How I Can Tell Spring Is On Its way

"Well, duh," you're probably saying, "The first day of spring is this coming Sunday."

Well, yea, I know that, but I can tell in other ways too. First of all, the robins are back, but aside from that, the longer days and warmer temperatures, the true sign that spring is on its way is that the blackbirds are back and singing and the vultures are back. Those are the two signs that spring is definitely on its way.

Blackbirds have a very distinctive call, you'll know it the first time you hear it, well that is if someone tells you that's what it is, but after that, you'll know. The first blackbird singing is a sure sign that spring is almost here. They're also one of the last birds to return, along with the vulture. The blackbirds around here are called red winged blackbirds. They have a bright red stripe on their wings along with two yellow ones.

Also, seeing vultures circling overhead, you know. Like I said earlier, they're one of the last of the birds to return. They come back and the eagles leave. I would much rather see the eagles year round, but at least we get to see them for awhile. There have been a lot of them around the state too, which is good to see. They are magnificent birds.

Vultures look different than eagles when they're flying. Of course there's the eagle's white head and tale, but their wings are also wider than the vulture's, not the wing span, but the wing itself. Vultures have skinnier wings and tend to float among the wind drafts longer than eagles do. They look so graceful when they're flying, but seeing their red bald heads up close and you know that they're rather ugly birds. I remember too when Jake was still a puppy, they saw him in the yard and started circling over him. We hid him under the glider on the patio until they left. Another time, Rolli was out doing her business and wouldn't do it unless she was under the tree for that same reason. The vultures never swooped down on them, but we weren't taking any chances and neither was Rolli. Now that they're older and bigger, we don't have to worry about that happening.

Yep, spring is about to spring upon us, just a couple more days now. One thing I've noticed though is that winter didn't seem to last as long, at least to me it didn't. Maybe it's because we've had some warmer days mixed in here and there and not as much snow as last year. Last year it seemed like it was never going to end.