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Whipsnade Zoo

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Safariman
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Post  littlewid Wed Sep 19, 2012 7:58 pm

On Saturday 15th I was taken to Whipsnade Zoo for my birthday treat by Emma, Tom, Lara & Kian. We had a fabulous day and the sun was shinning which made it even more special. Whipsnade is a fantastic place and the animals really were amazing and looked so happy as well. It's a massive place and the animals have so much room, it's really open plan I suppose. We managed to walk the whole park and I ended up taking 126 photo's, not all of them are good so I have only loaded the ones that give a good snipet of what was there but it doesnt really touch the surface. Rather than load lots of pics I have spent hours ( because I am not very good) opening a Picasa picture page and you can then view them as a slide show which I think will be nicer.
Typical of the big cats, they were sleeping. We saw the Lions from a massive distance away, so the picture of Spike and his partner was just a practice shot to see if I could focus on them and to my surprise I could and I thought I would be able to get some wonderful pics of them when we got around to them, alas, by the time we got to them, Spike had fallen asleep over the hill and his partner was sleeping in the long grass so I could only get a few not very good shots through the glass. The Tiger was also hiding behind a tree and was not very visible, apart from a little head shot of him on his back with his chin in the air, but I still quite like that shot. There was a wonderful Parrot show that we just happened across and they were maginifcent flying but boy do they fly and dive quickly, by the time I had spotted them in the air I didnt have time to focus on them properly before they were gone but I was amazed that the pictures I did get were not blurred, more luck than judgement but they re not brilliant, I wished I had gotten time to zoom in on them.
I tried to see Dubai and her cubs but I think they had been moved to the Cheetah breeding centre for a bit of peace and quiet, the male was in the enclosure but he too was lying right at the back in the long grass and only lifted his head......all the big cats were being typically sleepy.
Lots of animals are just roaming around, Pea hens, Mara, munk Jack Deer and Wallabys, The Bison was so cool and he loved being fed grass by hand. Loved the Meerkats and they were really enjoying the sunshine. They have wolves but we didnt get to see them they were well hidden in the trees and bushes sadly.
There really is so much to see and the place is so huge you really need two days to take it all in properly but we do plan on doing the overnight stay in one of their log cabins amongst the free roaming animals and in between the hippos and elephants I believe. You get admission to the park and have a welcome drink, tour the zoo at night after everyone else has gone, have an evening meal, stay in a beautiful log cabin, full english breakfast in the morning and then have the day at the zoo, just think of the sites and sounds in the evening and the photo opportunitys......all booked up for this year sadly but next year will come round soon.
Anyway enjoy the pictures and do run it on a slide show as its better to see them that way.......and it took me hours to work out Picasa for you Very Happy they are not super dooper pics but I love them. Enjoy

https://picasaweb.google.com/101008134667029060217/Whipsnade2?authkey=Gv1sRgCJqHq-e20vqfWg#

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Post  whitestarling Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:19 am

Littlewid thank you so much for spending so much time putting your photos on the Forum as a slide show, it's something I've never done so I may be asking you for advice on how to do it. It really makes it a better experience to see than putting one after another on, and it's much quicker to see.
I've got as far as photo 20, it's a bit late at the moment, and I do'nt want to rush through them as that would spoil the enjoyment of seeing them, and also the enjoyment you got from taking them, and putting the slide show together.
Love the close ups of the Rhino, and Hippos faces, also the pose of the Penguin, looks really cute. Spike does look a bit worn out, and tired does'nt he Whipsnade Zoo 40683 , and the Bears look as though their ready for a big Group Hug . The Flamingo's look fabulous, and the colour is brilliant.
Will catch up on the rest tomorrow. Thanks once again for sharing
WS
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Post  Safariman Thu Sep 20, 2012 11:43 am

Some great pics Littlewid, you are really starting to get to grips with your camera. I love the ones of the birds flying, as you say it is difficult to get them in the viewfinder, focus and zoom all at the same time. The more you practice the more proficient you become. I also like the pics of the Grevy's zebra, they are an endangered species and there are very few left in the wild. I have seen them in Meru National Park and I think they can also be found in Samburu and I know Lewa Conservancy breeds them and tries to release them back into the wild. I have never been to Whipsnade but it sounds a fun place to visit, especially if you can stay overnight. You will need to get yourself some photo editing software for your computer and then you can crop and tweak your pics to get the best possible results. Your pics show that you do not need to spend a fortune on very expensive cameras to get excellent results. The Picasso slideshow is a great way to show them off, I put a lot of mine onto Flickr which is a similar photo sharing website.
Thanks for sharing them and keep clicking.

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Post  Doogs Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:46 pm

Well Miss LW you are just getting better and better with that camera of yours Wink Very Happy You've certainly got the hang of it and it really does show with the lovely photos you are taking.

My favourites - the close up of the Meerkats are great, the flamingos colours are always stunning to see, great Giraffe shots and the last shot of the cheetah is lovely.

