Zoo time

Welcome to August's Photo Challenge. This month is all about animals. And Birds. And creepy crawlies. As per, Rol's first out of the traps: ''Hey John, here's one of my dad's cows from nearly 20 years ago.''

''And a couple of my sister's geese - particularly vicious - they hated me. Also from times long gone.''

''And slightly more recent, though sadly no longer with us, one of my old cats Murphy who used to love to squeeze himself into boxes that were much smaller than he was.'' Cheers, Rol. More cows and geese to follow, you'll be pleased(?) to know. 

Coops next: ''A duck, a bird and a dog from me this month, John.'' Thanks, David. Your bird gets you a podium finish, for sure.

Wot ya got, Claire? ''I've got a murmuration of starlings at Netherfield Lagoons. A pod of dolphins in the Azores. Grizzly bears in Denali National Park, Alaska (taken from the safety of a bus). 'Come in Lamb No. 4!' A swan heaving a feather ruffle and, finally, a unicorn (Damien Hirst - Yorkshire National Sculpture Park).'' Nice spread, Claire.

Celia: ''Hi John, really looking forward to seeing this month's photos. I didn't know where to start - I have photos of birds and piglets and spiders and all sorts - but as I'm sure you'll get a few cats, I thought, why not have some cat-erpillars too...?! All the best C x.'' Not as many cats as you'd think, C, but your caterpillars are inspired! Thank you.

Johnny Legs has been on tour again: ''Arctic Ground Squirrel in Alaska.''

''And sea lions at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.'' Good work, Johnny.

Miss Turner with: ''Alfie, Alfie, Alfie and Alfie!'' What can I say? Always a lot of love for Alfie whenever he appears in Photo Challenge.

What's that, more Alfie I hear you say? Rich (who is related to Miss Turner but is not Mr. Turner) also gets in on the act: ''The bestest pooch ever. Better than any other pooch. Simply no pooch comes close.'' Thanks, Rich. We all love Alfie.

Ernie Goggins has been on safari: ''Some animals for you: elephants in South Africa, an orangutan in Sarawak and a flamingo in Tanzania.'' Cheers, Ern.

Hucknall Tim's up next: ''Hi John, here we go: 1. Convolvulus Hawk Moth in Kos. Absolutely splendid looking chap. 2. A brace of ducks on the canal in Nottingham. They were cruising through the reflections of the surrounding buildings which gave a nicely psychedelic edge. 3. Peacock, Lisbon - I assume a totally impractical get up that’s somewhat ostentatious but displaying some very impressive posing having said that. 4. Egyptian Goose, Thameside. I like the nice Southbank panorama in the background (I spy Battersea Power Station - JM). And finally, 5. A double with grand pup (apparently this is a thing) Nacho-Time belying his cute looks by snaffling some beach ‘treasure’ in the form of a rancid dead fish. Hope these suffice. Cheers, Tim.'' Yes, they absolutely suffice, Tim! I knew you wouldn't let me down.

The Swede: ''Hi John, a couple of shots taken in the garden of my old gaff, Swede Towers, around ten years ago.'' Thanks, TS. Consider yerself on the podium

Pete Zab's gone all Johnny Morris on us: ''Here you go, John: a meerkat, some flamingos, a male gelada, an orangutan and a Lego mammoth. All taken at Jersey Zoo last week.'' Blinding! Cheers, Pete.

Adam: ''Taken this morning in Glasgow - the Duke of Wellington and his horse. And traffic cones.''

''Cat, Salford Quays.''

''An encounter with a sheep on Boxing Day in Northants.''

''Three Ducks.'' (Very Coronation Street - JM)

''Centaurs in Cheetham Hill.'' 

''And lastly a lion in Brussels.'' Thanks, Adam - I love 'em all!

Kate's got a few for us this month: ''I was sat in a canoe in a freshwater lake in Kenya when one of the area's biggest killers popped up. I also managed to get closer than expected to some wild parrots, near Melbourne, Australia. The sea turtles on Ningaloo reef are pretty brave too! Not sure the stromatolites count, as they're created by microorganisms and are considered living things. Fascinating but easily mistaken for rocks! They're protected as a single fingerprint on one would take over 100 years to repair. And the large puddy tat in a plant pot was at a place a Texan friend of mine volunteers at.'' Thank you so much, Kate! 

