Burke Museum Tries Out New Hi-Res Wildlife Wallpaper

The exhibit is called Wildlife Photographer of the Year -- a happy result of there being a Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The 2006 winner is Italy's Manuel Presti, one of the many photographers using a Canon EOS. (We counted and 45 photos were shot with Canons, 30 with Nikons, and then there was a smattering of one or two Minoltas, Pentaxes, etc.)

The museum is open daily from 10am - 5pm. Admission is free on first Thursdays. Before you plunk down that $8 regular admission ($5 students) for the Burke, you may want to preview the photography online. There's a range of subject matter, everything from plants and animal behavior to landscape compositions and animal portraits.

In one deleted scene from The Lion King, a lion cub reunited with its pack after a few days' separation isn't recognized. In the photo, the little tyke is swatting his father on the nose. Just after, the photo caption says, the females turn on the cub and kill it. Later one, perhaps its mother, heads to a shady spot to devour the carcass. Hungary's Bence Máté has a number of spectacular shots, of which our favorite may be this one.

The exhibition is up through September 4. As a mix-n-match combo, try stopping in Saturday, August 5, for Family Day: Meet the Mammals (from 10am - 4pm):

From squirrels to baboons: join Burke staff, including Curator of Mammals, Professor Jim Kenagy, for a day filled with interactive demonstrations, tours, hands-on activities, and illustrated presentations on animals of all kinds, in a day designed to bring the power of nature and the diversity of wildlife to a family audience.

As an added bonus, parking in the Burke's lot is free after noon on Saturday (and all day Sunday).