After visiting the Crane Pavilion, they took a stroll around the Waterfowl Lake!
By now, in July, the breeding plumage of the mandarin ducks and mallards had mostly faded, making them look much plainer.
However, their eggs had hatched, and the bird parents were now busy taking care of their chicks, which was still very entertaining to watch.
When Tang Xiaoxin and her friends arrived, they saw a pair of black swan parents (or maybe not?) near the reeds on the opposite shore. They were stretching their necks to groom their feathers, lightly flapping their wings in preparation for entering the water.
Around them were several plump, round, gray-black fluffballs!
One black swan stepped into the water, waddling down the dry reed-covered slope, and shook its tail contentedly.
The other swan, after finishing its grooming, looked down at the fluffballs, stood up, spread its wings, and flapped them, sending a few feathers flying.
"Come on, babies, time for a swim!"
Two fluffballs, seeing their mother already in the water and their father flapping his wings behind them, wobbled down the slope on their tiny legs, eagerly shaking their bodies as soon as they hit the water.
Another fluffball, which had been daydreaming behind its dad, hurriedly flapped its tiny wings and ran to catch up when it saw its parents in the water.
Its wings were still very short, looking like a fluffy, round, adorable little penguin!
It jumped over a reed, stretched its neck to look around, and then plopped into the water.
"Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!"
It called out urgently, kicking its legs to catch up with its parents, and the family swam leisurely together.
By the shore of the Waterfowl Lake, about a dozen elderly men had gathered.
They held various cameras, some with tripods, and either stood or squatted, observing the black swan family across the lake.
Seeing the swan family become active, they excitedly shouted, "They're up! They're going into the water!"
"They're coming this way!"
"They look so beautiful, don't they?"
"The little ones are so cute!"
The swans entering the water seemed to be a signal. The elderly men, full of energy, raised their cameras and started rapid-fire shooting at twelve frames per second, the sound of shutters clicking like machine-gun fire.
Tang Xiaoxin, watching this scene, whispered to Qian Keke, "These old men have great stamina! Those cameras look heavy; I feel like I'd get tired holding one for just a few minutes."
Qian Keke nodded in agreement, "Absolutely!"
These elderly men, humorously referred to as "old masters" in the photography community, loved taking photos of birds, especially waterfowl. Parrots were considered too gaudy and vulgar; besides birds, they also liked photographing lotus flowers and sunsets.
So, a lake with lotus flowers, swans, and mandarin ducks was their paradise, and the newly opened, ancient-style Crane Pavilion was also a great spot!
The old masters were well-organized and always took photos together.
For them, photography was like young people showing off their game cards.
Letting their companions see their expensive lenses and cameras, and the envious glances they received, gave them a sense of accomplishment. They would edit their artistically beautiful photos and post them with a poem on social media, feeling very proud.
For retired elderly men, it was a wonderful hobby! It kept them physically active and mentally happy.
However, some old masters lacked etiquette. To attract birds, they would throw food or even stones to scare them, trying to capture the moment the birds took off or landed.
They cared only about their photos, not the birds' constant alarm and fatigue, which could lead to stress or even death.
Such behavior was unwelcome at the zoo, and repeated warnings would result in a blacklist.
After several warnings, the old masters now knew the rules and followed them obediently.
Being blacklisted meant they couldn't enter the zoo, which had the best scenery, and they couldn't enjoy their hobby with friends.
The black swan parents swam leisurely on the water, with lush reeds as their backdrop. Their black reflections mirrored on the calm water, occasionally bending their necks to drink, moving elegantly and gracefully.
The adult swans' gentle paddling sent them gliding far, contrasting with the clumsy, adorable movements of the cygnets, whose heads and tails bobbed as they swam, their bodies swaying left and right like they were on a rocking horse.
One could imagine their little feet paddling furiously underwater, making them look both awkward and cute.
After swimming for a while and drinking some water, the swan parents picked up speed!
