Mar 18 2010
The Red-wing Returns
When does spring begin? Everyone has a different idea about that. For some spring arrives when the crocuses pop up. The more skeptical wait for lilacs. Many look for robins feeding in their front yards. For me it’s the return of the red-winged blackbirds. Once they’re back, everything starts changing and changing fast.
I heard the red-wing’s unmistakable call the other day, while I was indoors reading. I got up and went to the kitchen window and, sure enough, there it was on the ground right below the bird feeders. The red and yellow markings on that bird are distinct. The red-winged blackbirds are back. The calendar on the wall tells me they shouldn’t be, but they are.
Judy and I spotted a tufted titmouse at the feeder nearly a week ago. According to my bird book titmice don’t migrate, so seeing one doesn’t really count as sign of spring. But we couldn’t help but take it as a good omen. The red-winged blackbirds appeared shortly thereafter.
The grackles and cowbirds have also returned. My wife doesn’t want me badmouthing those troublemakers like I did last year, so I won’t say anything more about them. It’s clear, though, that the red-winged blackbirds are only the beginning of a great migration north. The robins can’t be far behind.
We have twelve hours of daylight now. The Vernal Equinox takes place the day after tomorrow. While that doesn’t necessarily mark the end of winter this far north, there are several indications that spring has come early this year. The first green shoots of day lilies have pushed up in my front yard. The grass is greening. Mud wasps have already appeared on my porch. And while there’s still plenty of snow in the woods, the snow piles around town are almost gone.
Where are my binoculars? I keep hearing an unfamiliar bird song and want to go out and identify it. Yeah, I’ve got the fever already. No, I’m not foolish enough to put away my snow shovels just yet, or peel the caulk from my windows. But there’s no sense denying what I see, hear or feel . . .
Suddenly a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Soon my hiking boots will be caked with mud. Bring on the cold rain. I’m ready to wander aimlessly through a misty awakening forest as polypody and evergreen woodferns slowly spring back to life. Something deep within me is stirring. You can wait for a 70-degree day if you want, but I’m calling it right now. It’s spring!
One response so far
One Response to “The Red-wing Returns”
Saw of V of geese heading true north yesterday. Wing pattern was unmistakable: snow geese. Cool. Very cool.