The birds know.

[dink]

As I am sitting here this morning browsing through the new batch of posts and replies, morning light is slowly creeping over the horizon. Then, I hear the tune of a songbird outside my window. Ahh... the sounds of Spring... but it is 1 degree outside with a wind chill of -10! Yet, in three days time a 50 degree temp change will occur bringing with it an entirely different weather pattern for the midwest. What takes us billions of dollars in technology and countless hours of research to learn the birds (and all other animals for that matter) already know. I think I'll sit here until the song is over.... you gotta love Mom Nature.

[John J.]

Amen Brother!  

Mother nature is a beauty to witness! Same here, even though there is 3 inches of ice on the ground and temps in the teens I can still hear those chickadees singing their hearts out and blue jays and even robins sitting on the limbs eating my mom's bird seed she put in the bird feeders. I like to sit at the kitchen window and watch the squirrels and birds in the backyard eating corn and birdseed. And if it weren't for my father's stupid yellow begal mutt running around all the place scaring all the deer off (he lets him! Says "Oh the dog is just going 'hunting'") we'd have deer up here too! I love to watch the deer! When it's hunting season I like to watch them with my bow and arrow in hand  

But nature is a sight to behold. Her wonders, her surprizes, and her mysteries always make us learn something new everyday   Can't wait until spring! I like to walk down to the pond and listen to the birds and watch the fish darting from the bank. And with spring here the trees will have buds and flowers and the grass will be green! Rather than bare and white on the ground. My birthday is also in the spring, so I can't wait for that!!!  ;D

God bless  

[Blue Eyed Fisher Chick]

I like to listen to the birds also. Mainly the seagulls when they are feeding on a school of shad They let me know where to throw my shadrap! You gotta love mother nature ;D

[nboucher]

You guys are so right. I heard the first tufted titmouse (a cousin of the chickadee) singing here about a week ago (singing, as opposed to calling, which they do year round), and here in New England the first migratory returnees, red-winged blackbirds, should start arriving at swamps within the next couple of weeks. The birds are always on schedule. I keep a yard journal of widlife I can see from the house, and it's amazing how certain species of birds turn up in the spring during the same week year after year. During those rocky times when your life gets to be a mess, it's especially comforting to experience the steadiness of plants and animals, isn't it?

One other thing about what birds know: We had a big ice storm here a few days ago, and at the bird feeders I maintain during the winter in my yard I'd been going through less bird seed than usual, thanks to the mild winter. Well, the day before this last storm, the birds started showing up at the feeders in large numbers, and they've continued to feed by the dozens ever since. I was certain we were going to get some kind of storm, no matter what the weather guy on TV said . . .

[KU_Bassmaster.]

This is VERY wierd you brought this up.  I heard and thought the SAME EXACT thing this morning.

[jahill]

Seems like just a couple weeks ago I was dove hunting.  Now they are headed back north.  With that will bring on the early morning coffee on the lake with a Pop-R bite soon to follow.

[CrazedL.IFisherman]

Yeah i definitely agree with you guys 100%, i love fishing and while looking down at the water for a second you can see all the water-bugs flying across the surface of the water, i really like listening to the loons communicate to each other from long distances

[kbkindle]

kbkindle here   with 14" of snow all i hear is the crows.kb

[Triton21]

Dink, I am almost due East of you on the Eastern border of our state.  About 3 or 4 weeks ago I saw 5 Robins in my yard.  

My first thought was "Spring is hrere".  Boy was I wrong.  I sure hope they surived this severe cold temperture.

Kelley

[frogtog]

What A Wonderful World and some people don't belive there is a greater power!

[Hookemdown.]

Dink, I am almost due East of you on the Eastern border of our state.  About 3 or 4 weeks ago I saw 5 Robins in my yard.  

My first thought was "Spring is hrere".  Boy was I wrong.  I sure hope they surived this severe cold temperture.

Kelley

Same thing here.  about 2 weeks ago it snowed, only snow of the year, and it was the first time I saw robins.

Poor birdies.  :'(

[Sam]

Dink,

I saw Robins and Cardinals on Thursday in Virginia.

Spring time is right around the corner.

Come on global warming!

[John J.]

Dink,

I saw Robins and Cardinals on Thursday in Virginia.

Spring time is right around the corner.

Come on global warming!

