In the space of a few days, the 18+ inches of snow we had has melted in the span of just a few days, leaving a brown landscape in its wake. The ice on the lake has been changing colors from gray to steel blue and has taken on an odd honeycombed appearance. The wind blows just a little warmer. The sun stays out just a bit longer. A change is in store and none too soon for some.
Every day there is a new spring event or arrival of a spring migrant. We’ve spotted hooded and common mergansers on our bay. The hooded merganser is truly a beautiful bird, quite the contrast to the female common merganser, which reminds me of someone just getting up, with their hair all mussed. Courtship is going on in earnest with the mallards, with lots of splashing and squawking going on in the water. The mornings are now filled with the song of chipping sparrows chip-chipping away as well as the cry of gulls flying overhead.
We went walking in a local park to immerse ourselves more into the change of seasons. Bluebird houses, numbered and doors now closed, flank the trail. We’ve been seeing the bluebirds for some days now, but their behavior has changed from bachelor groups of birds flitting around in the bushes to one of male birds staking out their territories. We spied a few birds perched on their houses, claiming their stake. Tree swallows have also returned now. We witnessed more than one fierce altercation between rival males intent on the same birdhouse. Their stunning aerial acrobats are fascinating to watch. The return of the swallows does portend another return that I am not as anxious for–the return of the bugs. We have some weeks yet for the mosquitoes, so in the meantime, we can enjoy the return of the birds.
Another in the series of vernal events has occurred with the departure of the juncos. Robins are now more likely to be seen hopping on the ground and in low brush. I’m always surprised at how pleasant their song is when it first fills the air upon their return. I can’t help but smile at seeing the male strutting across the ground, his bright rusty chest puffed up and sticking out. It was a good winter, but now I have to admit that I’m ready for spring too.
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