Like scissors cutting through fabric, they created ripples that spread out, reflecting the green trees on the shore.
Tang Xiaoxin, gazing at the beautiful scenery, felt her spirits lift!
This is what a holiday should be like.
There were some vegetable baskets scattered along the shore, containing food for the birds. Ducks and swans would occasionally come to eat.
The black swan parents swam over, dipped their heads into the baskets, and picked out some green leaves.
They first placed some leaves beside the cygnets before eating themselves.
The cygnets, too young to eat large leaves, watched their mother's beak move, chewing the leaves into smaller pieces, and opened their mouths, asking for food.
Seeing her chicks wanting to eat, the black swan mother gently released the leaves into the water.
Tang Xiaoxin's eyes sparkled, "Wow, the swan family is so loving!"
However, the cygnets seemed a bit clumsy, dropping the leaves after a few chews, looking around blankly, and eventually, the mother picked up and ate the leaves herself.
The black swan family, after resting and eating by the shore, prepared to set off again!
But the cygnets seemed a bit tired.
One swam to its mother's tail, nudged under her wing, and climbed onto her back, using its legs to push itself up.
It nestled in by her neck, grooming its feathers, and the other two followed, snuggling together, looking incredibly cute.
"Wow!"
The two girls, seeing this behavior for the first time, widened their eyes in amazement!
Visitors watched the family with interest, smiling!
"Is this the swan boat?"
"They're boarding!"
"So adorable!"
The black swan mother, with her chicks on her back, swam gracefully, her head turning left and right, seemingly unburdened.
Like an aircraft carrier with several planes, she slowly sailed into the distance.
One of the swan babies seemed to be getting sleepy from the sun!
It let out a soft chirp, bent its head backward, and nestled it under its mother's wing, falling asleep right there.
Qian Keke watched enviously, "Wow, falling asleep right on mom's back, that must be so comfortable. It's like a swan feather blanket."
Tang Xiaoxin's eyes lit up, "It looks so cozy! What a happy family."
After the swan parents swam away, a grayish-brown mandarin duck came down to the water from the shore.
It was accompanied by over a dozen ducklings, their feathers blackish-brown with yellow cheeks.
Though small, they looked much more agile than the swan babies!
They ran quickly, not waiting for their mother to enter the water. Eagerly, they dashed in, kicking up a trail of water like arrows shot from a bow, covering several meters in the blink of an eye.
"Charge, ducks! Let's go play!"
Then the group started swimming leisurely in the water.
Tang Xiaoxin exclaimed, "Wow, they're so fast!"
Qian Keke, watching the lively ducklings, joked, "Maybe they have turbo engines installed!"
She suddenly frowned, feeling something was off.
After thinking for a while, she said, "Wait, why is there only one mandarin duck? Where's their dad?"
Seeing the swan parents, one leading and the other guarding, with clear division of labor, she felt puzzled.
Tang Xiaoxin laughed, "Don't you know? Male mandarin ducks are notorious for being unfaithful. They only care about romance, not raising kids! After mating, they leave, and the female is left to incubate the eggs and raise the ducklings."
Qian Keke was shocked, "Aren't mandarin ducks supposed to symbolize love?"
Looking at the female mandarin duck, she felt a bit sad, "It must be tough for her, raising so many kids alone! And there are so many! 1, 2, 3..."
After counting for a while, she realized there were 12 ducklings!
As they strolled along the Waterfowl Lake, they saw many families with children.
A proud swan walked ahead, its head held high, seemingly heading to the opposite lawn.
Behind it, five fluffy little cygnets followed in a neat line, like a row of dumplings, their tiny feet pattering to keep up with their dad, their chubby bodies swaying adorably.
Behind them was the smaller swan mom, making the family look orderly and amusing.
Nearby visitors couldn't stop laughing and taking photos, "Haha, those tiny steps are so cute!"
