Gold Strike

Rose seen on a morning walk between January rain storms at the Balboa Park Rose Garden.

Rock'n Roll

Rose seen on a morning walk between January rain storms at the Balboa Park Rose Garden.

Teeny Bopper and Teenier Bopper

Teeny Bopper rose and bud seen on a morning walk between January rain storms at the Balboa Park Rose Garden.

Siberian Reindeer

Caught Santa's helper resting up before the big day. Wondering if anyone ever wrote a variation on the story where instead of coal the bad kids got skewered by this rack of antlers.

Squirrel

One of the zoo's free range residents, this guy was mocking the visitors near the Eagle Walk aviary.

Sloth Bear

My spirit animal.

Jaguar Watching

It might have been side-eye, but definitely felt he knew exactly where everyone was at every moment.

Malayan Tiger

Just waiting for someone to fall off the tour bus.

Watching You

Andean Condor keeping an eye on the visitors.

Watching You

Andean Condor is till watching you, but with a bit more of an evil glint in the eye.

I plunged!

Penguin giving me lip (or beak) for not being able to complete the official Penguin Plunge this New Year's.

Yummy

Malayan Tiger eying the breakfast buffet, which in this case was a whole row of photographers enjoying her being up close and personal in her enclosure.

The Ears

Never really understood the naming of the Tasmanian Devil until I got these close-ups of the face and ears. And yes, those are overbite canines ready to rip you to shreds in that smile.

Tasmanian Devil

The reality version of the beloved cartoon character was being particularly generous with the photo ops this morning.

December Nights in Daylight

Randy (and the SDGMC) singing at the opening of the second Covid-alternative to San Diego's December Nights celebration, Tastes of December Nights.

December Nights in Daylight

Randy (and the SDGMC) singing at the opening of the second Covid-alternative to San Diego's December Nights celebration, Tastes of December Nights.

December Nights in Daylight

Randy (and the SDGMC) singing at the opening of the second Covid-alternative to San Diego's December Nights celebration, Tastes of December Nights.

Looking adorable

Red Panda (ailurus fulgens) giving the weekday morning crowd some love at the San Diego Zoo.

Ducks and Lilies

Balboa Park's Lily Pond showing some bright colors.

Draw me like one of your French gorillas

Woodland Gorilla trying to look demur for the holiday weekend tourists.

Red Panda on the Prowl

This guy was excited or agitated, pacing around his enclosure and giving a rare view of the red panda in motion. He was fast and agile. The keeper said he was new to San Diego, having only been transferred from another zoo two days prior, and if memory serves his name is Lucas.

Sleeping Red Panda

High in his tree, doing his best to hide from the photographers behind other foliage.

Malayan Tiger

This is what happens when the 1000-pound man-eating cat wants to ham it up and look scary for the holiday weekend tourists.

Snack Time

Elephant reaching for the high snacks.

Cavendish's Dik Dik

He's an adorable little antelope, but we still made all the stupid jokes as though we were twelve years old.