Hilary Sheppard - Wilderness Observations 1

Truthfully, I was not particularly excited about going on a nature walk when we met at the Lions Gate Bridge. The weather was unexpectedly warm, which made me regret choosing to wear my hair down, and mosquitos were constantly biting at my body. We walked on as a group and made random stops on the trail, which was tiresome and monotonous, until I spotted something. As we made another stop at the edge of the pond, I looked across the water and was mesmerized by a large bird. It looked huge! The birds long thin legs extended from the water to its massive feather covered body. The sight of the bird made me completely forget the temperature and the bugs and left me staring in awe across the pond at its enormity. I pointed the bird out to Jeffery, thinking he would surely get as much pleasure from the sight as I did, but he seemed unimpressed. I was informed that these stork like birds are common here in the south, but being from the north I had never laid my eyes on such a creature. This fact did not hinder how impressed I was by the bird. Just as I turned my attention from Jeffery back to the bird, he or maybe she stood up straighter and slowly opened his wings. Watching the bird in flight was even more amazing than the original stoic state it had been in. I followed his flight with my eyes until eventually he disappeared. The whole class had been standing with me listening to the lecture, but no one had experienced the bird as I had. It seemed that no one had even noticed the bird, but to me it changed the entire feeling of the walk.