March 20th, 2019: Springtime in Minnesota!
Huzzah! It seems that spring has finally arrived in Minnesota! I’m opting to set aside, for the moment, the fact that we got a foot and a half of snow in the middle of April last year. Instead, I’m stoked to have returned from Louisiana–where it was practically summer, from my point of view–and found Minnesota with spring in the air.
One of my favourite markers for spring is the return of Red-winged Blackbirds and their ebullient singing. In Vancouver (where I’ll be this coming week), they’re around year round, albeit less loquaciously. So when I was walking to work at St. Olaf College, I was excited to hear Red-winged Blackbirds singing from a not-too-distant marsh, even as the Northern Cardinals continue to sing across their neatly organized suburban territories (it’s been about a month for them now). The single White-throated Sparrow along my walk in also seems to be getting a few notes into his song now before it fizzles. You can do it buddy!
I love it when marshes wake up in the spring and I’m looking forward to visiting some marsh and wetland in Vancouver next week. There, I’m told, spring is well on its way and the cherries are just beginning to blossom!
