Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Amazing Asses

Well, they have a special poo poo-themed play area for the children, why not a lesson on the bahonkuses of all these animals?  And as if on cue, just a few steps down from these enlightening graphics, we saw this:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Ants

One could spend a lifetime - and many do - studying these amazing creatures.  Collectively they work, acting as one body for the good of the whole.  And each species looks different and behaves in its own amazing way.  And how tiny do those little brains have to be?  Incredible...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Animal Clock

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Red and Yellow Flowers (or blooms, or whatever they are)

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Horn Billed Toucan

Would love to go to a place where species such as this can be seen in the wild.  They are so exotic it's hard to believe that they still flourish in the jungles of east Asia, and are not even endangered

This is the only pic that proved to be a keeper of a dozen or so shot of this guy.  It checks many boxes - exotic look, contrast in color, and of course is a shot of something through something.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Red Flower

We were in a hurry to go see the gibbon fight, and on the way passed some visitors snapping away at this flower.  Making a mental note, I returned to the spot to capture the contrast of this beauty against the dark background.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Flamingos Through Banyan Strands

And while on the subject of banyan strands, could not resist getting a shot of these flamingos through these strands in another part of the park.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Banyan Strands

The ever-present banyan trees sometimes provided curtains of their strands adorning the sidewalks at the zoo.  A wild banyan tree from a jungle hike on Maui posted here.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Wide Orangutan Shots

...and to top of the orangutan pics here are a couple of wide shots, both of which I thought were keepers.

Still think about the orangutan featured in a PBS documentary and mentioned in this post.  Even years after the ape was placed in the zoo, whenever the previous caretaker would come by to visit he would sign that he wanted to go to Dairy Queen!  If you can, look up and watch this fascinating story.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Siblings and Mom Orangutans

Here are the three together, with focus shifted to the older sibling below.  Notice the strap in the upper image - a piece was removed because the shiny fastener, being in focus, distracted from the subject.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Baby's Sibling

...and sitting close by was what I guessed to be the baby's sibling.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Orangutan Baby with Mom

If you've followed my blog and seen pics from other zoo trips you know that orangutans are just about my favorite subject.  They are so expressive, and sit so still most of the time.  So when I saw this mom with her baby in such a tender pose I knew I'd be hanging around here for a while.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Gibbon Fight

Did not think I was going to be able to post this one, but thanks to the awesome light-grabbing power of the Bigger Cahoona's 46 megapixels was able to coax this gibbon's features into something recognizable.

If he looks a little dejected it's because he was.  These guys make a great deal of noise when excited - possibly more so than even a howler monkey - and this was the loser in a fight that had just taken place.  As if to broadcast the drama, both contestants were hooting and hollering so loudly that people started to congregate from all over the zoo to watch as they swung through the trees, bumped into each other and postured in show of force.  It lasted a while, too...more than ten minutes.

Wider view here with interesting tree branch pattern above:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Another Kingfisher (I think)

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Sleepy Kingfisher

Didn't get too many pics of the smaller birds this trip, this and tomorrow's post being the only two.

The wife and I are in the middle of watching the Life Story series, presented by David Attenborough on Netflix.  Nobody, but nobody can do wildlife better than that man...any documentary or series in which he's involved is gold.  His detailed level of storytelling reveals so much going on in the life of even the most unassuming little creatures; one of the more memorable segments, from a much earlier series, was when he followed the life and struggles of a small bird living in his back yard, or "garden" as they say over there.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Window Shot

A window shot, as I've come to call them, leading from one part of the zoo to another...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Krowned Kat

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Meerkat Pair

This is another critter that is predictable and fun to shoot.  Something that doesn't happen as often is seeing two sentries instead of just one at the highest point in the enclosure.

Ultimately one left, leaving his companion to assume the iconic pose they are known for...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Research Center

Visitors see this upon entering the zoo grounds, and according to the maps it's a research center.  But no matter - of interest to a photographer is the pattern made by the tiles on its sides!  Find Edges and Glowing Edges effects below:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Flower from Above

Just a few steps from where the egret was captured they have a small lily pond with this beaut opened in full splendor.  Camera was plenty shaky, as I was leaning way over while pointed straight down, but, thanks to burst, grabbed a keeper.