Such a shame the big cats were doing what they like to do best Sleep believe me they are exactly the same when you see them in the wild !!! Also a shame you didn't see Dubai and her cubs but thankfully you did see plenty of other animals which is great - maybe next time Wink

Hope you get the log cabin next year, that would be great :)

Thanks LW and I also liked looking at them as a slideshow Very Happy
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Post  whitestarling Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:03 am

Just really enjoyed looking at the rest of the Pics. You really have some great shots there LW. Love the close ups of the Elephant, and the Meerkats, in one of the shots Giraffe it has a really comical look on it's face Whipsnade Zoo 40683 Nice one of the Cheetah at the end. Question whats the animal in photo 32 ?. Did'nt recognise it. Sounds wonderful staying in the cabin over night perhaps you could take a sound recorder to record the sounds over night
WS
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Post  Laikipia Fri Sep 21, 2012 11:28 am

WOW WOW WOW Littlewid - some stunning photos there. You're really getting into this photography now. Really enjoyed looking at them and will have a better look later, in huge haste before broadband drops off again and sadly I need to do some work.

Will def look in more detail later but thanks so much for sharing.

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Post  littlewid Fri Sep 21, 2012 10:41 pm

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments. I really am enjoying my new camera. I have always loved photography and respected good photography and one day I would love to have a perfect picture. It has been a delight to have a better camera so I can practice, practice, practice and I am always eager to get the camera out I also hope to try and organise some lessons......my passion is just growing and growing and I really hope I can get better.

I have recently brought myself a Monopod, a tripod was too heavy for me and for now the Monopod will do just fine and at least it will give me a bit more stability when taking some pics.

The animal you are talking about in pic 32 WS is a Mara, they are all over the place in the park and they are running free and they always seemed to be in pairs as well, I think they are rather lovely.

I too loved the flying parrots as well Safariman but they were so hard to get but trying to capture flying birds is one of my aims but I need lots more practice. The Grevys Zebra were lovely, I just wished I had counted how many they had in the park so I could let you know but it was reasonable herd but the baby was the only one.
I will sort a photo editing suite for my pc and I know they can make your photos a lot better but for now I am posting them as they are and that way I can also see if I am improving and I can also get honest opinions from you guys as well.

It was a shame Dubai was not out with her cubs but thats the way it goes I suppose and also for the sleeping cats too, maybe next time I go they will all be bit more active. The Meerkat shots are also one of my favs too Doogs, I love them anyway bt I was pleased with the head shots and I couldn't believe the colour of the Flmingos, they were just so stunning to see in real life.

Thanks again guy's for your comments and I will keep taking pics Safariman and no doubt I will try and get some this weekend.....depends where I end up going but I dont think we re going to have good weather.
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Post  littlewid Tue Feb 12, 2013 7:48 pm

These are not my pictures but they are the animals on my Picasa link,so as they are from Whipsnade I thought I would post them here. They are some of the animals at Whipsnade who have spent the day in the snow today.
European Brown Bear
Whipsnade Zoo Articl10

Grevys Zebra
Whipsnade Zoo Articl11

Anastasia the Amur Tiger
Whipsnade Zoo Articl12

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Post  littlewid Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:59 pm

Anastasia is the female Tiger I took a picture of in the summer, she was a bit elusive and lying on her back with her chin in the air when I took the picture. She was born at Whipsnade and she has just had a new mate arrive, he is a stunner and here is info from ZSL Whipsnade. I am going to try and track the history of these two for you.
http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/news/rare-tiger-unveiled-at-zsl-whipsnade-zoo,1046,NS.html
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Post  whitestarling Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:26 pm

WOW What a beautiful male Tiger Botzman is. I hope that he gets on well with Anastasia, they will produce some truely gorgeous cubs by the look of them both. Lovely shots of the Zebra, and Brown Bear LW thanks
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Post  Laikipia Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:39 am

Thanks Littlewid, those are lovely photos, I do feel especially sorry for the Grevy's with the snow, bearing in mind how hot their normal habitat is What a Face

Looking forward to more news on Anastasia.

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Post  Doogs Fri Feb 15, 2013 2:07 pm

Beautiful pictures LW, thanks for sharing them Very Happy

I Agree Lai, poor Grevy's in that snow, just doesn't seem right but it does make a stunning picture because of their markings Cool
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Post  gregrowlerson Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:19 am

Lovely pics of the bear, zebs and tiger in the snow LW! The snow always results in a great, beautiful image (IMO) Very Happy

Also had a look back at some pics you took during your trip last September, and your camerawork is totally FURRtastic! cheers Whipsnade Zoo 768480

Looking just at the thumbnails, pics 11 and 32 looked to be the same creature, and it looked like a combo of a kangaroo and a rabbit, but upon closer inspection these are most definitely different animals Laughing

Though I like you Mara and wallaby/kangaroo? anyhoo Very Happy

Lions are like some lazy teenagers who refuse to get out of bed until after 10am Laughing

I love your close up of the hippo pick, whom looks to be sleeping soundly with the hint of a smirk :)

That blue parrot thingy was profoundly bright!

Only to be bested by the rainbow bird in pic 31 WOW

And who would have thunk it, but I kinda like the giraffes too Razz And WS is right about pic 38; a very quirky looking expression indeedy!

GR
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Post  Cremecat Mon Feb 18, 2013 6:00 pm

Littlewid, I had a look at your slide show too, and I think they were great photos; some of them were amazing - like the two birds flying: WOW! I hope that some day I could shoot photos like that but I still have a lot to learn.

Thank you sharing! Whipsnade Zoo 71418

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