Peacocks in Trees and Pretty Feathers

Peering peacock: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016

Happy wild Wednesday! I took these photos in the bird house at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC. This handsome peacock watched me take his photo.

Peacocks in a tree: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016

It was the first time I'd seen both peacocks up in the tree together. I didn't see the peahen (female peacock) on this trip but there are always some amazing birds in the bird house.

Cascading feathers: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016

I love the beautiful peacock feathers. 

Peacock in tree: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016

Other visitors entered from another direction and the peacock looked towards them (there are three ways to enter this part of the exhibit).

Peacock feathers: Copyright © Phyllis Wheeler, 2016

Here's a close up of the cascading peacock feathers. They are so pretty. God has amazing creativity!

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Cheetah cubs: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/cute-cheetah-cubs-and-wild-wednesdays.html
Green bird captivates cats: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/cute-green-bird-video-drives-my-cats.html
Ben Wheeler's zoo photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/07/ben-wheelers-zoo-photos-for-wild.html

Zoos and a Baby Gazelle: Day 16 of 30 Days of Thanksgiving

"Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:7-10

Today I'm thankful for our zoos and for the amazing animals within. We live close enough to visit the National Zoo regularly and it's always a joyful experience. Today was our first sighting of their newest baby dama gazelle. According to the zoo's press release, "The Smithsonian’s National Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a female dama gazelle calf Sunday, Nov. 2, between 6:45 a.m. and 8 a.m., to 2-year-old female Adara and an unnamed 1-year-old male. The calf weighed 4.6 kilograms (10 pounds) at birth." As you can see in the pictures above and below, she's a cutie.

I am thankful that our zoo works on saving endangered species, rescuing and providing homes for injured animals and educating us about God's amazing creation (even though they don't mention God, His handiwork is evident in everything He's made). I am thankful to have such a fun place to go that both my husband and I enjoy so much that it also serves as a marriage building adventure. I'm thankful for the zoo's breeding program and am hoping to see some baby Sumatran tigers in the next year or so.

Today the cheetah cubs weren't out but we did get to see an adult cheetah, the lions, a tiger, a tentacled snake, a whole bunch of reptiles, a super cute otter huddle, a red panda, two giant pandas, lemurs, American wolves, sea lions and more.

 Here the cute baby gazelle stretches her neck.

 Baby dama gazelle eating hay.

 I took this photo so you could see how small the baby gazelle (on the right) is compared to an adult (on the left).

 Close up photo of the baby dama gazelle. I love how huge her eyes look in this shot.

Relaxing baby gazelle. Happy 2 week birthday, little one!

What are your favorite zoo or wild animals? What is your favorite zoo?

May God bless you!

Oryx and Gazelle Photos for Wild Wednesday

This oryx appears to be sleeping in his habitat at the National Zoo but his ears are still actively flapping.

If you compare this picture with the first you can see that his ear moved (and I zoomed out with the camera).

Ben, my wonderful husband, donated these two gazelle photos for our Wild Wednesday post. In the photo above the gazelle is caught in the middle of chewing some foliage.

And this gazelle is looking for a tasty treat in its National Zoo habitat.

Hope you enjoyed seeing a couple of God's beautiful creatures! May He bless you today and always!