Same from side angle below:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Cattle Egret with People

This guy's tolerance of people allowed me to capture him at will with the Bigger Cahoona.  The photo above reveals its entire plumage; the one below shows where it was amid the swarm of zoo visitors at lunch time:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Cattle Egret

This is a subspecies of the cattle egret.  As common as they are, this is an interesting bird.  Learned that "the Maasai people consider the presence of large numbers of cattle egrets as an indicator of impending drought and use it to decide on moving their cattle herds." [credit: Wikipedia]  And suppose that their long history with humans has ingrained a tolerance for our presence, as can be seen in this and tomorrow's post.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Smokestack Again

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Smoke Stack / Learning a Language

I marveled at how they camouflage their smoke stacks in Japan so they won't be an eyesore, and was pleased to see more of that being done in Taiwan.  This one, jutting up from the Muzha Refuse Incineration Plant, very thoughfully was designed with zoo goers in mind.
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Since I am fluent in Spanish, people often ask me how to best learn a language.  Which computer program to buy?  Are there classes for adults somewhere?  How long will it take?  No matter the questions and what's out there, my answer is always the same - after getting some grammar and vocabulary down in a class, GO THERE.  Where?  Any Spanish (or whatever)-speaking country that is safe for visitors.  And put yourself in a place where there are NO GRINGOS!  In other words, become immersed in a place and circumstance where you CAN'T CHEAT!  That means where there is NO ENGLISH to get you by.  I not only did that but in 1980 lived in a place where it was impossible to communicate in English.  By the time I returned to the States I was dreaming in Spanish, and got a dose of reverse culture shock plus was having to translate back from Spanish to English after getting here.

This idea of isolating oneself from your native language in order to learn another hit home one day in Guanajuato where I took some summer classes.  One day I was leaving campus and ran across two middle-aged women who were quite obviously tourists from the USA.  When one of them attempted to ask me a question in Spanish it become clear that she hardly knew a word of it.  Since I couldn't understand the question, and since she appeared to want to use the language, I obligingly asked her in Spanish to repeat the question.  Again she failed in her attempt to even find the word dónde.  By this time I felt a little sorry for her and started the conversation all over again, but in English.  She seemed relieved and explained that this was her THIRD trip to Mexico to learn the language!  After a little digging I found out why there was little-to-no progress: on every trip her companion tagged along to provide translation services!  I am aware that some have more of an aptitude than others for language acquisition, but it's true in all cases that a leg won't get strong while you're still on crutches, and wearing a life preserver while in the water will not teach you to be a strong swimmer.

And I too have been guilty of using such a crutch, which is all too easy to do if it's available.  I've been to Taiwan five or six times, but have not progressed much in either my understanding or speaking ability to use mandarin.  Many times during casual conversations I've started a sentence in Chinese but midway through, finding myself unable to finish the sentence with a brain that is in foreign language mode, will automatically complete the sentence in Spanish.  It's not encouraging to see my listeners continue to nod their heads - whether in agreement or compassion I don't know - as if they understand it all!

But there are two exceptions when Chenjean wasn't with me to be a crutch.  One time I went with just my oldest brother-in-law to visit a park in Taipei.  This was not just any park, but a real national park complete with pristine landscapes and wildlife situated within the Taipei city limits, a picture from which is posted here.  Because the wife/crutch wasn't there, and because my Chinese was better than my brother-in-law's English, I managed for the entire 40-minute drive there to carry on a conversation in Chinese.  True it was broken, but by the time we'd been together for a half-hour I felt the gears turning just as they had in Mexico in 1980, when I lived there with no Gringos around.  This was encouraging but alas, we've not done the same since.

The second exception was when my father-in-law was visiting here in Houston, and it fell on me to teach him how to drive.  Yes, it was my job to teach my Chinese-only speaking father-in-law how to drive in Houston.  And he didn't (and still doesn't) know a single word of English - zilch, zero.  Before hitting the road I was taught the basic driving words...stop, straight, left, right, go, etc.  When he got behind the wheel you can be sure it was an hour of sheer terror, of hell.  But you can also bet that I used those words and remember them very well to this day!

So if you want to learn another language - first get the basics, then spend an extended period in a place where you must use the language to survive.  Most of all, it's important to learn to laugh at yourself and not be afraid to make mistakes.  That way, if you don't make as much progress as anticipated you'll at least have had a good time!

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Frond Unfurling

Thought of this post from Alaska when I snapped this photo, but whereas the one in Alaska was the size of your fingernail this one is the size of your fist.  These guys were huge, and hung over the trail like trees.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Fern Fronds

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Fern Garden

A few yards down from the macaques there was an awesome fern garden with a curvy path winding through the middle of more ferns than you knew existed.  Didn't notice the fly until post-capture after getting back home.

Glowing Edges effect below:

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Macaque Approaching

The individual at the left appears to be a juvenile, looking warily at an approaching adult...

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Formosan Rock Macaques Grooming

Even though animals at the zoo don't really know how good they have it, this one looks thoroughly relaxed and enjoying life as she's being groomed by a friend.

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Formosan Rock Macaque

This is the Formosan Rock Macaque, displayed in a separate enclosure here at the zoo with some of his buddies.  Don't know about you, but I think these specimens look a little scragglier than the one we saw in the wild on one of our hikes (posted here).

Taiwan - Taipei Zoo, Flower Cluster

Just some pretty flowers encountered along the pathway...