It has been a while since I have been to the Zoo. I've been meaning to go there for a while and we finally had a warm enough day to head over there. It was in the high 30's/low 40's today so I headed over to Royal Oak.
So we start with the gazelle statue because this is pretty much the start of the zoo.
Then we head over to the butterfly house with one of its monkey sentries.
The Butterfly House was designed by Albert Kahn. I'm not sure when it was built but it is a beautiful building. It sort of reminds me of the Aquarium on Belle Isle.
Some of the beautiful details on the building itself.
I'm not sure how many different kinds of butterflies they have but I know there are a few. This is one of them.
And this is another. I really liked this shot.
The butterfly above from a different angle.
Attached to the butterfly house is an aviary. I don't think they have as many different kinds of birds as butterflies but there are a few. It is actually kind of neat to be able to walk amongst the birds.
A nice bright color for a dreary winter.
Although it didn't look like it was quite ready yet, one of the additions they made is the beaver den. So far it looks like they just have a river where you can see some of the trout.
Some sort of vulture.
One of their camels.
Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows that I like aluminum birds as well. The Detroit Zoo is almost right on the approach path for Detroit Metro Airport, so I get a chance to get some plane pictures too.
And of course, I was heading there to catch a wolverine picture of a different sort. After taking quite a few pictures of the train, I needed to get a picture of a real wolverine. Fortunately, he didn't disappoint me.
He was eating a bone of some sort.
Striking a pose.
One more shot of him before leaving.
The eagle is pretty cool too. Although, I will admit that I've been spoiled being able to take pictures of the eagle they have at the Eastern Michigan football games.
A squirrel.
Another angle of the squirrel.
A bison.
Normally, I don't see the bear stirring about but I think since it was sunny today, he was doing what bears in the wild do. Use the sun to do a little hunting or in his case just getting out an exercising a bit.
Another plane. I think this one is a DC-9 (or whatever they are calling them these days).
Not a mere cat...but a meerkat.
I am really liking the new lion exhibit. Gives people a chance to be right in front of the lions. Althoug the pictures aren't as great if the glass isn't clean.
A lioness. It's funny how similar the bigger cats are to the one that thinks he owns my apartment.
Of course I had to stop by the tiger pen. Since this particular tiger is a Siberian tiger, he feels at home in this kind of weather.
Lazing about, much like his domestic cousins.
A stop at the Detroit Zoo wouldn't be complete without a stop at the polar bear exhibit. For a brief moment, I could be like a National Geographic photographer in the Artic.
The Horace Rackham Fountain.
I tried to get some pictures in the reptile building but my lens was fogging up too much to be useful. Will have to try again when it is a little warmer.
The river otter giving me a look.
And finishing off almost where we started, at the butterfly house.
I will have to make it a point to not be such a stranger to the zoo.
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