Signs of Spring

In Louisiana last weekend, there are signs of spring everywhere.  The peepers were singing and at daybreak, a chorus of Northern Cardinals, Tufted Titmice, and a host of other early wakers, greeted us on our morning walk.  Even today, in windy but warm Virginia, robins are calling away as we enjoy the last warm afternoon of our trip.

Last week, in our return to Goose Island in Texas, I noted that Laughing Gulls were no longer plain but had their striking dark heads.  Northern Mockingbirds, instead of just “chipping” like they did in January, were trotting out their full repertoire of songs and were acting pretty frisky in the bushes.

At Natchez State Park in Mississippi, spring was a little behind what we just left in Louisiana.  But the sight of several pairs of bluebirds were a wonderful to witness in the early sunlight as were a dozen barn swallows swooping over the lake.

I know that reality will set in as we head north but these signs bode well for our home state.  When we visited Cameron Prairie NWR last week, we saw no Canada Geese and only a half dozen snow geese.  They are all on their way north – I’m reading reports of skeins of geese over Lake Champlain and elsewhere.  We’re following them this week.