Spring is in the Air!

By Terri Estes

Go outside! It may not feel like it, but winter is over. Look around and you will see the first signs of spring everywhere. Daffodils and crocuses are sprouting out of the ground. Take a listen and you will hear many different types of birds singing their love songs and serenading potential mates. Smell the fresh air and take note, that there is no tingling sign of frost accosting your nostrils.

Take a walk along the beach. While some shore birds stay here all year long, many migrate further south for the winter. Some of the first arrivals back are the laughing gulls and piping plovers. They have been steadily arriving for the last several days. It won’t be long until the skimmers and terns show up. Fish, such as menhaden, also known as bunker, are beginning to head back into our area and they are the favorite food of dolphins and whales, who will soon be spotted right off our shores, following their food source.

An osprey nest near my home has been empty all winter, and just last week both the male and female osprey that have been occupying that nest for the last several years showed up within a day of each other. An interesting fact about osprey is that they mate for life, and share the responsibilities of raising their young, but when they migrate south in the fall, they go their separate ways and winter alone. They usually return to their nests within a day or two of each other.

Squirrels are becoming more active, and tree frogs have begun singing their nightly song. Box turtles and snapping turtles are waking up from their long sleeps and looking for warm spots to sun themselves.

So, go outside! It’s been a long winter, but our human hibernation is over!

 Photo by Anna Lesniak.