The Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park had the most serene koi pond I'd ever seen.

This bird was one of the few I was able to photograph. The day was unbearably hot and the lack of birds made me feel as if I were trapped in national-birds-must-hide day.

This California Towhee earnestly foraged for food alongside the trail that too-hot Sunday morning.

This was the only Audubon's Warbler I had ever seen and it took me a while to identify it. Although this was October, he remained in summer plumage, probably because October in California is like summer warmth elsewhere.

The Ibis stood in deep shade with just enough sunlight to create a mood.

Wikipedia stated that "This species was first discovered new to science by Otto Finsch who found a live bird received from the dealer C. Scheepmaker in Amsterdam Zoo and named it after him." Yet, the article is for the Southern Crowned Pigeon.

The L.A. Zoo sign called this bird Sheepmaker's Crowned Pigeon and it was softly glowing in the dappled sunlight of the aviary.

Markhors in general are endangered but the Bukharan or Tadjik Markhor from Afghanistan is critically endangered.

The African Fish Eagle is not a true fish eagle, rather it's actually a sea eagle. And yes, there are people for whom that fact matters.

Looking a bit like a goat and a bit like an antelope, this little Goral was quite hard to spot when hidden on his big hillside of tall green grass.

The second largest tortoise in the world has a very sweet face.

Another photo of this gorgeous pigeon. Wouldn't it be great if these birds were the ones flying around our cities and sitting on our statues?

These cute little kids may grow up to possess very impressive sets of horns.

I love this species of pig and its lyrical name.

A very young giraffe made a rude face.

The Gerenuk's long neck allow it to reach favored leaves and fruit. Those incredibly long legs make it extremely nimble.

Those amazing horns can also be used as a backscratcher.

The zebra's stripes are not camouflage but a confusing optical illusion to confuse predators.

A shame that such a sturdy, handsome animal is also endangered.

A sheepish tête à tête.

The koi occupied a small portion of the amazing lily pond at Balboa Park This fish was at least a foot and a half long and appeared pettable. Koi are domesticated carp.

In October there was still a small fruit on this potted cactus.

This cactus flower seemed quite orchid-like to my uneducated botanical eye.

The otters were swimming in very clean, clear water.

Look closely and you can see the light colored spots on the throat of this otter which give it its name.

Long, sleek and curious.

You can clearly see the otter's webbed feet in this photo.

Here is a juvenile Chilean flamingo, showing only a promise of his or her future pink self.

I thought this was a bustard of some sort or perhaps a guan. However, I have not been able to identify it. If anyone can help please do, I'd appreciate it.

A small cute monkey on a rope.

Not much more than the snout could be seen of this unique Red River Hog. I'm not sure why but this is one of my favorite animals.

The Stellar's Sea Eagle is related to the American Eagle and shares the same fierce profile.

The well muscled head of a zebra reminds me of a ballerina on her toes.

The pink reflections of other flamingos provided a nice background for this photo.

This little monkey sat in his tree, alert and healthy .

Synchronized neck displays must become an Olympic event!

An Okapi is the shorter forest version of the giraffe.

A golden Koi swimming in dramatic reflections.

I believe this was a European Tree Frog but I wouldn't be surprised if I was wrong.

This little fox from the Channel Islands off Santa Barbara does inspire the urge to cuddle it.

Shapes, colors and composition give this photo the feel of serenity that the actual place gave to me.

A group of Koi display their various types of beauty.

Koi swimming beneath ripples and reflections.

Although perfectly equipped for survival in their natural habitat, the seemingly ungainly flamingo just doesn't seem possible.

This juvenile bird has months to go before it acquires the splendid color of its parents.

A beautiful zebra overlooked its enclosure.

Modern Art created by using a digital camera, scratched plexiglass and a cooperating Polar Bear.

A female duck dabbling in emerald green water.

This gazelle is "pronking" (a combination of running, bouncing, and jumping).

Here is a group of Speke's Gazelles not "pronking" , but just standing around. The folds of skin over their noses are said to help amplify their alarm calls.

A well camouflaged youngster with that typical wrinkly nose.

There is just something ugly-adorable about pigs.

Sweet, sweet face.

The wonderfully photogenic Mandarin would not show his face.

The elephant ambled across its enclosure.

The male Nyala has large spiral horns and a dark shaggy coat. The three in this photo however are all female.

A sleepy little Koala rested in a tree.

A close-up of a cuddly koala feeding in the sun.

Here is a close-up of a camel showing its awful teeth and lovely eyes.

A portrait of the fuzzy cute Koala.

A vocalizing camel.

An extraordinary giant of a bird right out of Dr. Seuss.

A male shoveler created lovely ripples when he emerged from his pond.

