Penguin Awareness Day January 21, 2024
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Adelie penguins, animals, Antarctica, baby animals, Chinstrap penguins, Falklands, King Penguins, nature, Penguins, photography, South Georgia, travel
15 comments
Yesterday was Penguin Awareness Day. It is celebrated to help raise awareness about the dwindling numbers of these beautiful black and white creatures, primarily due to human activity and climate change around the globe. It hopes to shine a light on the importance of the conservation of penguin habitats. I was lucky to take the trip of a lifetime 19 years ago to Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia. I selected some those photos to share with you today. I hope they bring a smile to your face. 
Parting Shots of 2023 December 31, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: 2023, animals, baby animals, Butts, Central Park Zoo, Happy new year, nature, NYC, photo montage, photography, Snow Monkey, Tushes, wildlife, Zoos
9 comments
Today’s montage completes 20 years of my sending out these Sunday photos. By my calculations (and I won the math award in eighth grade) that’s over 1000 Sunday photo montages. Yikes! Thanks for coming along for the ride. Some of you have been with me for the entire 20 years. I am very thankful for that and welcome all of my new subscribers. Hoping to do my best to keep posting on Sundays. I leave you as always with no ‘ifs, just ends, butts and tushies.’ Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy New Year. 
All Aboard! December 10, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Art exhibit, Bronx, Holiday Train Show, nature, NYBG, NYC, photography
6 comments
The New York Botanical Garden is back with their sensational train show. This year there is a new fun feature outside the Conservatory. This was the first time I attended with a zany family that included three kids. It made the visit even more special. Get aboard – the trains can be seen through January 15, 2024.
Gourdness Gracious! November 5, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, Daylight Savings Time, gourds, nature, NYC, photography, Pumpkin enrichment, Red Panda, snow leopard, Snow Monkey, Standard time, wildlife, Zoos
6 comments
My October obsession with all things bats, birthdays and pumpkins has come to an end with this Sunday’s photo montage. Fun and enrichment was had by all species (especially me). I usually post something about our having to turn the clocks today as Daylight Savings Time ends. Here’s one from three years ago. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep. I got up earlier than usual. Sigh.
Ghost of the Mountains October 22, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: art, big cats, Ghost of the Mountains, International Snow Leoard Day, nature, photography, snow leopard, Snow Leopard cubs, travel, wildlife, zoo babies, Zoos
19 comments
Tomorrow is International Snow Leopard Day and my birthday. Snow leopards are known as the ‘ghost of the mountains’ because of their solitary and elusive nature. I sometimes am solitary and elusive too. Cheers to these gorgeous cats (and me). For more information about these gorgeous and endangered cats click here. 
Bats in the Belfry October 1, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Batober, Bats, flying foxes, flying mammals, guano, nature, NYC, photography, wildlife, zoo babies
7 comments
I have wanted to use this title for a long time just like last week’s Swimming with the Fishes. How lucky were we that the beginning of October starts on a Sunday? I love October with the fall leaves, pumpkins, birthdays and bats. Bats are our friends. Here are some fun bat facts – Bats can live more than 30 years and can fly at speeds of 60 miles per hour (or more!) Bats can find their food in total darkness. Bats can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes an hour. More than half of the bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered. Some bats hibernate in caves through the cold winter months. Pallid bats eat scorpions! Bat droppings, called guano, are one of the richest fertilizers. The world’s largest bat is the “flying fox,” which lives on islands in the South Pacific. Baby bats are called pups! Most bats have only one pup a year. The Bracken Bat Cave in Texas is home to the world’s largest bat colony. Happy Batober!
King of the Jungle August 13, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: Big Cat Initiative, big cats, Lion, nature, photography, wildlife, World Lion Day, Zoos
11 comments
Thursday was World Lion Day and is celebrated annually on August 10 to raise awareness of the sharp decline in lion populations due to threats ranging from habitat loss to illegal hunting. The day was established in 2013 by environmentalists Dereck and Beverly Joubert, founders of the Big Cat Initiative. Today’s photo montage is dedicated to these beautiful cats.
A Wake of Vultures August 6, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: animals, art, Art exhibit, Ebony Patterson, nature, NYBG, NYC, photography, vultures
4 comments
In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle and when the birds are feeding together at a carcass, the group is called a wake. We visited NYBG https: on Friday and both enjoyed this very different and fascinating exhibition. The vultures are both inside and outside the Conservatory. Artist Ebony G. Patterson, after a year long residency at the NY Botanical Garden created for the conservatory her exhibition called “…things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting…”. Patterson is the first artist-in-residence the NYBG has ever had. The vultures in the installation are a clear gesture towards the idea of death. But at the same time, Patterson explored their role within the broader ecosystem, and how by “consuming the landscape, they’re revealing things within it,” she says. They’re consuming our nature’s wounds, “as an act of care … and in doing so, they reveal other things that are hidden, so bodies become revealed.” The exhibit is on through October 22, 2023. I encourage your visit. NY Times review here 
Happy Red, White and Zoo in ’23 to you July 2, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: July Fourth, nature, NYC, photography, red, white and zoo, wildlife, zoo babies, Zoos
4 comments
Summer is a time for reruns. Accordingly I share last year’s July 4th post. This was a fun montage to create. I didn’t realize how many animals could be included in this red, white and blue themed photo montage. Wishing you a safe, happy holiday and keep those pets inside as most are afraid of the noisy fireworks.
Father Knows Best June 18, 2023
Posted by judylobo in Zoo.Tags: baby animals, Baby daddy, Father KNows Best, Father's Day, nature, photography, travel, zoo babies, Zoos
7 comments
When I was a wee lass there wasn’t much to watch on our black and white TV. I do remember ‘Father Knows Best.’ We watched it but it surely did not remind me of my family. How about you? While most caregivers in the animal kingdom are mothers, there are some fathers who join in the role as caregiver. I salute some of those fathers out there in today’s photo montage. Coincidentally – tomorrow is also National Martini Day. Why not celebrate that special day today? The photo above today’s montage is of my little Wolfe family -father, mother, sister and me (circa – the beginning of time).
While at the Zoo 