A trip to Komoka Provincial Park
Male Eastern Bluebirds
Up close…how about 10 feet away dancing across a berry bush playing, singing and having a yummy meal. If I hadn’t seen one more blessed thing on that walk, I would have counted myself lucky. I should have bought a lottery ticket, because that was just the beginning of a superb hike through a very interesting terrain, as luck would have it.
The path started down an incline and curved around a stand of oak. When I looked around the huge red oak trunk (quite a beautiful specimen), I saw a varied trail with curves and changes in elevation that promised a great deal of interesting exploration. Walking up and down hills and around bends allowed my eyes to be surprised by each new vista. There were many lovely spots along the trail. One of my favourites was the Thames River overlook about 2 Kilometres in. There, I met an unobstructed view of the Thames, at the bottom of a steepish valley where the river’s twists and turns were breathtakingly visible for a long distance. I marked it in my memory to return each season to that spot and observe the changes in scenery.
Female Eastern Bluebird
Several things about Komoka Provincial Park attested to it’s ranking in my book as a must-see for outdoor enthusiasts. So many trees with huge variety were scattered throughout the park. There was evidence of many species of creatures all around, in the form of footprints, holes in trees, etc. Two huge hawk nests, the cry of a great horned owl, bird song, deer, rabbit, mouse, and other small mammal tracks were everywhere. Vistas were around every corner and the overall trail contours allowed for maximum viewing of the park’s best features. And, finally…just as they greeted me upon arrival, the Bluebirds came back to see me off at the end of my walk with a burst of colour and their lively antics.
