Spring Arrives. 2023

March 15th 2023

Our last winter storm battered the Northeast with wind, rain and snow….20 inches fell in southern Vermont. Most of us don’t know it…but Spring is here.  Some of us —winter’s indoor captives— may surmise its arrival from the  oh so political news programs gearing up for the summer political season.  But even for urban dwellers, our longer days and the height of  the sun above the horizon at noon cast light through our shaded windows and may give the arrival away. 

In New York  the actual day length is just five minutes short of a full 12 hour-day already. Of course it is on March 20 the official date of the Vernal Equinox, we will arrive at that 12 hour day all over the earth.  Fron that date onward the day will grow longer—and temperatures rise 

But the natural world ignores those numbers and has its own rules and regulations. Mother Nature is guided by mostly by the length of day and the intensity of sunlight.

 In this neck of the woods way back in mid February an early thaw warmed the soil above the freezing level. The  earthworm population  moved up through thawed soil to emerge. A winter rain washed them from their grassy haunts onto roads and paths where they struggled to survive.  But their early emergence foretold  the arrival of our  first flight of Robins.  Then too, about this time I noticed that our local non/migratory birds —Cardinals —were frequently observed in male and female pairs. Perhaps they too were anticipating an early spring. 

But by mid/March our local and migratory bird population were out in force. Today, I observed a pair of  Cardinals..the male in bright red mating plumage. Not far away a pair of House Finches were observed resting together on a sunny branch.  Nearby. a pair of Robins sunned themselves.  Others of this red breast species were stalked their prey spread out over the near by grassy areas cocking their  heads over the ground as they seek the early worm.  A  Carolina wren (or was it a House Wren?) sang his lovely song. As I arrived, he quit that branch and flew across the path to alight  on a branch. There he bobbed his upturned tail in its characteristic way.  

Flitting among this same thicket were a pair of Song Sparrows and not far away a pair of common Whitethroats. Along the path a few rods more I heard the distinctive call of the Redwing Blackbird. Calling to claim his  nesting place in the Forsythia thicket—a sure sign of Spring.  The dark blackbird with the red epaulettes clung  to a vertical branch where he continued his “con-ca-reee”, trilled over again from the Forsythia thicket.  

A mocking bird —was it the same one (?) I have seen all winter long   regularly sunning itself on its special branch—even on the coldest days—but today it flew by me, seeming unconcerned with all his new neighbors.  

Above, a murder of Crows with black wings flapping,  pass overhead in a bright blue sky cawing in pleasure (I imagine) just happy to fly in the bright sun and blue sky. And high above. like winged silver specks in the blue,  seagulls soared gracefully on a rising thermal. 

Spring is here..