Spidey Surprise!

 Isn't she beautiful!?

Dinner: Shrimp Corn Chowder

 

Smithsonian National Zoo: The Main Pathway

 After reaching the top of the Asian Trail I looked at my phone and discovered that I had just over an hour left before the National Zoo would close.  So much left to see--thankfully, the zoo made my first decision for me.  The Cheetah Conservation Station and adjacent habitats were all closed and basically in some degree of total redesign.  This still left about a dozen possible areas of interest.  I immediately, discarded all of the smaller ones.  No Bison, No Prairie Dogs, No Gibbons and Siamang, No Przewalski's Horses, No Lemur Island, No Wallabies, etc.  Then on to the larger complexes; No Great Ape House, and No Think Tank with the Orangutans and Allen's Swamp Monkeys.

What's left?  Time to connect three dots.  I started with a breeze through the Small Mammal House. One of the many early 20th Century Romanesque masterpieces.  Renovated over the years to host an interior full of open and creative habitats--probably, in the most perfect world--it's ready for a next generation upgrade.  l would love to see more naturalistic design and live foliage, flowing water features, natural light--all toward a more immersive guest experience.  My upgrade would include an extension on the rear side of the building to also double the existing space to 1) increase the size of all the habitats, and 2) create interior/exterior habitats for many that will provide greater options for both animals and guests.

SMALL ANIMAL HOUSE

Golden Lion Tamarin

Leontopithecus rosalia

Slender-tailed Meerkat

Suricata suricatta

Bearded Emperor Tamarin

Tamarinus subgrisescens

REPTILE HOUSE

 The Reptile House is on the renovation block.  I wanted to see it before it closed.  Like the Aviary, this is a multi-million dollar endeavor that will take several years from inception to completion. As herpetariums go, the National Zoo's is average, and average is good.  I feel like the majority of the upgrades will be infrastructural in nature, though an entirely new set of glass windows will undoubtedly reset the habitats to a more pristine appearance.  Also I would like to think the arrangement of species within the habitats might have a more geographical theme.

Exterior of the National Zoo's Reptile House.

Shingleback Skink

Tiliqua rugosa

Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtle

Podocnemis unifilis

The Grand Cayman Blue Iguana

Cyclura lewisi

LIONS & TIGER, OH MY!

coming down to the wire, I still wanted to end with a visit to the Big Cat Island at the bottom of the main pathway.

Shaka & Jumbe, brothers born at the zoo in 2014.

African Lion

Panthera leo

Amur Tiger

Panthera tigris altaica

Smithsonian National Zoo: The Upper Part of the Asian Trail

 The Asian Trail is a pathway that branches off of the main promenade about one-sixth of the way down the hill.  At its lower entrance it is flanked on the right by the large and iconic Giant Panda complex, and on the left by the northernmost end of the Asian Elephant complex.  Look left or right and you've got something interesting to see.  Near the end of these two companions is the bridge on the left side to the Aviary, a.k.a. the "Bird House".  Beyond this point the trail becomes steeper and more switchback as you make the climb that will eventually get you to the top of the zoo and across from the main gift shop, auditorium and administrative offices.

As you climb there are a quartet of mid-sized habitats, some undeveloped space, and the largest Sloth Bear habitat I have ever seen at a zoo.  Two separate and huge exterior habitats with a plaza filled with cultural references and educational activities between.  Don't get excited--I encountered no Sloth Bears today.  In fact, and this is a fact, in the 16 times I have visited the National Zoo over the past 31 years, I have honestly only seen actual Sloth Bears in this exhibit 1 time!  This is ONE time...  That time, pre-pandemic, was amazing, but when I think about it, they may have been animatronic!  The other rarely seen critter is on the opposite end, the Red Panda.  My track record there is slightly better, maybe 5 or 6 times.  The three in between species: Asian Small-clawed Otters, Fishing Cat, and Clouded Leopards have me combined batting around 500.  Given all of this, my expectations are generally muted.  

And there is a plot of land, decent sized, that awaits some form of development.  It's a sloping feral field that could be leveled and landscaped to hold members of their Przewalski's Horse herd.  The positive would be a species that you could pretty much guarantee would be present, and a chance to design a habitat specific to this amazing and ancient species.  As of now they reside in the old Camel yard.  

