Sticklers for detail aside, I know I always feel like spring is right around the corner when I began seeing the "half-hardy" species return to my yard.  Yes, I have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of American Robins on Christmas Bird Counts, but that doesn't give me the same thrill as the first one that sings in my yard in late winter.  

I had American Woodcocks displaying across the road on Feb. 1 this year, a record for me. Why is this more an indicator of spring than a Red-winged Blackbird calling "Konk-a-ree!" from the top of my apple tree?  Spring Peepers have been calling for a week; that has to mean spring is nigh.  I know Eastern Bluebirds were around all winter, but hearing the male singing sweet love songs to his wife and seeing the pair of them investigating the nest box says "Spring is here!" to me more clearly than an artificial reporting date of March 1 or even a vernal equinox.

Mild winter or no, we are all excited about the return of spring, and whether that means blackbirds or warblers to you, who am I to detract from your joy of seeing an old friend come home to roost? Spring is what you make it. Joy, like beauty, is in the eye (and the ear) of the observer. 

Kathi Hutton
Clermont County

Sent from iVan, my iPhone
______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.

You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]