Chester Zoo - Part 2: Off the Butterfly's Wing...

Sticking with Chester Zoo for a little while, it seems they have quite a lot there. One of the main things we enjoyed that day and spent so very long inside photographing was their Butterfly House. It was, quite simply, enchanting!

These things are so very difficult to photograph in flight but, if you do manage to get a picture of one flying, it is striking. On the other hand, a resting Butterfly can be quite spectacular if you do more with the picture. Hopefully I managed something half decent!

These were all taken on 2018-06-05 at Chester Zoo with the weather being an absolutely beautiful cloudless summers day. This second post is all pictures taken from the Butterfly House, we spent about an hour in there! Enjoy!

I'll just leaf this here!
(Indian Leaf Butterfly)

Sitting for a feast
(Giant Owl Butterfly)

 A beautiful spot to rest
(Malachite Butterfly)

 When you look that beautiful, you don't blend in anywhere!
(Blue Morpho Butterfly)

Vibrant wings when open, so hidden when closed.
(Blue Morpho Butterfly)

 Prefect grace
(Blue Morpho Butterfly)

 Shifting focus
(Postman Butterfly)

 A tiny giant
(Postman Butterfly)

The flower was so striking, I had to.

 These ones had bodies as fascinating as the wings
(Tailed Jay Butterfly)

 Had to colour filter it because pretence
(Tailed Jay Butterfly)

 Quite proud of this one. Dull leaf colour and out of focus background colour really draws the eye to the butterfly so much more
(Lime Swallowtail Butterfly)

 Fell in love with this species!
(Great Mormon Butterfly)

 Just beyond your reach, mortal
(Blue Morpho Butterfly)

 About to fly and soar away
(Great Mormon Butterfly)

Poised...
(This one I'm struggling with. Shout out to anyone who can identify it!)

 Freshly landed
(Anyone who can identify this species, please do.)

 A nihilist's favourite

(Great Mormon Butterfly)

Well, that's my second post from that incradible day. Don't worry, there's still more to come. The Butterfly enclosure was absolutely breath-taking and we both fell completely in love with it. We could have spent the entire day in there and it was only one room!

As always, any tips and comments are hugely appreciated!

Thank you so much for browsing!

Cya soon!

Chester Zoo - Part 1: Out in the sun!

And here it is! Big summer event type thingy I was building towards! It's finally beginning! I have about six posts I think (with this being the first) all taken from one increadible day out with someone who is very very special to me! 

We went to the one, the only, Chester Zoo. I figured I'd try my hand at some more animal shots since I usually struggle with subjects that.. you know... move. I think I managed to do okay. Seeing animals in captivity is definitley very different to seeing them in the wild, in captivity they tend to be more placid and apathetic true, but they are also safe as there's some animals there which are very endanged and need protection. This debate can go on and has gone on for years and is obviously different for every case and I personally can see both sides. 

For now, however, as just one random hippy with a camera a big brillaint zoo like thsi was a perfet place to go and see some of these magnificent animals and the enclosures and the like at Chester Zoo are absolutely top notch, seemingly as good as can be.

Thank you so very much to Chester Zoo for letting me photograph these animals for this blog and just to share this slight glimpse into the animal kingdom with you and those special to me.

These were taken on 2018-06-05 at Chester Zoo with the weather being an absolutely beautiful cloudless summers day. This first post is general pictures taken around the park and outdoor exhibits! More to come!

Enjoy!

Family from the bush. Straightaway we first say one of my all time favourite creatures!
(Asian Elephant)

Grey on grey
(Asian Elephant)

Timing is everything!
(Asiatic Lioness)

It was such a hot day, I don't blame half of these for sleeping.
(White-Belted Ruffed Lemur)

Keeping death at bay
(Front: European Black Vulture  Back: Northern Bald Ibis)

Finding this guy was the hardest game of Where's Wally ever!

(Parson's Chameleon)

Probably used to way more sun that England can ever give (people for scale)

(Rothschild's Giraffe)

Random Honey Bee! It seemed tired but flew away into the plants so I think it's fine.

(I thought these were all domesticated? Does Chester Zoo keep these? Does it count as domesticated if its in a Zoo?)

It's not a sin though they are way bigger than I though they'd be! Yet suprisingly hard to photograph...

(Two-Toed Sloth)

I thought these guys were supposed to be slow! It took ages to take a decent picture, they're so quick (or mabye I'm just that bad) Maybe they just like to pose though because they lined up nicely.

(Radiated Tortoise)

Stoic stone face

(Radiated Tortiose)

Looking back at me

(Humboldt Penquins)

Watching over the colony, bathing in the sun.

(Humboldt Penquins)

Simply Otherworldly

(Jellyfish)

It seems all life knows love

(North African Cheetah)

Truly heartwarming

(North African Cheetah)

And yes, I'm still in love with my colour filter.

Did you know these guys don't need direct access to water to survive. They can survive on the blood of thier prey... I've learned some cool things whilst researching the exact species I saw.

(North African Cheetah)

Took me a while to identify this one! Still, considering I was burning in the sun having been out in it all day at this point i think i didn't do too badly. 

(Anoa)

I have no idea if they're okay to have as pets but I want three of them!

(Capybara)

I regularly tried to go for face shots that day, heres one of them. How did I do?

(Black Rhino)

So much emotion in one eye!

(Black Rhino)

Watching the afternoon fade by

(Roan Antelope)

And finally the wonderful Grevys Zebra!

Well, that's the first post ov about six from that wonderful day exploring the animal kingdom. I can't wait to bring you the rest of the images exploring life's 'endless forms most beautiful'. I'll be both working on the next post and out taking more pictures for another future post as soon as I am able. Here is just a little taste of what's to come.

Once again, huge thanks to Chester Zoo not only for letting me view, photograph and share these images but for caring for these animals so spectacularly! You are the best!

As always, any tips and comments are greatly appreciated.
Thanks for browsing.
Cya soon!

Our Burning Home!!

There aren't words to describe some things. A brief interruption to what was planned. Don't worry, that's coming next time.

This is going to be a quick one but, for anyone who doesn't know, Rivington Pike and the surrounding areas have been in flames recently, the entire hills one huge inferno! The intense summer heat and lack of rain the last few weeks has dried the area somewhat and Arsonists have decided to set the area ablaze, not once, but several times!!

I have no words. I see the burning hill every day on my way to work, every day as I go into town. I can smell its smoke constantly! This has been burning for around a week now!

Here's just a few of the countless news stories about it:

Crews battling another large moor fire on Rivington Pike

Arsonists spotted starting new fires near scene of massive moorland blaze

Winter Hill fire may burn for days, fire crews fear

I understand all of it, just animals following thier nature, that's the why. It'd be fair if those responsible were themselves burned (not to death, lets not go anywhere near that dark) but the sheer smoke inhalation alone in the surrounding areas has destroyed so much life, let alone the fires themselves. There's babies in those smoke covered areas, people and animals! I've volunteered in those gardens, I've roamed those hills since I was a child and I mourn this senseless destruction.

When the area is safe I will try to go there and capture some of the damage, if nothing else as an act of respect for its passing, at nature wounded. Until then I will focus on the posts I have coming up for you, my work and my other hobbies but this is a hard blow and I do mourn. I just yearn to see the damage for myself, once its safe.

I urge all of you to stay away from the area until its safe! Some people have crossed the police lines to explore the destruction but have suffocated due to smoke inhalation and were found by the emergency services almost by chance, they can't cover an entire hill at once.

We all mourn this together, whether we're passionate about nature or just live here, we can all see that blazing hill every day and it breaks all of our hearts, such pointless destruction, there's little more abhorent to me.

Anyway, thankyou for giving me an avenue to vent. I hope to bring you images of this disaster eventually so that we may mourn together.

Thank you.
All the best!

Some Hippy with a Camera