I begin watching for the first bluebird of the season (my official marker of spring) as soon as the calendar flips to March. I generally spot the first one somewhere near the 15th of the month. Following mild winters, I have seen them return to my prairie surroundings as early as the first week of the month. In 2008, I didn’t see my first bluebird until March 27.
On a trip to and from town
yesterday, I scanned all around me as I drove along the ranchland roads, seeking
to spot a bluebird.
No such luck.
But I did spot a red-winged
blackbird clinging to a cattail near my mailbox. Not my official harbinger of spring, but a fortuitous
sight just the same.
I would say it’s an equivalent to
finding silver when you are looking for gold.
—Mitchell Hegman
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