Every day is a new experience when I go for a walk and I hope my near-daily vignettes of life from sidewalk level make you feel like you are travellin’ the trail right alongside me. There are always people, places and things that pique my interest and provide plenty of fodder for my daily blog posts. Most of my tidbits from the trail are encounters at Council Point Park. Today, besides the usual two-legged creatures of the human variety, I was lucky enough to see seven types of “wildlife”. With my camera in tow, I had my usual “feed bag” brimming full of peanuts and bread, which I was eager to dispense. But, this morning it was not necessary to lure any one particular critter for a photo op – they all seemed to gravitate toward me. Well didn’t I feel special? I was kept busy snapping pictures of God’s many winged and four-legged creatures, which then posed the dilemma as to which one would be featured in today’s post when all was said and done? Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get a group shot of a gaggle of geese, a row of ducks, two bunnies, a trio of squirrels, one red-winged blackbird, one downy woodpecker – and, oh yes, a beautiful heron. Definitely the coup from my trip was the appearance of at least one of the mysterious mallards whose presence has eluded me all Spring since I resumed my walking regimen at the Park. This morning, I thought my heart would melt when Mama duck and her ducklings went floating by on the Creek. Too bad I had already used up all my bread tidbits on the geese and then rounded the bend and saw the duck family. To top it off, I was so busy admiring Mama and her brood, that I nearly missed the heron lurking in the reeds. I momentarily lost my footing, slid down a little on the grassy slope and this made a noise and he took flight, flapping his mighty wings before I got his picture. But he’ll show up again. The outing would have been 100 percent perfect had that beautiful swan I saw last Fall happen to glide by. My momentary escape from the Big City for the ultimate nature walk was fleeting, but the images of this treasure trove of “wildlife” will live on in my mind for a very long time and be peppered throughout future blog posts – stay tuned.