It’s nice to be able to walk through Forest Park in the late mornings or early afternoons at weekends (on weekdays, I must finish a brisk walk before 8am, when I begin Nanny duty, and KTB comes down like an angel from above!)….I haven’t seen any but the common birds, but they are quite beautiful:

The NORTHERN CARDINAL was sitting…

....on top of a tree... Another bird which looks really stunning is the RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD Here it is, singing away: One bird which had id'd for me in California, seems to have arrived in St.Louis (I don't know if it's a visitor, only that I've not seen it before in St.Louis)...is the DARK-EYED JUNCO : It was lovely to see the fallen leaves rustle in the wind, and in the leaves, to see these little birds.... Here they are, hopping about: DOWNY WOODPECKERS are also common in Forest Park...if you walk like a Johnny-Head-in-Air, looking up at the trees! Here's a male, he was sitting very high up in the tree: Much more accessible was the female, who was (guess what!) pecking wood: Here she is, in action: These WOOD DUCKS look so beautiful, too, perhaps Ms Duck is thinking, "If I eat more fish, perhaps I'll become as colourful as he is..." I don't know the id of this duck, but he's a beauty, too! Update: Gayathri tells me it's a HOODED MERGANSER A SONG SPARROW sat on a tree as if waiting for Spring to begin the singing! Sadly, I couln't record the song of the Song Sparrow! Next time, perhaps... while I was looking around, I saw what looked like a pupa in a tree: wonder what it will turn out to be! Followers of the Missouri Tigers often go around letting tiger tails hang out of their cars, so I can say I saw a tiger in Forest Park, too! this beautiful MOURNING DOVE sat on a tree and looked down at me..quite happily! </lj-cut> It was getting late, and chillier, and I caught the sunset as I walked home: This Saturday, for the first time, I hope to be able to join the St.Louis Audubon Society's Bird Walk in Forest Park (which is for novices like me.) The last couple of times I made it for this monthly event, it was rained out...I was the only one there, not even the people who were supposed to conduct the walk turned up! So I'm hoping I will be luckier this time...