if I ever saw a grouse. Great coloration. And some grousing. Go figure. Lions misbehaving, and mom getting in the final clawed word, so to speak. I'm trying to think if there are other feline species in which the father is around. I don't think so. Could be wrong.

osso, Don't know what good thing to say first. Love that flying dog. The baby titi is thud-worthy. Swans dancing without music and on real water. Wonderful shot of the parakeet. Well, you know how I love dem boids. You've outdone yourself with the backlit moonlight goats. And the ladybug shot is to die for. SPECtacular. Re claw practices. I've had three cats. Of the three, two would occasionally take a swipe at me. Only once did one of them have her claws out. Mikey hit plenty hard without claws.

tsar, Great head-on shot of a falcon. Hey, leave my kids alone. Humans can be so intrusive.

Mountain lion (cougar, puma) leaping:

I want one of these!

I just hope Andreas wanted to be woken up! I get woken up like this before I train my cats that it isn't allowed...and it's a shock!






More savannah cats:

Magic was magic. Titan was magic too. Thanks, kid.

Foxes are mighty speedy:



And look wonderful even when they're just sitting around:

So, I'm picking Sway Away for the Preakness, since he's handsome and from my old area in Humboldt County, California.

http://www.times-standard.com/sports/ci_18103368]


photo from www.drf.com