It’s true, the sounds of country music and songs about old-time religion were heard recently in Central Park.

There, a band with banjo and fiddle players and a trio of lady singers sporting cowboy boots were part of a Mississippi-themed festival that I photographed when I ventured into the southern end of the park and neighboring areas on a gorgeous Saturday. While walking around, I also spotted a tiger, eagle and other wildlife, as the accompanying images reveal.

I started the day sitting in a workshop on mobile phone photography at a nearby Sony store on Madison Avenue. The class walked to the park and I used my iPhone to capture some of the images here (the puddle reflection, Gapstow Bridge, and the skyline with trees). But I also had my trusty Nikon D90, which I broke out to take snapshots of the other subjects, including an artist sketching a woman’s portrait, a worm’s-eye view of Columbus Circle, and Pomona, the Roman goddess of abundance, at the Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza.