…Trailing through the North American section we heard the beautiful call of the (black-headed) crane on our way to Tiger Mountain.  The Bronx Zoo’s Tiger Mountain exhibit really works to stress the importance of educating visitors to the plight of these majestic creatures, with videos, interactive features and an overall feeling of being in the thick of tiger research in the field.  In the one tiger enclosure was a mother with her two cubs, one of which stalked after her amungst trees, rocks and logs, in the rain, while the other cub perched upon a large rock watching.

After a stop at the critically endangered Pere David deer herd, a first for myself, we took the winding path up to the amazing World of Birds exhibit.  Why amazing?  This two storied building allows visitors a total experience into the world of birds as many you can see from ground level and into the first level of the trees, while many more are not seen until you reach the upper canopy on the second floor.  The first enclosure is the (bee-eating) bird.  The enclosure with no glass or bars uses lighting to keep the birds from flying out.  These small attractive, vocal and animated birds appeared to put on a show as they flutter from thin branch to thin branch chatting to the fellow birds with wings out-stretched as egyptian plover’s calmly watch from rock ledges…..

As you can see there’s so much to write about these amazing zoos I’m visiting and yet so little time on my actual trip.  I’ll try and continue on along my path with quick snippets of whats to come. ..

Yesterday was the Philadelphia Zoo and with The National Zoo being free we will be visiting it both this afternoon and tomorrow….