Sunday 18 October 2015

Forest Stroll and a Giant Panda update

A few more photos taken last weekend while strolling through Eldred King Tract which is part of York Regional Forest, just a 15 minute drive from my home. Some areas of the forest are all deciduous, with the leaves turning lovely yellows and reds. Other areas have been planted with red pine. I often bring TessaDog here for a romp.... she runs, I walk.



No idea what this is.... seeds from a native plant, but what? Update: Blogger Hilary says this is the seed of Doll's Eyes or White Baneberry.... but beware, poisonous for humans.

This handsome little chippy stayed completely still, not even a whisker twitch, and thought I couldn't see him, and then darted up to the top of the tree when I ventured just a little too close.

Giant Panda update: I posted about Da Mao and Er Shun at the Toronto Zoo here. Good news! Er Shun gave birth to two teeny tiny Giant Panda cubs on Tuesday October 13th, The first cub arrived at 3:31a.m., and the second cub at 3:44a.m. 

This update from Toronto Zoo: Er Shun is demonstrating excellent maternal instincts and began cleaning and cradling the first cub soon after its birth. Immediately following the birth of the second cub, Toronto Zoo staff from the Wildlife Health Centre, Wildlife Care and two giant panda experts from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China, retrieved the cub to initiate the Toronto Zoo's Giant Panda Twin Hand-Rearing Protocol. The cub was then placed in an incubator in the maternity area of the giant panda house, and approximately two hours after its birth the second cub was twin-swapped so it could begin the bonding process with Er Shun. The first cub weighed 187.7 grams at birth and the second cub weighed 115 grams. While this is wonderful news, the tiny cubs are very vulnerable at this size, so the next several hours and days will be critical to their survival.   
The cubs will remain in the maternity area of the giant panda house for several months. As the maternity area of the giant panda house is not visible to the public, Toronto Zoo staff will endeavor to provide regular updates on their progress.
At this time Zoo staff do not know the sex of the cubs and have not confirmed which panda is the father. It may be several months before we are able to determine the sex and paternity of the cubs.





Toronto Zoo releases new photos of days-old baby panda cubs cuddling each other
Toronto Zoo photo of the cubs at just a few days old.

13 comments:

  1. It appears we were both out in the woods lately, but your woods are, in this season, so much nicer than ours. Love that chipmunk, too. Don't see those in Florida!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful place to walk, to breathe, to absorb.
    I have a huge weakness for pandas as well. Fingers and toes crossed they do well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice woods!. And who doesn't like pandas?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I didn't know until recently that chipmunks climbed since I had only seen them scurrying about.

    Good news about the pandas.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So lucky to have such a wonderful spot to walk, bet your dog loves it there. The baby Pandas look like they're doing so well, gosh for such tiny things they make a lot of noise, or was that mum?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Although autumn colours are beautiful, I always look forward to the fresh colours of spring and the new growth.
    Lovely pics.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful forest! It looks like an awesome place to walk. Whau, the panda video is so precious. Such tiny babies! Hope they continue to do well. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Aren't they just the sweetest little things?

    The plant looks like Doll's Eyes or White Baneberry.. but the berries are all dried up which I've never seen before.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Splendid forest photos - especially the squirrel! So nice of him to pose for you like that!

    ReplyDelete
  10. The forest was beautiful! I haven't walked in that part of the forest for a long, long while!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hello,Shammic,
    Looks like you had a wonderful walk! The yellow woods in the first photo is just beautiful. There is a deep woods called Kasuga forest in Nara. Your photos made me want to go to Kasuga. It is first time to see such unique red seeds! Here in my area,it is still flower time. I am waiting for leaves to change.
    Have a good day!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow! Just wonderful that this gorgeous forest is just a 15 minute drive from your home! TessaDog for sure had a great and fun day of run and walk.

    Toronto Zoo sounds a wonderful place!
    The panda twin cubs looks adorable and so tinny!
    The video is great, and thanks for sharing it!

    Have a lovely day!

    ReplyDelete

All comments welcome.... unless your name is Anonymous..