Spring Fever

Spring has been a long time in coming this year, but in just a few days it has made its mark and is truly here to stay. I've been eagerly awaiting migrants at the feeders, and over the weekend only just put up the hummingbird feeders - barely in time, it seems. Two days ago the first of the migrants arrived - the male of my black-headed grosbeak family, and yesterday his lady also appeared. Today has been wild with migrants just in the not-yet-as-bird-friendly-as-it-could-be backyard, with a rainbow of visitors arriving for the first time:

• Lazuli Bunting
• Cassin's Finch
• Broad-Tailed Hummingbird
• Green-Tailed Towhee
• White-Crowned Sparrow

To be truthful, the white-crowned sparrow is a year-round resident in this part of Utah, but not one that has graced my feeders and yard before now. I hope he has felt welcome enough to continue returning! In fact, of the five new migrants today, four of them are also new records for my yard, and I can barely tear myself away from the window as I watch for more.

I don't know what the next few days of frantic migration may bring, but I'll continue to refill the feeders, refresh the bird bath, and otherwise keep my binoculars and camera poised for more seasonal sweetness. As the weather heats up the fever for spring birding sets in, and I'm burning with it bad!

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