Red Wings

No.  I don’t mean the hockey team from Detroit.  I mean the amazing bird, the Red Wing Blackbird.

Just yesterday I wrote that I hadn’t heard my first Red Wing of the year and today I heard not one but about a dozen.  It was a sunny 50 degrees F and late afternoon when we decided to go for a walk in a remote part of one of the nearby parks.  We hadn’t been to that part of the park since Fall because it is pretty exposed and allows for icy blasts of air in the winter.  A little too cold for me.  Anyway, it was just warm enough for me to want to try it out today and see if I could spot any returning birds or any eagles.  I was also interested in seeing if any wild turkeys were hiding in that part of the park.  They have been ‘missing’ for several months and I haven’t figured out where they have been staying.

We got out of the car and went to the walking path.  No other cars were around but the path had a pretty good stream of bicycles.  That’s another sign of spring and warmer weather.  We usually see some pretty hardy bicyclists all winter long but not very many like we see on warmer days like today.  Just last week there was snow on the ground when we were walking and two bicyclists went sliding by us at a pretty good clip.

We didn’t get too far down the path when I heard the first one.  I know it sounds goofy but that first Red Wing song of the year brings a thrill to my heart like nothing else.  It’s the sound of wonderful days ahead.  Of being outside, of peaceful rainy nights, of gardening, of cooking out, of meeting my neighbors in the backyard and of just everything good in life.

The different thing about the Red Wings when they first return to our area is that they sit high up in the trees.  It’s almost like they are trying to make themselves known to the very few other Red Wings that have also returned early.  By next month when I spot a Red Wing, he will be on lower branches and old cat tails and bushes.  They sit low, about 4-6 feet off the ground, and mark out their territory.  I only started noticing this a few years ago.  It’s a consistent pattern and I believe it has to do with how many of the birds there are in the area and the necessity to be seen in order to attract a mate.  Once the mate is found and the territory is marked, they don’t have a need to show themselves off to all the competition and all the ladies.  My theory anyway.

So now I can say Spring is certainly on its way at full force.  Yes, we will have more cold weather and more snow and ice.  Maybe we will have lots of snow and ice before Spring finally breaks its way through the cold.  But, I can honestly say now that Spring has touched my heart and it is so close I can hear it.