"A family should always stick together!"
"The swan parents are so loving, one leading and one guarding!"
Besides these bird families, there were human parents with their children.
A child, holding their mom's hand, watched the scene happily, "Mommy, look!"
The mom smiled, "Aren't they cute?"
She took the opportunity to educate, "See how the swan babies cross the road, following their parents obediently? We should also follow traffic rules and hold hands when crossing the road."
The child nodded thoughtfully, "Mm-hmm!"
Seeing the swan family approaching, Tang Xiaoxin quickly pulled Qian Keke aside.
Qian Keke was puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Tang Xiaoxin pointed to a nearby warning sign, "Look!"
There were new warning signs around the Waterfowl Lake, showing a silhouette of a goose with its babies, with a prominent triangle warning: "Swans are aggressive during nesting season, please keep a safe distance!"
As the swan dad passed the sign, he stretched his neck and pecked it angrily.
Who are you calling aggressive? Huh!
This is slander!
Qian Keke chuckled, feeling relieved, "Good thing you pulled me aside, they do seem a bit fierce!"
The family reached the opposite lawn, where the swan parents stopped to groom their feathers. The cygnets, tired from walking, squatted on the grass to rest.
Then they saw another black swan couple, but they had an unusually large brood of cygnets, over a dozen!
The tired cygnets tried to climb onto their mom's back, but it was already crowded with seven or eight others.
One cygnet swam around, looking for a spot.
Seeing a gap, it flapped its tiny wings and squeezed in.
Make room, make room! I want to get on too!
But the space was too small, and it got bumped off by a sibling's butt, sliding down the other side.
It looked very amusing.
"Hahaha, it's like a kindergarten bus!"
"It looks overloaded already!"
The swan mom turned her head, instinctively wanting to groom her feathers, but seeing her back full of little ones, she resignedly turned her neck back.
Tang Xiaoxin curiously asked a nearby zookeeper, "I noticed other swans have only five or six babies. Why do they have so many?"
The zookeeper smiled and explained, "They're not all theirs!
When black swan families meet, their babies often mix together. Some might follow the wrong parents, which is quite common. Sometimes, one pair ends up with all the babies, while another has none."
"Really?"
Tang Xiaoxin found it both funny and sympathetic!
Raising kids only to have them follow someone else, how tragic.
Watching these adorable cygnets, ducklings, and goslings felt heartwarming and healing.
...
After leaving the Waterfowl Lake, they headed to the wolf exhibit!
As they arrived, they saw a black and a gray wolf lounging together on the hillside.
The two wolves were, of course, Black Charcoal and Little Rain.
Little Rain lay elegantly on her side, eyes half-closed.
Black Charcoal lay on his back, head up, nuzzling Little Rain's cheek fur, whining softly.
"Darling, give me a kiss!"
He lifted a paw, trying to pull her head closer, opening his mouth to nibble her cheek.
A big, loving bite!
Little Rain, her face nibbled by Black Charcoal, turned her head away helplessly but couldn't escape his affection, as he nibbled from her neck to her head.
Tang Xiaoxin couldn't help but remark, "Black Charcoal and Little Rain are still so affectionate!"
Qian Keke agreed, "Every time we come, they're always showing PDA."
Below the hillside, the wolf pups played happily!
At six months old, they were already the size of large dogs, though their faces still looked young.
One black wolf pup, holding a bone, approached its sibling, seemingly showing off or provoking.
"Look at my bone! Jealous?"
Suddenly, it turned and bounced away joyfully!
Its body swayed left and right as it ran, looking a bit silly.
It stopped, looked back at its sibling, who finally gave chase!
The black pup jumped in place, wagging its tail happily, like a little colt, and ran further away.
The bone had little meat, but playing was pure joy.
The wolf pups frolicked and chased each other, running freely in the exhibit, across grass and streams. Seeing their joyful play, some adult wolves couldn't resist joining in.