The knobbed hornbill
Friends ask me why I go to the San Diego Zoo once a week. I have a couple of answers.
First, because I can. I have an annual pass. A one-one day ticket to the Zoo costs $42, as does a one-day ticket to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. My annual pass costs me $149 a year, and it lets me in free for an unlimited number of times to both the Zoo and the Safari Park. Thus I only need to go four times to get a return on my investment. If I go 104 times annually, 52 times to each park…………
Second, taking time out to visit the wildlife at the two parks (as well as SeaWorld, where I also have an annual pass) provides me with an opportunity, and a great place, to relax.
Third, picture-taking opportunities are different each time I go. There are many critters that I don’t have pictures of yet, and there are many more critters for which I’m hoping to get that perfect picture. Yesterday I got my two best pictures of the Knobbed Hornbill (Aceros cassidix):
Part of the problem in getting a good picture of these birds is that they are in an exhibit with very fine wires, as you can see in the background. The exterior front of the exhibit is bushes, which do a great job of preventing photographers from getting close enough to the wires so that the camera doesn’t focus on them. Combine that with where the birds like to hang out in their exhibit — up close near the front wires — and it’s virtually impossible to get a good picture of these wonderful birds.
If one is using a point & shoot camera, which aren’t great at letting the photographer control the depth of field (depth of focus), inevitably the wires are in the picture. For those using DSLR cameras, we have to hope that the birds are far enough behind the wires to let our cameras focus on the birds instead of the wires. Yesterday, they were.
Knobbed hornbills are endemic to Indonesia and are listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
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Posted on July 30, 2012, in Birds, Fauna, Mother & Father Nature, Photos, Zoo & Safari Park and tagged knobbed hornbill pictures, safari park pictures, san diego pictures, san diego zoo pictures. Bookmark the permalink. 29 Comments.
Worth returning time and again to get these two photos – lovely.
Thanks. Now I can skip the knobbed hornbills on future visits………lol
Now that’s what I call getting your monies worth and great subject matter. Very clear pictures
$5096 a year to pay each time. Definitely worth it, and you get awesome shots like the ones you have here
Thank you for passing by and camping on my blog.
Loved your blog, keep it up the great work.
Regards.
Wild Looking
Loved them!! What cute eye-lashes…
And a handsome fellow he is. Thanks for letting us use your annual pass. I like it!
I may never have realized what a truly noble “knob” these hornbills possess without this wonderful photo capture! Thank you so much for sharing this one!
This is awesome, birds are different creatures to photograph
Hello, Russell. Welcome to the diabeticredemption.com readers’ community I’m very glad you’ve joined us. On my blogs, you will find a Friends page, where my readers leave information about themselves and their blogs — I invite you to do the same. I will be following your blog; I have a sister who lives in Poway, and The San Diego Zoo and The Wild Animal Park are two of my favorite spots in that part of the country. Once again, welcome! I’m so happy to have you aboard!
Stunning creature, awesome pic!
Zoo passes are worth the money! Great shots. (and Rumpy is right, cool cat!)
I get in the Zoo for free
but not the Safari. 
. A day in San Diego is not enough if you really want to thoroughly observe … Or if you don’t want to get tired with all the walking to cover everything in one day. 
Safari Park is part of the San Diego Zoo, so you should get in free with your military ID. I have other friends who do.
Ow, we gotta talk. I don’t really understand how they call it Zoo and Safari. Are the two really together, or how are they really separated?
The San Diego Zoo was founded in 1916 or so. The Safari Park was founded in 1976 or so. The Zoo has no room to expand in Balboa Park so the Zoological Society bought 1,800 acres 45 northeast and created what previously was called the Wild Animal Park. The name was changed a couple of years ago to San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We all shorten it to just Safari Park. It is part of the San Diego Zoological Society, so you should get free admission there to. My Zoological Society annual pass gives me free admission to both of them.
You are right. Saw it in the website. Thanks for all your helpful information.
I agree a family season to the zoo is one of the best deals around. If you ever get to Omaha, the Henry Doorly Zoo rivals San Diego. Truly it does. We went to the SD Zoo when my son graduated from boot camp and I’ve truly been spoiled to Omaha. I found many of the animals behind barriers (wires, bars, etc) and hard to see with the foliage. Omaha actually got voted the best zoo in the country by Trip Advisor. I’ve posted a few pics on my blog.
I went to Doorly first in 1973 and then again in 1999. I must admit, though, that when I go to Omaha I’m more infatuated with the Union Pacific Railroad yards and the College baseball World Series…….lol
Oh, the zoo has changed so much since 1999, can’t even compare it to 1973, although I wasn’t here then. Rail yards are a shadow of their former selves and yeah, the College World Series is still here, but not at Rosenblatt any more. It’s north of downtown in a fancy new stadium. Tradition, not what it used to be.
Oh, the zoo has changed so much since 1999, can’t even compare it to 1973, although I wasn’t here then. Rail yards are a shadow of their former selves and yeah, the College World Series is still here, but not at Rosenblatt any more. It’s north of downtown in a fancy new stadium. Tradition, not what it used to be.
BTW, if you get back to Omaha I’ll give you a tour of the zoo. A couple of photo geeks should have fun.
Wow, you are really enjoying the beauty we have here. sweetness.
Beautiful pictures. I am mesmerized by their eye lashes….Lol.
I didn’t even notice the eyelashes until I got rid of the distracting background. Then the eyelashes stood out, in a mesmerizing sort of way…………….
Whoa! Never seen him before! HAHA! I love it!
I really liked these photos, Russel. Thank you for sharing them.
Russ
Glad you liked them, Russ.
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