Great White Heron

 An Egret (also known as a Great White Heron)

   I took these pictures of a white egret near the Humber Bay in Toronto.  Just getting all the feathers just right.

 The egret left his perch to do some foraging for food

 White egret

White egret head cropped from the above photo.

Great Blue Heron

  Had a hard time to get this picture as the bush was so dense I could only get my lens through the branches and I was squeezed in myself.  This heron was sitting with some young ducks south of where I took the pictures of the white egret.

Lady Bugs

Ladybugs (Harmonia Axyridis) 

I took this picture of these ladybugs on a plant that is on my front lawn.  I did not know there is over 150 different types of ladybugs and it took a while for me to identify these two.  They are a variation of the same type originating in Asia but brought to the US to help control pests such as the white fuzzy aphid on the leaf just below them.  I don't know where the aphid is coming from as I don't have any apple or beech trees around my house that this type congregates on.

 Eyes of the Tiger 

Waiting for his turn for a circus act as we were sitting beside him very close to his enclosure.

Tiger 

Is it my turn yet?  I'm kind of bored.  He got really excited each time a handler walked by.

Green Bottle Fly

This fly is the one you see around garbage cans and other unpleasant things.  They carry harmful bacteria and you don't want them in your house.  This one was on a flower in my yard.  Colours are kind of cool for a dirty pest.

Zebra Spider

Baby Zebra Spider

This picture was taken with my small Canon A640 in macro mode.  I use this camera for macro pictures often.  The spider was only about 2mm long as you can see by the bits+

of dust in the paint on the wood railing of my deck.

Guinea Fowel

 Guinea Fowl

Cropped to get a better view of this strange looking birds head.

Guinea Fowl

When I took this picture, I didn't know what breed of bird it was.  It took an hour of searching the internet to identify what kind of chicken this was.

Meerkat

Are you looking at me!

September 2nd. 2014.  I don't remember what this little creature was but when I find out I will post it.

If anyone knows what it is, let me know so I can label it.

September 9th. 2014.  After searching the internet, I have found out was this little animal is.  It is a Meerkat.    These gregarious animals are often seen in groups, and several families may live together in a large community.  Squirrel-sized meerkats are mongooses famed for their upright posture. They often stand on their rear legs and gaze alertly over the southern African plains where they live.  No, I was not in Africa when I took this picture.  It was taken at the Toronto Zoo.

   

Peacock

The Crown Prince

This male Peacock picture was take on the side of a path while walking through the Toronto Zoo.  They wander around freely everywhere.

Crown Princess  

I took the picture of this female Peacock at a different time and place than the males picture.  This was taken while visiting Centre Island in Toronto.