For the first time in months the street in front of my house can actually be driven on without touching ice and snow. Really. The middle of the street is bare of the frozen stuff. Just the last few feet next to the curbs remain. And even this is getting rotten. Can spring be far behind?
I’m hearing whispers of migrant birds here and there but nothing from North Dakota which is still veiled in pretty serious snow cover. South Dakota is getting some gulls I understand. But that’s a sort of red herring given the artificial setting of the various Missouri River dams and the resultant open water.
Here’s an example of just what is happening south of us. It’s a website which tracks the migration of chimney swifts. I clicked on it today and, lo and behold, there is a square marking the first arrival in the states this spring in south Texas!
Swifts usually don’t show up here until May. Nonetheless it’s kinda fun to watch the map as the migration progresses northward.
The first migrant around these parts is usually a western meadowlark or a killdeer or a raptor of some sort. But I haven’t seen one yet…