Every day, when I go to Forest Park, I have to think about what part of the park I will visit. Since my goal with this project is to see the familiar in a new way, find the unfamiliar in my back yard, and not get stuck in a rut, I’m trying to go to new places in the park each day. I don’t want to be regimented about it, but I don’t want to miss anything, either!

But Forest Park is just too large and there is just too much going on there, for one person to see everything in a year (and still make a living!). In the wildlife department, I haven’t seen any snakes (I’m sure they’re there), or minks (yes, we have minks in the park - they help keep the muskrats in check), or lizards. I did see a coyote (I almost stepped on him), but he got away before I could snap a photo. I have seen vultures and night hawks, but there was insufficient light to get a photo. I have seen a chipmunk (just last week, in Kennedy Forest), but he got away before I could get an image of him. Sometimes I want to talk to people and an uncharacteristic shyness comes over me, and other times I just want some alone time.

Today I did see some of the usual suspects; a black crowned night heron looking for dinner, a ruckus between a red winged blackbird and a great egret, and a grackle harassing a killdeer as she sat upon her nest (she set him straight, though!). There were plenty of joggers and cyclists out and about, and fishermen by the waters edge. But I walked slowly and looked at the plants. And would you know, when you look carefully at plants, you find other things as well!