Sam,

We've got cardinals, robins, blue jays, finches, chickadees, doves, crows, black birds and pretty soon I feel the Purple Martins will be back!  

I can't wait til spring/summer! I enjoy watching the flowers bloom and hot girls in pink bikini's on their lawns taking a tan in the summer...oooohhhyyaaaahhhh!  ;D

[Bassn Blvd]

Geeee, you people are lucky!  I know your lakes are frozen and the ground is covered with snow. I can only imagine how difficult it is to move around while outdoors.  But listening to you all describe the different kinds of birds and animals along with the changing of the seasons makes me want to leave home and head your way.  I'm in S.Florida and have never seen snow.  The only time the leaves change color on my trees is when I dont water them and they go from green to brown.  If a deer wondered into my backyard I'm sure one of my neighbors would mistake it for a rabbid dog or something.  Don't get me wrong though. There are many good sites in my area to be thankful for.  I just think it's cool how we live in the same country and perhaps only 6-15 hours of driving away from eachother yet it seems as we are on different continents.

[Guest avid]

I love watching birds.  It's one of the outdoor activities my wife and I share.  I have 126 birds on my life list to date.

My backyard feeders attract mostly cardinals, catbirds, Robins, and grackles, but depending on the time of year different birds will pass through.  Right now I have a Roufus sided Towhee and a small family of yellow rumped warblers hanging out.  

It's funny when my son calls from NY and I start telling him about the birds I'm viewing.  His response is usually something like "Gee dad, that's really exciting"  something about his monotoned lack of enthusiasm makes me doubt his sincerety.

[skillet]

 I grew up in and always lived in a city, usually Memphis, and was use to what I call city birds. About 11 or 12 yrs. ago we moved to the back side of nowhere. You can't even get anywhere from here. You have to go someplace else to start!.

 We only live about a mile or two from the Miss. R. and a really large number of  birds follow it as a migratory route North and South.

 In this day and age of tight spaces and everyone living on top of one another, I consider my wife and I unbeliveablely lucky to see Mother Nature in all her glory......

                                               As Ever,

                                                Skillet

[Redlinerobert]

I'm jealous of you east coasters.  You truly get to experience all 4 seasons.  

[future pro]

im always excited when i hear the first robin come back from its winter migration

[Fisher of Men]

I've really enjoyed hearing the birds in the tree outside my bedroom window as well lately. The only downside to that is some morning (later this season) I'm trying to sleep in and a loud-mouthed cardinal seems to be singing right into my window through a megaphone. I have to remind myself that they are one of God's creatures and doing what they are programmed to do. Yes, the birds are wonderful!!

In the words of Jerry Clower:

"Ain't God good!!"

[RoLo]

It would be my guess that the bird you heard was a "tree sparrow" (Tiny black stickpin on his breast).

In New Jersey, we only seen tree sparrows when there was snow on the ground, when food was in short supply.

Roger

[roadwarrior]

Here in the Mid-South it appears spring may have arrived, the last two weeks or so was winter!

Crocus, daffodils and tulip poplars all popped today! The birds are frisky and singing up a storm. All  in nature seems fresh and renewed.  Clear skies and a light breeze, temperatures in the low 70's and no humidity. I love it this time of year!

[nboucher]

It would be my guess that the bird you heard was a "tree sparrow" (Tiny black stickpin on his breast).

In New Jersey, we only seen tree sparrows when there was snow on the ground, when food was in short supply.

Roger

Roger, I doubt tree sparrows make it down to Texas. They don't like it that warm. Here in Mass. I've had one at my bird feeders on and off this winter, usually hanging with juncos. They are handsome birds, aren't they?

RW, your report is the best news I've had all day!

[RoLo]

Roger, I doubt tree sparrows make it down to Texas. They don't like it that warm.

Along the eastern seaboard, tree sparrows usually doesn't migrate farther south than Virginia.

However, their wintering quarters in central United States is further south, where tree sparrows commonly winter in northern Texas.

In fact, winter birders reach their highest counts of tree sparrows in Kansas, directly north of Texas.

(As an aside, I seen a tree sparrow in my backyard in Georgia, but that was on the heels of the blizzard of 1993)

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/htm96/cbc622/ra5590.html

Roger

[nboucher]

Thanks, Roger, for pointing that out. Get me away from the eastern flyway, and I don't know squat.  :-/