Signs of spring?

[urbpan]

Is it too early to start noticing signs of spring?  Yes, it's far too early.  As I told someone on the urban_nature  community, the only sure sign of spring in Boston is the word "May" appearing on your calendar.  But changes are definitely happening, and It's heartwarming to notice them.

Walking dogs in the pre-dawn is rewarded with a minimum of urban noise.  This week we noticed the plaintive "Marco!" call of the chickadee in our neighborhood.  This early bird doesn't yet have a rival to sing "Polo!" in response.   Likewise we heard the musical owl-like singing of a mourning dove.  In the spring and summer these common bird songs disappear into the din of others, but as lone melodies lost in the fog that formed over the dusting of snow, they were magical.

Comments

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

Sounds WEIRD to me.

Actually, do you know what it might be? Here at least females are migratory, while male robins stay at home and guard their teritory. So I'm guessing what you saw is a flock of returning females. I can't imagine male robins tolerating each other to that extent!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

What obie said below. Someone else asked me a similar question (more along the lines of "I saw a bunch of robins in the middle of the winter, is this weird?") recently, but I couldn't find it just now.

Kryptyd (also below) is in Ireland, where the word robin refers to a different bird, so I'm not sure about the behavior involved there.

[kryptyd.livejournal.com]

There's a grand old stretch in the evenings. As we say 'round these parts.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

A grand old stretch. I like the poetry of that, but what does it refer to?

[obie119.livejournal.com]

Actually, robins roost here in huge flocks in the winter just in the same way as starlings do - some migrate, but there are plenty who don't. There is a big roost near Alewife IIRC. They start agitating around 1.5 hours before sunset.

The cardinals start their mating songs early - first one this year was Jan 19, my birthday! - and nowadays I hear it just about every morning. It's a great spring noise. And on Sunday, we saw a flock of red-winged blackbirds returning. On a bird e-mail list I'm on, we all agreed that it seemed a bit early for them to be back. But they're here!

Oh and we've started hearing woodpeckers doing their drumming noise, which is springy too. So it's coming, even though it doesn't feel like it. THE BIRDS KNOW, mwah hah hah...

About your icon

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

That gerbil looks just like my former pet, Sydney. Too cute!

[heavenscalyx.livejournal.com]

Was woken the other morning by a mockingbird singing cheerfully outside our window. Was v. surprised.

[deathling.livejournal.com]

It makes me so happy to hear the doves cooing again.

[teratologist.livejournal.com]

The red-wings were tuning up last weekend on Long Island, and the white-throated sparrows are also getting started.