The birds say it best, through their actions and their songs. Soaring, dipping, diving, swooping, turning suddenly and flying as fast as they can, they call, trill, squawk, quack, honk and chatter. As I walk through the hubbub surrounding the Muny (the roar of the leaf blower used to clean the colonnades, and the tangy odor of its exhaust, contributing to the chaos of setting up for Earth Day) I hear the cry of a killdeer high above, sounding as if someone is beating the living daylights out of it.

Swallows are nesting under bridges and on top of the columns at the Muny, while their mates chase insects along an invisible path in the air. Ducks are the drag racers of the sky, bursting off the surface of the waters and winging off to some other place as fast as they can go. Sometimes I think they are just showing off.

Today I took one of the walking tours Forest Park Forever offers (for free!) and got a good description of just how much has been accomplished in the park over the last 10 years. The transformation from mown lawn to prairie landscape is a remarkable one, and welcome. The establishment of the wild areas in Kennedy Forest, Deer Lake area and the Steinberg area has encouraged wildlife to return to the park.

The egrets may well be my favorites. Oh, yes, photos.