3 Fish, 5 Lizards and... a goat

Today, my fiancee and I took a visit to the old zoo! We've visited the new zoo quite a few times and figured the old one would thus be somewhat inadequate by comparison. However, while browsing the site (the two zoos are owned by the same company, I believe), my attention was purchased with the prospect of seeing a Komodo dragon, as well as various other lizards... andddd a shark!

I was expecting the aquarium to be inferior to the one at Palmiarnia (Palm place) but it was very colorful with a lot of various weird and wonderful fish, as well as the usual suspects, such as the above clownfish.

This big fella is a beautiful fish. I can't remember if it's an angel, damsel or other fish (I'm terrible with all the common fish names). He had a beautiful coral environment and was also quite inquisitive. What more can I say? The vibrant colors just painted a beautiful composition.

I believe this is a trigger fish. I've dived with many of the larger varieties and they can be quite aggressive and territorial, especially during mating season. Who knows why? Maybe they see us as a distraction, something entertaining when they've got nothing better to do and something that must be destroyed when they are searching for a female trigger. While he's not as colorful as some of the other varieties I've seen / dived with, he's still quite graceful and makes for a nice subject.

I did see a [disappointingly small and toothless] shark, but sadly the pictures didn't come out too well because the environment (both in and outside) was very dark and he was moving very quickly. Overall, my impression of the aquarium was very positive. Especially given the cheap ticket prices, I'll definitely be back, if only to take more pictures at the aquarium.

The next section of the zoo I went to was the lizard house - all in the hopes of finding the advertised komodo dragon that I'd been looking forward to a great deal - especially as I'd never seen one before!

The lizard place was [un]surprisingly hot and, given outside was cold (prompting the need for a hoody) it was slightly unpleasant. The tanks were arranged in a very silly way, with lots of irritating plants in front of them. Also, the lighting system used in there (in comparison to the lizard tanks in Palmiarnia) meant that the majority of my shots were ruined because of reflection (no polarizing filter for my new 50mm).

Despite that, looking at the lizards was very pleasant. I've always had a big fascination with reptiles, and, while I've only ever had the pleasure of owning 1 snake, I have a great appreciation for them. I remember [in the UK] as a younger child, always finding slow worms (small legless lizards that look like a snake but are defined as lizards due to the lack of scales, having external ear openings, and retractable eye-lids), and other small lizards and trying to keep them as pets in large lunchboxes filled with dirt. I would feed them, etc, I mostly ended up releasing them (though a few of them died). I once lost a slow worm in the house after it escaped, only to find it an amazing month later (in a house with 4 cats?) hiding under the carpet, alive and well. Reptiles are amazingly resilient - another quality I love about them. In the picture to the left, the lizard had amazing green coloring, though I chose to keep in line with my other lizard shots and produce it in black and white because the coloring was also echoed in his environment which would distract the eye from what I want it to see (this is also one of the main reasons I shoot mostly in B&W)

This little guy was cool. Hanging out on his branch, occasionally moving his head and flicking his tongue. It almost makes you want to be a lizard (albeit a free one)... no responsibilities and few concerns, besides of natural predators, humans kidnapping them, starvation, extreme weath...never mind,

I really can't stress enough my appreciation of these awesome little things.

But.....

TADA!

... It cannot possibly compare to my admiration of the mighty Komodo dragon. This guy is the epitome of hunting. He's completely bloody lazy! All he needs to do, is get a cheeky bite off and follow his victim for a few days until it eventually dies from the bacterial infection carried by the dragon's saliva, and then tuck in.. Afterwards, he can just chill out in the sun with the knowledge that he's an apex predator with no natural enemies and very few worries other than humans and habitat destruction.

Oh... I did promise a goat, didn't I? OK

Classic: British Wildlife Centre 2009

 The British Wildlife Centre in Surrey is a sanctuary for 40 or so different native species of wildlife in the UK. They regularly host photographic days too, but they are a tad expensive and I wasn't fortunate enough to go to one. However, I went there with an old friend of mine for a few hours and was fortunate enough to see some of the more beautiful species there. We were also witness to talks and feedings of the foxes and the Scottish wildcat.

The website for the centre is: http://www.britishwildlifecentre.co.uk/ where you can learn more about the events, animals, talks, keepers, and the conservation efforts of the volunteer staff there.

The first animal on the lineup was the Scottish wildcat:

Appropriately named, while these may look like cute (albeit slightly fatter) domesticated tabbies, they are very much wild and tend to be quite aggressive. Scottish wildcats are granted legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside act. However, their numbers continue to decline and they are at serious risk of extinction.

The one here is an obvious testament to their moodiness. At this point, he was getting ready to be fed so he suddenly perked up and is no longer in his shell. However, he continuously hissed at the feeder and after receiving his meal, he moved on - much to the dismay of the crowds gathered to see him.

 This is the water vole. It is also identified as the most endangered mammal species currently residing in the UK. In only the last 7-10 years, its species have seen a decline of over 90%! and for good reason; the poor vole has a myriad of predators including: stoats, minks, pikes(!), owls, rats, cats and herons.

They are semi-aquatic, so mix their time both in and out of the water. That said, despite their physical advantages, these little creatures are purely herbivorous and eat vegetation at the edges of water-banks.

These, I believe, are fallow deer. They are not native to the UK, but were brought here by our humble selves and bred for the purpose of satisfying the upper-classes' insatiable thirst for killing things.

They are very docile and, while frightened easily, tend to roam quite close to human settlements and, sadly, have a tendency to get caught up in your front grill.

"What ye looking at mate?"

Aren't they simply adorable?

The red squirrel! Contrary to some common beliefs, the red squirrel is actually native to the UK,while the grey squirrel was introduced a little over 130 years ago. Due to competition for food, and the parapox virus carried by grey squirrels, these reddies are virtually extinct and now live in only a few select locations of the UK,including the Isle of Wight, and parts of dense forestry in Scotland

They mostly feed on berries, seeds, fruits, nuts, fungi, bark and well.. pretty much everything. It's quite unfortunate that these cute little animals are so threatened. It's estimated that prior to breeding seasons (of which, each mating pair has only 1-2 litters per year, with a lifespan of 3 years) their numbers are roughly 160,000 and declining :( Looks like a little alien doesn't he? clasping his food like it's possibly the last meal he'll ever eat.

This quite large owl is called the Eagle Owl, quite aptly mind you. It looks like it's a breed between an eagle and a barn owl. It also has quite the scary glance too.

It is the largest species of owl in the world that we know of and it is found over many parts of continental Europe, although mainly situated in the north.

Sadly, it has not been seen in the British Isles since the 18th century.

They have an amazing lifespan of 40 years in the wild, and even longer when they're in captivity. They mostly eat voles, rats and mice; they are also capable of taking rabbits and, amazingly, small deer.

See his stare? It clearly means "Don't mess with me, I'm big, I'm scary, I'm strong, and if you don't stop staring at me, I will swoop down and steal your toupee"

 Much larger fallow deer here can be seen trying to deal with that most heinous of problems all life encounters - an itch on your backside that, for the life of you, you just can't scratch.

And here just staring at me, menacingly.

I'm not sure exactly what this creature is (although it's clearly albino).

All I know, is that it's testament to the famous F.G quote: "Damn nature, you scary"

My favorite of all the wildlife at the sanctuary would be the red fox! An amazing species; they are present in almost every habitat around the world, wherever food may be aplenty and there are no larger predators that will either beat them to the competition, or make food out of the foxes.

In the UK, the foxes have had a long battle with hunting laws, permitting the killing of these majestic creatures for their fur.

This one has just been fed a chicken (no worries, if I'm not mistaken the little chicken was dead prior to being given to the fox). They mainly feed on voles, birds, rabbits, insects, berries, worms and carrion.

Resourceful little buggers, they tend to bury their excess food for the months ahead where there may be considerable shortages.

Roald Dahl paid particular attention to him, in his short novel "Fantastic Mr. Fox" - a resourceful fox whom, in order to feed his family, had to steal chickens - among other things - to survive. Fortunately, in the sanctuary they are cared for and this cute little guy below - a very young fox - was an example of how domestic these creatures can be - and probably one of the reasons why, in some places, foxes are kept as pets.

All in all, another great shoot. Both educationally - in terms of learning more about the animals and learning more about taking wildlife shots, but also because it was just very nice to see some of the animals that roam our wild, all in one place. Especially as in Brighton - where I lived before Poznań - there wasn't much of it to be seen, other than cows and sheep.

Be sure to check out their website.