Uploads from Osgoldcross Photography, tagged ywp, with geodata

Young Lechwe Playing

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:14:46 -0700

Two rather cute and playful Lechwe a type antelope at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.

The lechwe, or southern lechwe, (Kobus leche) is an antelope found in Botswana, Zambia, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, northeastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps.

Lechwe stand 90 to 100 cm (35 to 39 in) at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 120 kg (150 to 260 lb). They are golden brown with white bellies. Males are darker in colour, but general hue varies depending on subspecies. The long, spiral-structured horns are vaguely lyre-shaped, they are found only in males. The hindlegs are somewhat longer in proportion than in other antelopes, to ease long-distance running in marshy soil.

Lechwe are found in marshy areas where they eat aquatic plants. They use the knee-deep water as protection from predators. Their legs are covered in a water-repellant substance which allows them to run quite fast in knee-deep water.

Lechwe are diurnal. They gather in herds which can include many thousands of individuals. Herds are usually all of one sex, but during mating season they mix.

Meerkat

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 01:22:04 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

They are right little posers at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.

The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan". A meerkat clan often contains about 20 meerkats, but some super-families have 50 or more members. In captivity, meerkats have an average life span of 12–14 years, and about half this in the wild.

Long Tailed Tit, (Aegithalos caudatus)

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 08:48:38 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

This little fellow was scavenging on the edge of the woodland at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

The long-tailed tit is easily recognisable with its distinctive colouring, a tail that is bigger than its body, and undulating flight. Gregarious and noisy residents, long-tailed tits are most usually noticed in small, excitable flocks of about 20 birds. Like most tits, they rove the woods and hedgerows, but are also seen on heaths and commons with suitable bushes

King Of The Hill

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 01:00:39 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

Another shot from yesterday's visit to The Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

This Lion is one of those rescued from a Romanian Zoo and brought to the YWP in February.

Lion Country

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:23:38 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

Lion Country at The Yorkshire Wildlife Park at Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

Home to 12 rescued Romania Lions, now housed in a fantastic habitat.

Barn Owl In Flight

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 02:14:13 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

Another shot of this lovely Barn Owl at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.

The Silent Hunter

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:36:42 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

This lovely Barn Owl was taken at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae). T. alba is found almost anywhere in the world except polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Alpide belt, most of Indonesia, and the Pacific islands.

It is known by many other names, which may refer to the appearance, call, habitat or the eerie, silent flight: White Owl, Silver Owl, Demon Owl, Ghost Owl, Death Owl, Night Owl, Rat Owl, Church Owl, Cave Owl, Stone Owl, Monkey-faced Owl, Hissing Owl, Hobgoblin or Hobby Owl, Dobby Owl, White-breasted Owl, Golden Owl, Scritch Owl, Screech Owl, Straw Owl, Barnyard Owl and Delicate Owl. "Golden Owl" might also refer to the related Golden Masked Owl (T. aurantia). "Hissing Owl" and, particularly in the USA, "screech owl", referring to the piercing calls of these birds. The latter name, however, more correctly applies to a different group of birds, the screech-owls in the genus Megascops. The barn owl's scientific name, established by G.A. Scopoli in 1769, literally means "white owl", from the onomatopoetic Ancient Greek tyto (τυτο) for an owl – compare English "hooter" – and Latin alba, "white".

The Ashy-faced Owl (T. glaucops) was for some time included in T. alba, and by some authors its Lesser Antilles populations insularis and nigrescens still are. The Barn Owls from the Indopacific region are sometimes separated as Eastern Barn-owl, Australian Barn-owl or Delicate Barn-owl (T. delicatula). While this may be warranted, it is not clear between which races to draw the line between the two species. Also, some island subspecies are occasionally treated as distinct species. While all this may be warranted, such a move is generally eschewed pending further information on Barn Owl phylogeography.

Please do not post any large or glitzy graphics in the comments, thank you :-)

Hooded Vulture

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:32:44 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

The Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus, is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Necrosyrtes.

It breeds in a stick nest in trees (often palms) in much of Africa south of the Sahara, laying one egg. Birds may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident. This is of the smaller vultures of the Old World. They are 62-72 cm (25-28 in) long, have a wingspan of 155-165 cm (61-65 in) and a body weight of 1.5-2.6 kg (3.3-5.7 lbs).

Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals and waste which it finds by soaring over savannah and around human habitation, including waste tips and abattoirs. It often moves in flocks, and is very abundant. In much of its range, there are always several visible soaring in the sky at almost any time during the day.

This vulture is typically unafraid of humans, and frequently gathers around habitation. It is sometimes referred to as the “garbage collector” by locals.

The Hooded Vulture is a typical vulture, with a bald pink head and a greyish “hood”. It has fairly uniform dark brown body plumage. It has broad wings for soaring and short tail feathers. It is a small species compared to most vultures.

If these birds are disturbed when at their nest, they utter a squealing cry.

This is Bentley and he was giving a display at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in South Yorkshire UK.

Leap Of Faith

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:23:47 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

Do Ring Tail Lemurs have faith ?, Well I don't know !, but they seem pretty sure of themselves jumping from tree to tree.

This shot was taken at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, If you get chance to visit I would recommend it very highly.

The light wasn't brilliant today so I had to work with a slightly higher ISO than usual, this one is at 1000 ISO, to get a really fast shutter speed.

Yellow Mongoose

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:56:05 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

The Yellow Mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), sometimes referred to as the Red Meerkat, is a small mammal averaging about 1 lb (1/2 kg) in weight and about 20 in (500 mm) in length. A member of the mongoose family, it lives in open country, from semi-desert scrubland to grasslands in Angola, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe

Lions Repose

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:40:47 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

Male and Female Lions on the lookout, probably for the keeper with their lunch at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster.

Squirrel Monkey

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 01:11:49 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae. The name of the genus Saimiri is of Tupi origin (sai-mirim or gai-mbirin < sai 'monkey' and mirim 'small'), and was also used as an English name by early researchers.

Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S. oerstedii is found disjunctly in Costa Rica and Panama.

The common squirrel monkey is captured for the pet trade and for medical research but it is not threatened. Two squirrel monkey species are threatened: the Central American squirrel monkey and the black squirrel monkey are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Siskin

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 01:11:08 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

This Siskin looked like it had just been for a bath. It was sitting very close to us on this fence drying off, taken at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Foxgloves

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 01:43:16 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

The foxglove bells, with lolling tongue,
Will not reveal what peals were rung
In Faery, in Faery,
A thousand ages gone.
All the golden clappers hang
As if but now the changes rang;
Only from the mottled throat
Never any echoes float.
Quite forgotten, in the wood,
Pale, crowded steeples rise;
All the time that they have stood
None has heard their melodies.
Deep, deep in wizardry
All the foxglove belfries stand.
Should they startle over the land,
None would know what bells they be.
Never any wind can ring them,
Nor the great black bees that swing them--
Every crimson bell, down-slanted,
Is so utterly enchanted.

Taken in Spring Wood at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster in South Yorkshire.

Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur Catta)

nobody@flickr.com (Osgoldcross Photography) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:40:39 -0700

Osgoldcross Photography posted a photo:

The ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar. Known locally in Malagasy as hira or maky (spelled maki in French), it inhabits gallery forests to spiny scrub in the southern regions of the island. It is omnivorous and the most terrestrial of lemurs. The animal is diurnal, being active exclusively in daylight hours.

The ring-tailed lemur is highly social, living in groups of up to 30 individuals. It is also female dominant, a trait common among lemurs. To keep warm and reaffirm social bonds, groups will huddle together forming a lemur ball. The ring-tailed lemur will also sunbathe, sitting upright facing its underside, with its thinner white fur towards the sun. Like other lemurs, this species relies strongly on its sense of smell and marks its territory with scent glands. The males perform a unique scent marking behavior called spur marking and will participate in stink fights by impregnating their tail with their scent and wafting it at opponents.

As one of the most vocal primates, the ring-tailed lemur utilizes numerous vocalizations including group cohesion and alarm calls. Experiments have shown that the ring-tailed lemur, despite the lack of a large brain (relative to simiiform primates), can organize sequences, understand basic arithmetic operations and preferentially select tools based on functional qualities.

Despite being listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List and suffering from habitat destruction, the ring-tailed lemur reproduces readily in captivity and is the most populous lemur in zoos worldwide, numbering more than 2000 individuals. It typically lives 16 to 19 years in the wild and 27 years in captivity.

This was taken at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire UK.