I had an email from one of the keepers saying that there was a 'blank' missing and could I replace it. In this covered paddock, which consists of a pool with an island and surrounding banks, lives 9 species of birds. The ID signs for birds have a salmon coloured background and the IDs are presented in metal ID holders. The Flamingo Paddock has 2 sets of three double holders, each holder accommodating 4 single bird IDs. As there are 9 species this means one holder has only one ID, so the other spaces are filled with 'blanks' (salmon coloured paper cut and laminated to the same size as the IDs) to be more aesthetically pleasing than just bare metal.
After making up some new blanks I popped across to the Flamingo Paddock to find that rather than a blank being missing, one ID had at some point come off and been put back over one of the blanks already there. So it was just a question of putting the ID back in its slot.
After sorting that I made my way to look at the okapi interpretation panels. On the way I stopped for a few minutes to watch the red pandas wandering their enclosure in the lovely sunshine. It looks as though the female could be in oestrus as the male was following hot on her heels and when she let him get close, trying his luck. Who knows, if they mate successfully, we could have baby red panda cubs sometime soon. Wouldn't that be grand.
I had to check the okapi panels to see if I could easily remove them. The okapis are moving to another enclosure as at present they share a building with the gorillas and this is being revamped to make more room for our growing gorilla group. So the okapis are moving to the paddock where the cassowaries were and it has been refurbished ready for them. The move happens tomorrow all being well, so the interp panels need to be moved to the new paddock area.
Because the okapis are animals easily spooked, great care is taken regarding when it will be ok for me to go in and remove the panels. So to minimise any negative impact my activity could have I have been in touch with John, the Senior Curator of Mammals, to arrange with him when it will be ok for me to do the job. I have also been in contact with Joe, Maintenance Manager, as I will need his guys to remove two posts on which one of the 4 interpretation panels sits. This will be moved to the new paddock area, so may need the posts shortening.
Having looked at all the panels I think I should have no problem removing them (although help will be needed on the 2 indoors, as they are attached to the 'stable's' fencing and needs one person each side to remove the panels.)
I returned to the studio and got on with the illustration whilst the battery for the cordless screwdriver was charging. I finished blocking in the shape of the beastie, leaving the finer shaping to be done as I paint in the details.
Then I started working on the abdomen and putting in the shadow. Sadly I messed up the shadow and as I was painting it out I noticed that unfortunately I had managed to dunk my nicely absorbent fleece sleeve in some wet paint... not just a small patch of wet paint but a big well full of the dark colour. It was the huge imprint from my arm on the lower half of the background and also on the drawing desk surface that gave it away! Argh!
After washing my sleeve out and cleaning off my desk, I then had to repaint the background going around my beastie carefully apart from where I went over two bits of the thin leg sections. Once that was dry I could get back to the abdomen work; so I used that time to nip out and take down the okapi interp panel that was at the back of the paddock, well away from the sight of the okapis and as they were both indoors was not going to spook or stress them.
The panel was mounted on the side of a wooden building; when I got the screws out, I slid it gently down to the floor as I knew there was bound to be a host of bugs behind it. All of which I can deal with but spider... not so much! And there were three lovely big spiders. Thankfully I had removed the panel gently enough not to send them scampering in all directions and give me the heebee-geebees in the process. I've been at the zoo doing my job for over 16 years now and have learned about removing sign holders and panels from walls and what lurks behind!
Once I was sure there were no hitch-hikers on the panel I carried it back to the studio, leaving it in the yard outside our building.
Back to the tailless whip scorpion and its abdomen...... finally finished the day having got the abdomen pretty much finished, apart from the inevitable finishing touches and tweeks.
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