West Midlands Safari Park

Two days at the safari park gave me something I had not expected to see, let alone photograph: a lion and lioness mating, captured as a full sequence.

It is not as crisp as I would like. The car windows had to stay up, so every frame was taken through glass. Even so, as a picture of wildlife behaviour in captivity, I think it is a strong one, and I was lucky to be there for it.

The ostrich taught me something. One close-up looked soft across the eye, and I assumed I had missed focus. Looking closer, I had caught its third eyelid partway across the eye. The proper name is the nictitating membrane: a thin inner lid that sweeps sideways to clean and protect the eye.

Watching the deer, I already knew where I wanted to go next: Bushy Park.

The camel was one of many animals there with a great deal of personality.