It’s winter in the northern hemisphere and I just logged in to check my site, something I haven’t done in months, and to my total surprise, my stats show I’ve had something like 37 Brazilian visitors! Now, if I lived in beautiful, warm sunny Brazil, would I want to read about the dreary winter weather of the midwestern United States? I can’t imagine, but since they did, I will tell them that even though our winter has been dreary and cloudy most days, nature is alive and well and getting ready for spring. Might be hard to believe at this point, but emerging daffodils and crocuses affirm spring is coming. Buds have appeared on shrubs and trees, and my favorite, the pair of Red Tailed hawks that live in the woods behind my house, are out and about. They stay here year round, but in the bleak winter, they are not so noisy, more sedate. Now that we’ve had a warm day or two, they are out, circling high above the woods, screaming their presence. It would appear that they too have had enough of this winter.
One day last week, I heard one solitary Sandhill Crane, high in the sky, his drunken-sounding warble almost lost above the traffic noise. He sounded so lonely that I felt sorry for him. I imagined the flock hunkered together, drawing straws to see who would have to go back and check on the summer nesting grounds. This guy obviously got the short straw.
And then there are the black birds. There is nothing better than hearing the high trill of the black birds; that means that spring is truly on its’ way. They have started to arrive in small flocks; soon the racket will be deafening as their ranks swell. I don’t mind a bit. But while these signs are excitingly evident, the weather map tells a different story, one of ice and snow tonight and tomorrow. Blah. I certainly hope those poor little guys have found a warm place to sleep tonight. They are really going to need it…….
squirrelsandchipmonks 