The weather appeared to be keeping ok next day, so we decided to go for another outdoor trip. One which might be considered an occupational hazard, but considering how much we enjoy it, such a description would probably be missing the point. Our destination was, of course, London Zoo, where our letters from Lisbon Zoo granted us free entrance. The nice boys at the ticket office did try to extend their hospitality and get us into the official (VIP) opening of the restored Blackburn Pavillion (containing the only hummingbirds in the UK), but unfortunately they didn't quite manage to convince the big bosses... well, it was worth a try!
In the meantime, our weather prediction abilities had failed us somewhat, and the day turned out to be rainy, so our route was defined according to two criteria: what haven't we seen yet, and does it have a roof over it?
With these considerations in mind, we deemed fit to start off at the reptile house, where we spotted a real-live Gaboon Viper (as opposed the skeleton we knew from Lisbon Zoo) and a Black Mamba.
In the meantime, our weather prediction abilities had failed us somewhat, and the day turned out to be rainy, so our route was defined according to two criteria: what haven't we seen yet, and does it have a roof over it?
With these considerations in mind, we deemed fit to start off at the reptile house, where we spotted a real-live Gaboon Viper (as opposed the skeleton we knew from Lisbon Zoo) and a Black Mamba.
A live Gaboon Viper
And, of course, we played the traditional game in these places: find the animal! This was especially complicated in the frog section - yes, I know it was supposed to be a Reptile house, and I know frogs are amphibians, but they need similar care and conditions and are therefore housed together - finding tiny frogs through misty glass in the middle of dense foliage is not easy... even when they're bright-coloured! A few, however, such as the Yellow Poison-Dart Frog, we had no trouble finding! Unlike this gecko, hiding in the most inaccessible corner of its enclosure, above the glass... and therefore "spottable" only by shorties such as myself... being 1.5m tall has to have some advantages!
The spotting game: the conspicuous yellow poison-dart frog, and the hidden Madagascar gecko
After a brief detour via the Komodo Dragon enclosure, currently on loan to Matilda, the Aldabran Giant Tortoise, we visited the Pigmy Hippopotamuses in their heated winter pool. They seemed to be enjoying their jacuzzi, I must say!
The shy Matilda, and the warm hippos
Next, following advice from our friends at the ticket office, we went to watch the clock outside the Blackburn Pavillion strike the hour. It is a wonderful tin contraption honouring the Victorians and their love of birds, with two toucans making the pendulum swing between them by pecking it, and a Victorian couple holding cages. On the hour, metal birds fly out of the cages and around the couple, while others appear on the roof of the building, amongst the lettering. It is glorious to watch, but as we had to do so from the shelter of my umbrella, I have no photos to illustrate it... yet!
We did have a wander around the walk-through Squirrel Monkey enclosure next door while waiting for the clock to spring into action, but the monkeys were obviously more intelligent than us, and were all huddled up inside their house!
Next stop, Africa! First, the African bird safari, where we were made to realize just how big the Hammerkop's 1.8m tall and wide nest actually is:
The Hammerkop, and its nest
Next, the African mammal area, with its Giraffes, Okapis, Zebras, African Wild Dogs and Warthogs, plus an antelope whose name I'm affraid I can't remember...
Finally, we visited the aviary and the owls, including the Burrowing owls, which must have a personality disorder - they all appear to think they're flamingos!
Even the photo on the information board showed the Burrowing Owl standing on one leg!
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