Welcome October!

The season of crisp mornings and brilliant colours (here in New Brunswick, at least).

I am usually a morning person anyway, but on the first day of October, I stopped lounging around the house and bundled up for an early morning jaunt to Moncton. It was the first #FocusCameraClub group outing I’d had a chance to join in many months. I had to stop on the roadside to capture the stunning sunrise over the hills of Picadilly as I headed to Moncton for an 8 o’clock start to the event.

Arriving at the parking lot of the #MagneticHillZoo in Moncton, I met up with the other club members and we headed in. The Zoo kindly opened early for our group so we could have photo opportunities without a lot of other visitors around.

My first stop was at the Arctic Wolf enclosure. They were romping around, not unlike pet dogs, waiting for the keepers to arrive with their breakfast! They obviously appreciated the crisp morning air. They aren’t pets, though, and are deserving of respect for their strength and hunting prowess. They can run for miles in pursuit of prey.

And those teeth can make short work of a chunk of meat!

This group of ducks, roaming freely on the grounds, wanted nothing to do with my camera!

The bunnies, on the other paw, were quite content to sit still and pose for me. Perhaps they were pleased to be featured as most people head straight for the more exotic residents of the zoo.

The regal tiger simply watched as I passed by.

They’re called “big cats” for a reason. Club member, Jan, is around 6 feet tall, and this cat stood more than waist high in comparison.

The fox didn’t seem too interested in visitors as we interrupted his foraging for food.

The antlers on this caribou were amazing.

I’d say this chubby black bear is well equipped for the coming winter months!

The flamingos’ colouring was certainly enhanced by the autumn foliage seen throughout the property!

The pair of lions seemed quite content with their breakfast. The big male was done eating and happy to rest in the sun while his mate gnawed on a big bone.

A toy is a great source of entertainment as is food!

At the otters’ home they were content to snuggle, snooze and yawn while we looked on from the sidelines.

On the way home, I stopped by the PLP Show Centre in Sussex for a few minutes. It was a very busy spot with hardly a parking space left to be found. There was a draft horse show happening in the indoor arena, a general horse show in the outside ring and activity in the skating rink as well. No one should complain about having nothing to do in a small town when it’s that busy – and those were only three of the many things happening yesterday!