Alpha Dave's en France: ''A wet and happy French chien à la plage in one of our favourite places, Dinard. Beach view added for completeness!'' Tres bon, young Dave! 

 Charity Chic from the comfort of his kitchen: ''Spot the pigeon!'' Thanks, CC.

K from the Kotswolds 1) A chance encounter with some cows on the outskirts of Bristol c.1993; 2) At the Black Swan River in Perth, Western Australia, 1991 and the beautiful birds that inspired its name; 3) A spider in my back garden, 2021 - it looks far bigger than it actually was!; 4) Spectacular jellyfish at the Oceanogràfic de València in Spain, a Clan K excursion in 2023; 5) A Clan K visit to the Wild Place Project (now the Bristol Zoo Project) also in 2023; a Lemur who really couldn’t give a shit about the conveyor belt of agog humans passing by; 6) The obligatory cute cat shot, at home during lockdown in 2020, an experience some mostly slept through…'' Thank you, K. I must admit I find photographs of cows staring down the lens of a camera quite disturbing.

Matthew and Sam: ''Some wildlife in the garden.''

''Birds 'n' Bees.''

''Nosey Cows.''

''Zebras!'' Thank you, both! All that wildlife in your back garden (not least the red squirrels) and particularly loving the fancy dress Zebras!

Next up, Riggsby - our resident racing correpondent. ''Hi John, so, first off, a couple of pics from the Del Mar Race Track. Apart from one day in Germany, the only race track I've been to is here in Del Mar, in San Diego North County, where "the turf meets the surf". The setting is spectacular, less than 5 furlongs from the beach.

We started in the shade of the stand. Our house is one of those with the orange roof tiles tpwards the top right.''

''People talk about 'betting on the ponies' and similar expressions about ponies. However, this time at the track, I learned that ponies is the proper name for the horses that escort the racehorses in the paddock and on the track into the starting gates, and their riders are known as outriders. One of these ponies leads all the horses and is ridden by the lead outrider, seen in the first pic getting attention from some particularly well dressed punters. Quite a large proportion of the racehorses are listed as coming from GB, interestingly.''

''On Monday we went on a whale-watching 'ocean safari' as it was billed, from San Diego Harbor. While we didn't see any whales, disappointingly, we did see pods of two different types of dolphins: long-beaked dolphins early in the journey out into the Pacific, and then much larger, bottlenose dolphins farther out into the ocean. The pilot cut the engines when the dolphins were swimming around the boat, and it was amazing to hear the whoosh of air from their blowholes as they surfaced.''

''Finally, the tiger in our living room, Mimi (or the Mimi-Girl), who has appeared in previous months, too. She's constantly trying out new places as they appear. She's found a great spot on the sunny side of the curtains that we've been keeping closed in recent, particularly hot, days.'' Thank you, Richard. I really like the racing shots and the jockeys' silks.

And lastly, a few of mine: First off, James & Herbie.

Street art - Bristol.

Cows, North Yorkshire.

Sheep, Leicestershire.

Tom & 'Lady Marmalade'.

Dad appearing to ride side saddle - Spain, 1971. (For the record, my dad is not a horseman.)

Goosey - Nottingham (where else?)

Quack.

Plastic cow - Lisbon.

Three Lions? Nah. Three plastic horses - Nottingham Racecourse.

White van.

Agamemnon - Nottingham's Left Lion.

Bald Eagle - somewhere in America.

 

The Dog House in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As seen on Better Call Saul.

Hooded Crow, Budapest

Luna went missing in June. We miss her every day. She may turn up, she may not. It's the not knowing that's killing us.

Here she is with George not long after she moved in. He's wandering round like a lost soul, bless him.

...

Sunrise/Sunset reprise

Keep sending me your sunrises & sunsets. Alfa Dave's sent this one of his deux fils on their recent vacances.

And finally, Ernie from Chalkida in Greece.

Thank you to everyone who's taken the time. I really appreciate it. See you all next month. And if in the meantime a little black and white cat turns upon your doorstep, do please let me know...