A Flicker of Spring

Despite having little snow and relatively mild temperatures, it has still been a long winter. These days I'm continually scanning for the small signs that spring is arriving, and there have been more than a few in recent days...

• Increasing morning songs, a prelude to the full-fledged dawn chorus to come
• Peeking greenery in flowerbeds, shoots that will become daffodils, hyacinths and tulips
• Swelling tree buds and some fuzzy bursts on different bushes and shrubs
• Warming temperatures and balmy breezes across a rich blue sky
• More American robins in the neighborhood and visiting the backyard bird bath
• Gradually lengthening days and gloriously rich sunsets

While there are still a few indications of winDark-eyed juncos are still visiting in droves, though perhaps not quite as numerous as they were just a few weeks ago. Sandhill cranes were migrating northward just this past weekend, yet there are no new spring migrants yet appearing at the feeders. Lesser goldfinches are more prominent and active, but American goldfinches are still wearing their dull winter coats. Northern flickers are pairing off and more actively foraging on the no-longer-quite-frozen ground, but California quail are still huddled in their winter coveys.
ter - a decidedly icy nip in the nighttime air, dormant lawns tamped down from the snowfall and ice packs, the need for heaters or furnaces in the morning cool - each day spring is drawing closer. The bird activity at this time of year is interestingly varied, with winter birds dominating the feeders, but the hope of spring birds in the air as well.

Spring is coming, and with it, many changes. Some are seasonal, some will be permanent. Some will be about birds, some will not. But like the flowers peeking from the mulch or the gradually rising temperatures, it is coming, and inevitable.

Embrace it, and enjoy.