Spring has Sprung

It is hard to believe that my children and I were cross-country skiing 7 days ago on top of 30 cm of snow south of Collingwood. In the past week temperatures soared into the low-teens, the snow quickly melted away and spring arrived!

The first signs of spring were apparent on Monday (March 7). Male Red-winged Blackbirds and Grackles arrived in the night. The blackbirds wasted no time in staking out territories in preparation for the females, which will arrive in a week or two behind the males. Song Sparrows were singing on the banks of the Credit River and at least one willow (Salix sp.) tree's catkins were starting to burst out. Hiding in the spruce trees was a Long-Eared Owl, who has been patrolling the valley since February in search of small mammals and birds; it might be heading further North soon to breed.

On Tuesday (March 8), chipmunks had emerged from their hibernation, Hooded Mergansers had flown from further South and were fishing on the lower pond at University of Toronto Mississauga, while large white "V's" of migrating Tundra Swans were flying overhead. In the evening, Killdeer could be heard with their noisy and incessant "kill-deer" or "ki-dee" calls as they circled the valley. All of these were new arrivals.

A late walk home from work through the valley on Thursday (March 10) night spooked a Screech Owl, which flew and perched on the branch of a manitoba maple (Acer negundo) near my head. It let me know that I was in its territory with a long low trill, the song of this species. The bird and I did a duet for a minute as I called back, but I quickly moved on to leave the owl with the peace of mind that it had cowed a poor imitator within its territory.

In the Credit Valley there are additional signs that the plants are waking up from a not-so-cold winter. On Thursday (March 11), the flower buds of the Silver Maples (Acer saccharinum) burst open (see photo). In the photo below you can see spent anthers hanging far out of the flower, and new unopened ones waiting to grow and expose their pollen for the wind to carry to nearby trees. Many maple trees use insects for pollination, or a mixture of insects and wind, but this species is adapted principally to taking its chance of finding a mate on the wind.

The last sign of early spring today comes from the river. On a Sunday walk to work (March 13), the fishermen have started to swarm the river in larger numbers, a sure sign that the spring-spawning Rainbow Trout have started to move into the river in greater numbers.

Spring has sprung and with it renewed life. I love all seasons, but the novelty of daily new arrivals as animals migrate back to the north and plants and animals emerge from their winter slumbers make this season my favourite time of year.