I’ve managed to photograph a good deal of the zoo’s swans today along with some added shots throughout the city. One swan really captured my enthusiasm. It’s a Bewick that has attached itself to a Trumpeter. Every time someone walks by, it starts honking to let the Trumpeter know there is an intruder nearby. The Trumpeter then runs to find someplace safe until the danger passes. These two are definitely best buds.

The mother Australian-Black swan finally managed to get her brood up on land today. With all of the rain, they have been staying in the narrow channel alongside the kangaroos and Emus.

The South-American Coscorobas also made it into the water today with the Llama munching happily behind them. I had hoped to get a close-up with the Llama and swans together, but they all had different ideas on how to spend their days. The Llama has a spot right above the zoo’s wall where it likes to watch the traffic while the Coscorobas like to stick near the water’s edge.

On another note, the Trumpeters were busy racing around portions of the pond. One particular area of interest for them seemed to be one of the little sheds placed on a small island in the pond.

After spending about an hour at the zoo, I headed downtown for some shopping where I passed the statue of Pyotr (Peter) Tchaikovsky. This statue is located on a busy intersection and pays homage to the man who made Swan Lake synonymous with Russia.

Not too far away is the Kremlin with its Unknown Soldier memorial. When I visited several years ago, the memorial was unattended. Today, there is a guard nearby paying tribute to the many who lost their lives during the Great War, World War II.

Bewick Swan

Australian-Black Swan Family

South-American Coscoroba

Coscorobas and Llama

Trumpeters

Statue of Pyotr (Peter) Tchaikovsky

Tomb of The Unknown Soldier