The WILDer side of Britain...

Bahnam Zoo

After the GPS took me in what seemed like every direction BUT the zoo, I was able to find the place. In defense of the GPS, the zoo was located in a small village in the middle of nowhere. The zoo was larger than it seemed, though a somewhat chaotic and unclear path layout. There was much to see from penguins, to birds, to the big cats. We saw the "Birds of Prey" exhibition which was pretty awesome. They started off by letting a couple parrots fly around before bringing out the owl, hawk, and vultures. If ever to visit, it's a must see! There was another show that wasn't as great as the "Birds of Prey", but it was still pretty good.

Some of the enclosures you could walk through. The marmots were very fun! They burrowed holes and would chase each other around making funny noises- so cute! We were also able to walk through enclosures with lemurs which is surprising since they have FANGS!

Speaking of fangs, getting to see the snow leopard and tiger feedings was an interesting experience. The tiger could stand pretty high on its back legs. The personnel feeding the tigers said that there are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild. 

Thetford Forest

We drove out to Thetford Forest; one of the many forests in the area. They have many activities such as zip lining and trails to walk, bike, or even use a segway. We opted for walking since our bikes have not arrived with our other goods.. We'll have to bring them out to the trails another time. It was funny seeing people actually riding Segways through the forest- not a usual manner to get around in the woods.

The woods were beautiful and lush green. There lots of ferns and moss ground covering, really tall pines, some cedar, and other types of trees. I don't think pictures can do enough justice, especially for the trees trunks that seemed to be a sea-foamy blue/green color and had ground moss growing up the tree. We ran across a slug, probably the first wild "animal" I've seen besides pigeons. There were signs for elk crossings.. maybe another time.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

November 14-16

We were able to see the inside of the Ely Cathedral. The city was holding a Christmas fair/market. Vendors lined the walls of the cathedral selling their products. While the fair was nice and there were many interesting vendors, the elaborate carvings and details were spectacular! It was breathtaking! I cannot imagine the amount of time and the attention to detail that was put into building the cathedral. One room in particular was interesting. All the stone statues of people were headless. At some point in time they were crushed and destroyed. And I'm not talking about a few, more like a hundred!

The same weekend we also went to see reindeer at Scotsdale's Garden Center in Fordham. We didn't know what to expect, but the garden center was much more than we thought. It was like a nursery, mini Hobby Lobby, boutique, and cafe all rolled into one! I think I've found a new favorite place! I just wanted to buy out the place, especially the Christmas decorations, and I already can't wait for spring! I'm excited to have a flower garden again!

Anyways, we started looking around the inside of the store and went to the cafe for breakfast. The Sunflower cafe was very delicious! We had the Sunflower breakfast- eggs, bacon (ham), sausage, hash browns, and baked beans. It was a lot of food! Afterwards, we made our way to the reindeer. The garden center had two, both with horns although they were losing their felt (a common occurrence). One was seemed pretty shy and didn't seem interested in getting close to the spectators. However, the other reindeer wasn't shy, especially when people were offering food! The handlers for the reindeer gave people pellets to feed the reindeer. Its wet nose tickled my hand! 

What is grey, goes "arf arf", and likes fish? The grey seals of Donna Nook!

November 23

The long awaited trip had finally arrived... We had to get up around 5am, suffer a 2 1/2 hr bus ride (one way), and cold rain, but it was worth it! The Perkins and us went on a base sponsored adventure to see the grey seal colony in Donna Nook. The adults were like grey blobs of fat with big eyes, whiskers, and claws. They just wobbled and slid across the wet beach... or just laid there. We did see a couple of instances when two seals would fight each other. They make the silliest sounds and noises! The young pups were mostly white. There were a few that mostly likely had just been born.

November and December is when the seals give birth to their pups along the sand dunes. It is quite an interesting spectacle. There is no human interaction/interference (there were two fences keeping the people from being able to touch or get close). Some of the informational signs stated that 10% of the pups born would die at birth and another 40% wouldn't live to their first birthday. Another interesting fact is that baby seals are already born with their adult teeth! They stay with their mom for about 6 weeks until their white fur coat is shed- we actually saw a momma seal scratching the pup and the fur coming off. Seals are very powerful and can be aggressive- I mean they are massive creatures, teeth, and they have claws, even on their feet! 

On the way back from the seeing the seals, we stopped at a little farmer's cafe to warm up and getting something hot to eat. The cafe even had plants, fruits and veggies, canned goods, wines, etc.. We purchased a bottle of mead that I can't wait to try. Our guide, Cindy, kept pointing out interesting things to see and do, my list is just growing!! 

Here is some information about where we were and the seals protected:

Donna Nook National Nature Reserve