This profile of the Northern Shoveler illustrates its namesake bill.

A sleepy capybara dozed in the sun.

A close-up of an Addra Gazelle.

Bears can be silly and this Sun Bear from Malaysia was no exception.

There were several cormorants nesting inside the zoo even though it was October.

This handsome Olive Pigeon eyed the photographer suspiciously.

Known as the Braunbauch-Laubenvogel in Germany, the Fawn-breasted Bowerbird we saw seemed like a sweet, industrious little individual.

This large pigeon with the remarkable feathers comes from the Nicobar Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean.

The Bali Mynahs in the aviary seemed curious and friendly but sadly they are almost extinct in the wild.

This is part of the tail of a male Great Argus pheasant. Like the peacock, the male pheasant is much more impractical than the female.

In this photo you aren't able to see the small gap in the bill that gives this stork its name. That gap allows for more strength at the tip of the bill for pulling the meat out of the shells of mollusks.

This owl drew a large crowd of admirers when brought out and presented to the public.

A beautiful duck swimming in golden reflections.

I'd never seen a bird with such striking beak adornments.

I would not like to meet an angry flamingo if those eyes are any indication of temperment.

The very dramatic looking face of a Lesser Flamingo.

The flamingo can also be viewed as art.

A close-up of Okapi legs forming wonderful patterns of black and white.

Another animal posing as art.

An elephant gives the photographer the eye.

An elephant gives the photographer its other eye.

This was a very strikingly beautiful bird with its totally blue feathers, but I do not know its name.

Not your traditionally beautiful bird, but quite striking in its own way.

I thought this small wading bird would be easy to identify, but alas, for me it was not.

Whistling ducks do use a variety of whistling calls instead of the expected quacks.

This gaudy starling is a far cry from the common black starlings I usually see.

I believe this to be a flycatcher, but I couldn't positively identify it.

Another photo of yesterday's unidentified bird.

This bird looks like an Ibis to me, but I can't identify it. Frustrating.

A handsome, curious and unidentified bird from one of the San Diego Zoo aviaries.

Another view of the unidentified bird from yesterday's blog.

A lovely yellow bird high above my head remains anonymous.

The little bird is asking "Who am I?" and I have no answer.

In the center of this photo is a small brown bird about five and a half inches long, with a blue bill. It is not perched on the side of a haystack, but the communal nest the flock has built. There may be 100 families in there!

This African Spoonbill has a crazed look in its eye, but I think that's just the camera angle.

The Hammerkopf is an African water bird that builds several huge nests every year. I'd love to see one in the wild someday.

This pigeon never stood still for an instant so I had to get his photo on the run.

These beautiful birds seemed to be in their natural habitat but you know they have been rendered flightless.

With a bill like that, every angle is remarkable.

In this photo can be seen two little "spikes" jutting out from the upper chest of this bird. I have not been able to find any mention of them in any descriptions. Another mystery for now.

This is my last goofy spoonbill photo. Unless I get to take more in the future.

Vultures are not usually thought of as beautiful, but this Cape Vulture is quite handsome.

I find the shape of the giraffe unlikely and wonderful.

The African Wild Asses were a beautiful and vocal group of animals. They came trotting down a hill to greet the tram as it passed by.

It seems as if a child imagined this whimsical animal into existence.

The improbable Giraffe sits improbably.

I think these sweet faces belie a feisty nature.

The Gemsbok is part of the Oryx family and a handsome one at that.

The female Bighorn does not have the giant horns that the males carry.

A closer look at the female Bighorn sheep.

The horns of the male Bighorn Sheep are indeed big. As he gets older, the horns will get even bigger.

This male is demonstrating that size does matter.

Not a beautiful animal, but smart and intriguing.

This was an extremely common bird on the island but they were amazing! Dramatic looking but quite mischievous. We saw one open the flip top of a ketchup bottle to get himself a treat.

A slightly blurred photo of a Groove-billed Ani due to a fast moving boat. The driver was more interested in showing us the homes on the isletas than the birdlife.

The hanging nests of the Montezuma Oropendola bird. A little while later I was able to see one of the builders.

These two cows were foraging at the forest's edge where it met the beach. The cattle roam free all day and return to the farm at dusk.

After seeing the hanging nests in three Central American countries and only hearing and catching fleeting glimpses of this bird, I finally saw one clearly and fairly close up.

Fantastic good luck to get all of this bird in the frame when the boat slowed down a bit.

When we visited a coffee plantation on the slopes of Mombacho Volcano, I saw this little wren in the bushes. I was able to capture the classic "wren with tail in air" pose.

A black and white silhouette of the bird seen in yesterday's posting. Even without color it is still undeniably a wren.