Day 152 - The Official Forest Park Forever First Saturday of the Month Bird Walk / by Edward Crim

Today, a new day in the city of the French King and we, a small sampling of the avifauna obsessed citizens of this region, rendezvoused at 08:15 in front of the Forest Park Visitor Center just in time to be handed binoculars and process on the First Saturday of the Month Bird Walk. Mark Glenshaw was there and in a great mood. The mysteries of nature revealed themselves to him after we bid him farewell last night, in the form of robin chirps and the deep, reassuring timbre of Charles the great horned owl. Yes, Charles is alive and well and continuing his predatory practices!

Today, however, was not about Charles, but rather about all the other birds of the park (and there are a lot of them). After assembling at the VC, our group of almost 40 citizens traipsed around the park to view it’s aerial citizens. There were egrets, herons, hawks, woodpeckers, warblers, sparrows, red winged blackbirds, robins, sparrows, grackles and starlings sufficient to delight and aggravate each and every one of us. Plus I managed to get a few photos!

Amy Witt, the Forest Park Forever park ecologist, leads a procession of homo sapiens on a journey of avian discovery. Click on the image for more photos.

Amy Witt, the Forest Park Forever park ecologist, leads a procession of homo sapiens on a journey of avian discovery. Click on the image for more photos.