Toledo October 4

 I visited the Toledo Zoo October 4, 2025. Here are the photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I opened my camera bag and saw that the top display looked funny and that the power switch was in the ON position. I figured that was okay because the camera hardly uses any power just sitting there, and the drive from Columbus was only 2 1/2 hours. Except that I'd last used it a couple of days ago. The battery was dead, but I still enjoyed the zoo. 

The switch in the ON position. (The photo was taken with the battery removed because it was being charged.)

Golden White-eye

At the Toledo Zoo, a golden white-eye ...

... lives with a Palawan peacock pheasant ...

Photos are better when he's not up front, by the mesh. Sometimes he has a lady friend.

 ... and a many-colored fruit dove.

Male many-colored fruit dove

Last October (2024), a keeper was working in the enclosure, and I asked a few questions. I jokingly asked if he could bring the white-eye forward so I could get a good picture. He said, yeah, she's often hidden in the foliage, but she comes closer to the front when the mister is on. The next thing I knew, the water was on and the keeper was standing next to me.

Enjoying the mist

Some preening

In March of this year, I found this:

Komodo Dragons

I've visited four zoos that have Komodo dragons.

Columbus, July 2019

Minnesota, December 2019

Cincinnati, December 2021

I continue to have trouble with white balance when shooting certain reptiles indoors. It's not the reptiles' fault; it's the enclosures' lighting. I'm never satisfied with my pictures of the Malagasy leaf-tailed gecko at the Columbus Zoo, for example. I've tried cloudy, shade, fluorescent, and specific color temperatures, but none gave me colors on the camera's screen that matched what I saw.

At the Toledo Zoo, in March this year (2025), a Komodo dragon was at his or her posing rock and looking fine. The rocks and dirt are sort of tan, but my first shot didn't look quite right. I have no patience for this, so I tried only two other settings before moving on.

Daylight

4000K (I admit I rather like this one.)

Auto

Toledo has at least two of the world's largest lizards. Here's the other one:

40 minutes later...

 Back to the first one:

I've adjusted a focus setting, so videos are more in-focus over all, but the lens hunts every time it refocuses, which I find annoying.

Rhinoceros Hornbill

I've seen rhinoceros hornbills at three zoos.

Kirana at the Toledo Zoo in 2018. Females have white eyes.

 

Andaru at the Toledo Zoo in 2019. Males have red eyes.

Cincinnati Zoo in 2021

A juvenile at the Minnesota Zoo in 2024

Kirana and Andaru have lived at the Toledo Zoo since 2008. They seem to be compatible, but there have been no chicks.

In January, 2025, the missing gardener and I attended a rhinoceros hornbill keeper talk. The keeper was inside the enclosure, tossing grapes to the birds, and he said the hornbills have excellent beak-eye coordination. He also explained that their upper and lower mandibles meet only at the tips of their beaks, so they catch the grapes at the tips and toss them into their mouths. I don't have shots of that, but I did catch a silvery-cheeked hornbill's toss in 2023.

Here, Kirana and Andaru share a tender moment and a grape:

Polar Ballplayer

The Toledo Zoo's polar bear twins, Kallu and Kallik were born in November, 2022. Molly Merrow, over at Polar Bear Friends, reported that Kallik loves the water and Kallu often stays dry. On that basis, I'll say Kallik is the ballplayer in these photos from February, 2024. Flipbook action is available: Click one of the photos and then cycle through them.

2023 Part 5: Different

Sometimes I'm not so animal-focused.

Okay, there's an animal here, but the interesting thing is sloth transport. (In my backlog, I have photos of Sid leaving his basket and going where he wants to go. Here, the Columbus Zoo keeper returns him to its basket. See post.)

turkey vulture on top

Equipment envy

My camera shoots 8 frames per second at its fastest, and I got lucky with the puck in the net but still in the air.

Toledo's North American river otters do backflips, and the kids love it!

Pumpkin chomp for the Toledo Zoo's hippo heads.

Autofocus found the crud on the polar bears' glass in Toledo. I decided to call it art.

2023 Part 2: Mammals

Here are some mammals my camera found in 2023.

Brian, a greater one-horned (Indian) rhino, loved his ball in Columbus. He's since moved to another zoo.

My first picture of an aardvark (Columbus Zoo).

red ruffed lemur (Columbus Zoo)

koala (Columbus Zoo)

siamang, a species of gibbon (Columbus Zoo)

African leopard (Columbus Zoo)

Stubby, a Florida manatee. She's a foster mom to youngsters that stay in Columbus during rehabilitation.

female white-handed gibbon (Minnesota Zoo)

golden-headed lion tamarin (Toledo Zoo)

reticulated giraffe (Toledo Zoo)

polar bear playing with a bucket lid (Toledo Zoo)

2023 Part 1: Birds

Here are some 2023 bird shots I haven't previously posted.

red-legged seriema (Columbus Zoo). It was squawking.

common ostrich (Columbus Zoo)

red-billed leiothrix (Columbus Zoo). Not a good shot, but I like the pose.

brown-headed cowbird (Columbus Zoo)

king vulture (Minnesota Zoo)

lesser flamingo (Minnesota Zoo)

American avocet (Minnesota Zoo)

chestnut-breasted malkoha (Toledo Zoo)

Palawan peacock pheasant - female (Toledo Zoo)

crested coua (Toledo Zoo)

blue-bellied roller (Toledo Zoo)

northern bald ibis (Toledo Zoo)