Signs of Spring
This past week we had our first taste of spring weather with temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit once, and above 40 degrees for part of the week. Our signs of spring are beginning to appear, with more and more of nature's cast of characters appearing every day. More and more birds are singing with the calls of Red-winged Blackbirds and honks from alarmed Geese being heard again today. Canada geese, Red-winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, and Robins are all now back in town. High in the sky the eagles are migrating too. Reports from the past ten days include 23 Golden Eagles and 51 Bald Eagles over the skies in Mackinaw City from the official counter at that Hawkwatch site. Nearly 68,000 raptors were observed last year at that location, so the season is just beginning.
Blue skies and sunny days are being experienced again. Cold nights and warm days have the sap beginning to flow for great Maple Syrup. It is a strange time, with people out ice fishing in the lakes while others stand on the shoreline fishing for steelhead in our half-frozen rivers. I am looking forward to our forest floors being covered in green again, but maybe I am getting ahead of myself. It is still March, and our average last snowfall is April 4th in this region, more than two weeks from now. For now, I will enjoy our cast of early spring while looking forward to the welcome music of Spring peepers and sight of woodland flowers in the weeks to come.
