Songs of the Birds and the Peepers

The Red-Winged Blackbird is one of the first harbingers of spring. He arrives with all of his brethren, staking his claim and awaiting the arrival of the ladies, who fly some weeks behind. I thrill to hear him, his song a loud, gurgling conk-a-reeee. This morning, there were the hints of the cacophony to soon come. The cardinals were in full chorus, the tufted-titmice, the song sparrows and the chickadees. This is what makes spring on of my favorite seasons. Tomorrow, the temperatures are on the rise, hitting the 60's for the first time in quite a while. It will be nice to feel the warm winds. The bees on the farm will be stirring, moving out of the huddled mass they spend the winter in, keeping each other warm. I will have to go up in a day or so, and start them on their spring diet of organic sugar water. This will help them to get through the last of winter's days until the first flowers arrive with their sweet nectar. And soon, tonight, more likely tomorrow night, the spring peepers will make their brief appearance. I love to go out on the front porch just after the sun has dipped below the horizon and wait for the first of the peepers to sing, soon joined by hundreds more in every low lying wetland to be found.