Early Spring Arrivals

 I discovered the difference between meteorological seasons and astronomical seasons this year and have decided that March 1st as the first day of meteorological spring is very much to my liking. Astronomical spring arrives March 21st on average but the birds know that the season is well underway before then. We went for a long muddy and icy walk along the river this morning. The river had overflown its banks on the weekend but the trail was passable today. The current was still swift and there were fewer water birds around compared to last month. But some of our earliest migrants have arrived in the past few days. 

We saw our first male Red-winged Blackbirds who were staking their territories before the females arrive next month. These birds are widespread across North America, including Mexico but they do not stick around during winter in our area. They are not shy and are easy to hear and see along rivers, creeks and bogs. 

Black-capped Chickadees are singing their spring mating songs and are searching for cavities in which to build their nests. During the winter they are quick to take seed from a human hand but they were not very interested today. This bird landed twice on my husband's hand and that was it. Chickadees are between 9 and 14 grams in weight and as we watched them in the low bushes near the trail, we noticed two birds that were much smaller.

The birds flitted too quickly in the brush for me to get a clear picture but I recognized them as Golden-crowned Kinglets. They weigh between 4 and 8 grams, approximately half the size of a Chickadee. I haven't seen one for a few years even though they are not rare. 

A short distance away on a patch of open ground, a worm of about 15 American Robins hopped around looking for grubs. I always record my first Robin sighting in the spring and the average date is around March 9th. There is too much snow in our yard to attract them yet, but they are congregating in areas where the snow has melted.

I have also seen a Kildeer and Common Grackle this week and my husband saw a couple of Turkey Vultures yesterday. These are all ordinary birds that hardly earn a second glance later in the year, but they are most welcome in early March because they let me know that winter is really coming to an end.