Annie and I just got back from a gorgeous walk. It’s in the high 60’s here in western Massachusetts. The sun is shining brightly in a pure blue sky. Every patch of snow is gone as of today – not a single bit of white stuff seen in the fields or woodlands on today’s walk.
All of winter’s vestiges have been replaced by the sights and sounds of nature. The cows were mooing. The barn cats were scurrying about (We’re counting to see if all ten made it through the severe winter. So far, Annie and I have spotted four.) One, in particular, had become Annie’s friend last fall and seemed to remember today the trust they had built in one another, she allowing Annie to come as close as ten feet while she calmly lay on the ground. And, the peepers. The sound could be heard a quarter of a mile away. The chorus a much welcomed sign of spring.
Photo: Brian E. Small (off internet)
Through all of this, I kept hearing an unusual birdsong. Not the sound of robins, many now appearing in groups along the way. This song was different, although I knew I had heard it before. I stood peering up at the tall maples, just beginning to show tight buds on their limbs, determined to locate the source of this song. Annie stood waiting patiently at my side. (She was occupied watching the ground action of the black squirrels that inhabit this section of woods.) Not spotting a single bird in the branches above, although the song emanated from that area, I decided it was time to move on. Just as we started to move forward, the corner of my eye spotted a brilliant orange high above. There is was, a magnificent Baltimore Oriole heralding the coming of spring. What a breathtaking sight! Content with our discovery, Annie and I continued walking as nature’s orchestra played on. We so appreciate our springtime season when it finally arrives!