So what was the result of my trek?  Today was a good day for both team Asian Small-claw Otter and team Clouded Leopard!  Fishing Cat?  Off fishing?  WAA Waa waa.....

Looking back down the pathway to the Asian Small Claw Habitat.

You buy a kid an expensive toy when all they really want is a shiny rock!!

Asian Small-clawed Otter

Aonyx cinereus

A little further up the hill and the wonder that is the Clouded Leopard habitat.  It feels a little bit like stumbling upon some forgotten WW II encampment on a remote Pacific Island.  In other words, my fantasy encampment!

Honestly, if aliens ever scooped me away to be in their zoo and gave me an enclosure like this with reliable internet?--I'd be their "monkey"! 

Clouded Leopard

Neofelis Nebulosa

First glimpse of the Sloth Bear habitat, the lower yard.

The Plaza at the Sloth Bear Habitats.

Smithsonian National Zoo: Aviary

 This is my first visit to the Smithsonian National Zoo's Aviary since its multi-million dollar, multi-year renovation.  A redo long overdue.  The Aviary is one of the historic Romanesque structures who architecture is also a thing of beauty.   Another unique aspect of this Aviary--it's completely interactive.  At no time do you encounter a bird that is also not in a cage less space with you!  To make this work, the spaces are generous and because the building is not enormous, there are a limited number of multi-species habitats.  True to form, they are each free fly and fully integrated with amazing water features and aquatic life.  To make it work--to bring cohesion to the experience--the story is one of migration between the America's and pretty exclusively the species are all negative to North America at some point in the year.  What this limits in terms of breadth, is more than made up for in depth.  Walking through was like visiting the most exciting fireworks display!  I loved it.

To get to the Aviary, you have to cross a pedestrian bridge that spans the upper end of the third Asian Elephant Yard.  It's easy to no realize it's even there.

The new entrance has the appearance of a house of worship.

The original entrance is lovingly preserved inside the new lobby.

Architect's rendering of the original 1928 facade.  You can see how the entrance fits into the old building.

The original plan pretty much matches the finished product.  The Historic Portal is in the red circle.   To the left is the exhibition room, and we are about to enter the first Aviary dedicated to coastal birds and some of the little song birds who migrate along the edges of the continents.

The walls are festooned with informative narration to guide you along your journey

A large room sets the stage and allows for groups to be addressed prior to entering the first of the aviary rooms.  It is called the Exhibition Room. 

The attention to detail is stunning.  The water in the tidal inlets depicted in this room sways.  SWAYS!  like the lazy motion of the ocean swishing, ebbing and flowing against the shoreline.  Meanwhile inside these huge aquariums are native fish and a thriving little colony of horseshoe crabs.

Pumpkinseed Fish

Lepomis gibbosus

Horseshoe Crab

Limulus polyphemus

Guests are welcome to explore bronze models perched on the railing nearby.  Of course, we're here for the birds!

Americans Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Red Knot

Calidris canutus

[L]: one light gray bird

Sanderling

Calidris alba

[R]: Pair facing back and front

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria verins

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Parting shot the Southwestern side.

The opposite Northeastern side.

Aviary 2 was referred to as the duck room.

The peninsula pool had pairs of Ruddy Ducks and Buffleheads. 

The Buffleheads were happy to show off their diving skills, too.

Across in a generous alcove with stream were other species of ducks like this pair of Red Heads.

Nearby a stately male Canvasback was chilling.

The room was also home to several species of songbirds like this Song Sparrow.  The key is simple.  The quieter you are, the longer to watch, the more you discover.

The third aviary is located in the center of the Bird House.  It not only the largest, but also the most active.  A flurry of feathers, and flits and flashes of commotion and color.  The aforementioned rule was never truer, too.

Here's where the story ends and begins again in some jungle or coffee plantation in Colombia or Venezuela.

Scarlet Tanager [F]

Piranga olivacea

Tennessee Warbler

Vermivora peregina

Ruddy Quail-Dove

Geotrygon montana

Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna autumnalis

Indigo Bunting [F]

Passerina cyanea

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

Magnolia Warbler [F]

Setophaga magnolia

Bye bye...

Go out the way you came it.