Spring’s arrival brought more than just the frogs’ song (though that took a hiatus during the last snowfall), the ducks, geese and herons have also returned to the pond near our home. This year, a pair of beavers also moved in and was great fun to watch, until our aspen trees started disappearing. Literally disappearing, as in they were there one day, and gone the next. Not just on the ground – gone. As much I liked the critters, I don’t have a great many aspen trees to spare, so we had them relocated.

There have been a few other unusual visitors as well, like the bufflehead ducks my neighbor saw, and some other diving ducks I was unable to identify, even with my bird book. Diving ducks are fun to watch because they disappear under the water and stay down longer than you expect. Just when you start to wonder where they went, they pop up like a cork. However, the most exciting visitors (hopefully residents) are the pair of wood ducks. What a treat to see these handsome birds. Since they nest in trees, we hope they’ll spend the summer.

Now that the weather has evened out and the snow has stopped falling every few days, I hope to catch more glimpses of other migrating birds. You never know what you’ll see this time of year as birds move to the summer grounds, so keep your binoculars and bird book handy. Sometimes you may hear a bird but not be able to see it, visit the National Audubon Society website to listen to bird calls; you may be able to identify it that way, http://www.audubon.org/bird/bird_resources.html#sound.

Also, frog song is flourishing in ponds, lakes, and streams. If the frog’s song sounds like running your thumb along a plastic comb, it’s a chorus frog. If the croaking is deeper and more guttural, it’s probably a leopard frog.

Yes, there are still 20 official days of winter left, and actual winter can last weeks longer than “official” winter, but still, it’s undeniable that spring is coming. The past few days, we plunged deeply back into winter, but today’s temperatures in the 40s had me disappearing outside for hours, hiking around in the sun, hearing the mud squish under my boots.

 

In preparation for spring’s arrival, I have taken care to keep my birdfeeders full as birds begin their northward migration. The mountain bluebirds should be arriving soon, so I cleaned out their houses a couple of weeks ago. I’ve also completed my seed orders so that I can sow some seeds indoors this month.

 

The turkeys have begun gobbling, letting us know that nature’s calendar is changing. And today my daughter came rushing into the house and excitedly drug me onto the front porch to listen to geese nearby. We couldn’t see them, but they were fairly close. Now, for some of you, you’ll have geese all year, but to us, the arrival of the honkers is always a landmark event.

 

Sure, we’re for a few storms and bouts of cold weather yet, but there is light at end of the tunnel called winter.

February second is Groundhog Day in the United States, and we wait in anticipation to see if chubby Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow or not. Of course, the shadow means six more weeks of winter, while no shadow forecasts an early spring. Though Phil is located back east in Pennsylvania, I always cross my fingers for a cloudy day. Though spring is still far off at 43 - 44 degrees north latitude, I’m ready for longer days and warmer temperatures.

 

Groundhog Day is rooted in German traditions surrounding Candlemas Day, which is the day half-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Europeans would take stock of their candle inventory and livestock feed to see if they’d have enough to get them through until spring. German people added animal weather-forecasting to the day by paying attention to hedgehogs and badgers. When German immigrants settled in present-day Pennsylvania, they continued this tradition, using groundhogs instead, thus the birth of Groundhog Day.

 

In addition to groundhogs, there are other harbingers of spring. Today I saw some pine siskins at my feeder, and they haven’t been around since late fall. According to my bird book, they could winter here, but they’ve been absent until today, so I figure we must be at least at the point where we can start thinking about spring. And in five to six weeks, the mountain bluebirds will return, which means spring truly is imminent. They always show up here within the first 10 days of March.

Maybe it’s not time to break out the flip flops just yet, but if we pay attention, we can see that winter won’t last forever.  

 

 

Are you cut off from nature? In today’s age, this is a common problem with people in developed countries such as the U.S. We drive everywhere; many people live in large urban areas with little green space; we don’t grow our own food, and electronics give us our entertainment. When was the last time you spent more time outside than it takes to walk from the door of whatever building you’re in (home, school, store) to your car?

 

Frankly, our disconnection from nature can be even deeper than our lack of time spent outdoors. Look around the room you’re in right now (the one that houses your computer). Can you see outside? Many office spaces lack windows, which is a sad commentary on our society. At home, we tend to keep blinds or curtains closed over other windows, thus “blocking out” the outside, which is even sadder. When we can’t see out the window, we deprive ourselves of information our ancestors would have considered valuable — whether it was raining, snowing, sunny, or windy. We tend to think of ourselves as apart from nature, somehow above its influences, but a prolonged disconnection with the outdoors can have a detrimental effect on our moods.

 

Think about how you feel stepping into a dim house where all the curtains are shut. You may feel tired, depressed, anxious or restless. Kids can feel the same way. In fact, there are many reasons children should be able to see outside (and go outside to play!). In his book, Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv reports that girls who have some natural view from their homes concentrate better and act less impulsively, increasing their chances of succeeding in school and life.

 

Louv also cites studies of surgery patients who recovered more quickly if they had a view of natural settings as opposed to brick walls and of prison inmates who suffered fewer illnesses if they lived in cells with windows facing farmland rather than the prison courtyard. This all boils down to the fact that cutting ourselves off from nature is not good for us physically or emotionally.

 

Find something to do outside rather than just walking to and from your car, and open the curtains in your house. A little contact with nature every day, even if it’s just a view of some bushes and a patch of grass, is beneficial. Acknowledge nature and reap the benefits.

Even if the “snowbirds” haven’t yet fired up their RV’s to head to Arizona’s desert for the winter, the birds have started their long journey to their winter homes. Fall migration can last throughout the next couple of months, and migration is a great time to feed the birds. A feeder can attract migrating birds to your backyard by providing them with a food source for their trip.

 

Let me clarify, not all birds are migrating right now. For example, there are still robins, swallows, finches, crossbills, and bluebirds (among many others) in the area. However, some birds are already gone, such as the Red-Wing Blackbirds that live near my house. One day they were still here eating at the feeder and singing occasionally, the next day, not one remained.

 

Some birds remain year-round, such as many sparrows, woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches where I live. Many of you may have robins all winter. However, the bulk of our songbirds will fly south. Throughout fall, we will start to see waterfowl such as ducks and geese moving south. Now you won’t attract ducks and geese to your yard with a birdfeeder, but it is thrilling to watch great “V’s” of birds tracking against the sky.

 

Birdfeeders are inexpensive and a fun way for children to learn about birds. They will see new varieties and be able to watch their behavior as they peck at the seed. Not all birds will perch on the feeder to eat; some are ground feeders, such the junco. Many stores sell birdseed, including most grocery stores. Try to avoid the generic mix of birdseed and focus on specific seed types such as Nyger thistle and sunflower seeds. Those little squares of suet are a great way to attract woodpeckers, but other birds, like blue jays, enjoy them as well.

 

If you’re putting up a birdfeeder, you could also consider a birdbath. Birds need water for their journey as well, and clean water from a safe supply can be hard to find. Birdbaths keep birds safe from predators (cats) that catch them if they are forced to land for their water. Since birdbaths are considered a summer item in many stores, you can probably even find one on sale. Filling the birdbath is a good job for children since it’s easy to do and they will see the rewards of their work very quickly. As I write this, a pair of mountain bluebirds is using mine.

 

You don’t always have to out into the woods to get a glimpse of wildlife. Sometimes it flies right into your own backyard.