Red Kangaroo Boxing

I saw two of our Nashville Zoo male Red Kangaroos "Boxing" today.

Young males do this to establish dominance by knocking the other over.

The one who eventually is dominant will have the females.

After a few minutes, they went back to eating grass.

Click to enlarge

Nashville Zoo Birds Book Published

Rainforest Aviary by Charlie Doggett | Make Your Own Book

Galapagos Tortoise

One of our two Galapagos Tortoises at Nashville Zoo

which are 21 years old, mere children with a life expectancy of 180 years!

Farewell to Chris Kline!

Fellow nature-lover and Nashville Zoo Docent Supervisor is leaving us to become a fishing guide in Oregon. We will greatly miss him and some of the docents participated in a Farewell Party Tuesday night at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. I took photos and prepared a little 7x7 inch paperback photo book for him about the event. You can thumb through it for free in my online book store with no obligation to buy.
http://www.blurb.com/b/4436368-docent-s-farewell-party

Or if you prefer online photo galleries, see the same photos at http://www.pbase.com/charliedoggett/zoo_events_chris_kline_farewell

Nashville Zoo Exploration

This is my favorite biofact cart to use as I work at the Zoo almost every Friday morning. Here I hid it in the bushes while I ran to the bathroom. It really made the exploring kid painted on the side even more adventurous as he seems to be peering through the jungle. I really enjoy talking about nature and our zoo animals with visitors every week and hope I help a few people appreciate nature even more. This photo was actually made a week ago yesterday when I worked at the Eurasian Lynx exhibit where I particularly enjoy showing our full-body Canadian Lynx pelt and partial body Bobcat pelt. You do know that a Bobcat is a Lynx? 

Yesterday I worked in the African Savannah with the Lion and Zebra pelts and the Eland Skull. With the Lion pelt I also do a brief talk on "Predator-Prey" and how some animals with different abilities help each other to warn when a Lion is coming. And of course Africa is always fun for me! 

Oh Honey! That tickles!

Hyacinth Macaws at Nashville Zoo yesterday

I also got to take a group of preschoolers from Crieve Hall on a tour

Catching a Frog!

Saddle-billed Stork at Nashville Zoo today

The Zebra Question

I asked the zebra,
Are you black with white stripes?
Or white with black stripes?
And the zebra asked me,
Are you good with bad habits?
Or are you bad with good habits?
Are you noisy with quiet times?
Or quite with noisy times?
Are you happy with some sad days?
Or are you sad with some happy days?
Are you neat with some sloppy ways?
Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?
And on and on and on and on
And on and on he went.
I'll never ask a zebra
About stripes
Again.

Shel Silverstein

http://enjoy-the-interval.blogspot.com/2006/02/shel-silversteins-poem-zebra-question.html

A nice day at zoo today - just a little cold and wet!

Photo above of Damara Zebra at Nashville Zoo

About Damara Zebra

Fishing at the Zoo

Blue Heron fishing on Entrance Road Stream

Nashville Zoo

Note the tiny fish in his mouth!

Wildness

"We need the tonic of wildness . . ." Henry David Thoreau

Today was a beautiful day at Nashville Zoo!

Inset is the two turtles at base of center tree

Caribbean Flamingo

On a cold, windy day at Nashville Zoo

Palmetto Curves

Shot at Nashville Zoo Unseen New World Aviary last Friday. Hope for something neat at zoo tomorrow.

Frosty Zoo Entrance Today

As I entered the Nashville Zoo this morning for my shift I stopped just off Nolensville Road to admire the frosty ground and stream. Here's just two of several fun shots along with my usual animal shots.