Though it threatened rain all morning long (and even sprinkled on me a bit as I was riding home), there were a LOT of people there in the park for Go St. Louis’ 5K for adults and 3K for children. I saw plenty of people I know (and a few I don’t) and also saw a lot of photo ops (but I see photo ops everywhere I go - that’s why I have to pick a project and restrict myself to it.)

The birds and other animals are all still there while the humans are making a big to-do, and if you look, you will find them. A nervous snowy egret crouched a bit lower as I rode past on my bicycle. The small birds, though, didn’t seem to mind too much. A mourning dove watched the crown from her perch on a light post. Starlings and grackles looked for opportunities to steal something.

But most of the noise was confined to the eastern half of the park. Out on Picnic Island and in front of Art Hill, things were much quieter and the creatures there went about their lives seemingly oblivious to the crowd not too far away.

As I rode through the Kennedy Forest Savanna I startled some goldfinches and was forced to stop and get a few photos (They look quite resplendent in their spring plumage). Why don’t you take a look?