After being stuck inside for most of the last couple months thanks to frigid weather, we finally got some warm, spring-like temperatures this past weekend, and I was itching to get out and start taking pictures again. So we turned to an always reliable place for photo opportunities — the North Carolina Zoo. The mild temperatures made it a very pleasant day to walk around the park, and though some of the animals were just sleeping in the sun, we got some great photo ops for animals that are usually a bit harder to photograph.

The otters didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the water, but did a lot of posing for the camera on land. We also came across a chimp who just camped out right in front of the glass for a long time, giving us the chance to wait for the crowd to move on and then get in up close for a few nice shots. We even got some decent shots of the cacomistle and the coati, nocturnal creatures who usually stay concealed on the high perches in their dark exhibits but were down on the ground and very active on this day. At our last exhibit of the day — the lions — the male lion was just flopping on the ground when we got there, but as I was snapping a couple pictures, he perked up. At that same moment, the sun pierced through the clouds and cast a golden glow on his mane, making for a pretty nice image.