A Few Signs Of Spring

It is difficult to think of spring with this Arctic like weather. During the past week or so I have seen some early signs that spring may be right around the corner. Flocks of robins have visited our area feeders and stayed for a bit. They looked ready to stay but with the extreme cold they just disappeared. A skunk was seen running up our street the other morning and the temperature was minus 30 below with the wind chill factor.

While living in the Arctic the people always took two symbols that spring was coming.The first was the arrival of the snowbirds. These little birds came north to claim their nesting area when it was full winter in the end of April and early May.They would stay close to the settlements and feed off scraps and what little food was available.They were a welcome sight.

The next warning was the return of the swans which took residence on a lake near our community and called appropriately Swan Lake. They would come in great numbers and sit on the ice near a small patch of open water for days and even weeks. When the first warm day came the swans paired off and flew to their own lake where they had their own space to raise two or three baby swan.  Incidentally they were the last to leave the north in the fall. This was because it took longer to teach the young ones to fly. They left when their lake froze over.

I suppose we can take heart in the fact that the days are longer and the sun comes up earlier. The snow which had been with us for so long this year is being slowly eroded and come mid February we will see real signs that spring is on the way.In the meantime Mother Nature is showing us her power so there must be a good reason for our coldest winter for a long time.