Cincinnati

I went to the Cincinnati Zoo December 12 to see the hippos. Fiona has been the star of the zoo since she was born and shows up regularly on Instagram. Her dad, Henry, died in 2017, and Tucker arrived this year from another zoo. Fiona, Bibi (Fiona's mom), and Tucker get along very well, and I had to see them before it became too cold for them to be outside.

Fiona rests her chin on Bibi

There were terrible reflections that I still don't know how to defeat. There is a roof over the viewing area, but the sun was so low that it shone into the area from the back. I kept only a couple of shots, and they're not very good.

Tucker and his staff

The fish in the tank eat hippo poop and take care of the hippos' skin. I don't know why, but they were all over Tucker and not the other two.

Chester, an Andean bear, scratches his chest with straw. At least, that's what it looked like he was doing. He also dragged the blanket back and forth in front of him.

An arctic fox in winter garb rests.

A Florida manatee says hello.

A gray squirrel takes a lunch break. I don't know if he made the sandwich himself.

A grey bird grasshopper

A Peruvian fire stick

 

New lens!

I bought a longer lens (used, of course). It's a 70-300mm zoom that can replace the 70-200mm zoom I've been using. I can zoom closer, but I'm not crazy about the sharpness of the images. Here's a comparison. The Columbus Zoo is closed, so I had to make do with a squirrel.

New lens at 200mm

New lens at 300mm

I need a longer lens so I can see right into that squirrel's ear.

Back yard mammal zoo

A small variety of mammals visits my back yard.

A rabbit nest. I'm not sure how many bunnies are in there, but I later saw two together. The gray stuff in the top corner is a web of fur and grass, and it covered the nest. (Yes, I replaced it.)

Mother and one of the kids.

My wife and I love our chipmunks. This is Filbert II.

  

Down, into the warehouse.

Of course there are gray squirrels. (Front yard :^)

Don't know why this one chose the sedum pot.

Another mother.

Why did she leap the gate into the neighbor's yard?

Because her fawn was there.