Spring Symphony

The weather here in Central Minnesota has been unseasonably warm this spring. It has been so nice my   wife and I slept with the window open last night. I awoke this morning not to my alarm clock but to a grand symphony of spring. I just lay in bed and listened for almost a half hour to nature’s version of a full orchestration. There is no conductor or tuxedoes. The dramatic lighting is not from a stagehand in the theater but the warm, rich natural light of the sun rising. The instruments are finely tuned and played to perfection.

This beautiful music does not come from a string or a woodwind; it comes from our local and migrating birds and the reemerging frogs. This is the time of year for singing. I am not sure what they are singing about however I do know that the melodies and tones are unmatched for beauty and harmony.  Mates must be found, territories must be established and nests have to be built or reclaimed. 

I am fortunate to live near a cattail marsh. The Spring Peepers are already out and peeping constantly. Canadian Geese have come back to the same ponds with their same partners to lay claim to a nesting location. They honk, call and fuss almost all day and night. They are the baritones of this symphony. My pond is also filling up with both local and migratory waterfall. We have Mallards, Teal, a few Redheads and even several Buffleheads. I noticed a single Kingfisher last week. Blackbirds have also moved into the shoreline edges and with their soprano voices are noisily establishing their territories.

In the distance I hear my first Sandhill Cranes of the year. They have a prehistoric call unmistaken in the birding community. I can’t wait to watch their mating ritual of jumping, hopping, displaying and dancing for one another.  This is nature’s ballet on the grandest stage. Once you witness this performance, you will always love these big graceful birds. I have also seen my first Trumpeter Swans and Great Blue Herons of the year. The marsh is filling up.

Many birds make up the constant chirping, whistling and singing I listened to this morning that make up the rhythm and body of my symphony. Now I cannot identify many birds by their calls but I do know which birds I have seen in the last week. Among them are the Northern Flicker, Meadowlarks, Eastern Bluebirds, Robins, Chickadees, a Killdeer, and even my first Hummingbird of the season. There are a few more I am not able to identify without a birding guide. I do not claim to be a birding expert, but I am a music lover.

You do not have to be able to identify these birds to enjoy them. Get up early one morning, grab a cup of coffee, open your window and just listen. It just could be the best symphony you hear all year.

Enjoy our woodland treasures, and take care of our natural resources.

Jim

Sandhill Crane photo courtesy of Jim Krueger