Spring Means the Return of Special Birds

As I compose this post, it is alternating between snow and sunshine outside; some nearby communities had inches of snow this morning.  We escaped that snow.  We keep asking when some warmth will arrive. Birds are one sign of spring....birds that left when it got cold last fall.  We can usually mark our calendars for the arrival of osprey pairs and for hummingbirds.  For 30+ years, an osprey pair have returned to a nest high above the high school football field during spring break, which is the last week of March.   Several osprey nests have been established in other areas of this valley and the adjoining one.  These birds winter separately in Central America and fly back within a day of each other. 

This is "Courtney" of the "Brooks and Courtney" pair.  They are named for the intersection of country lanes where their nest was built on a platform.  Look at the varied materials around the nest....the blue baling twine can be deadly for chicks when they fledge. 

This is "Jack" and "Diane" ...birds that nest literally in the back yard of my sister and brother-in-law's home.  They installed the pole and the platform 5 years before birds chose it. In the 5 years since,they have raised 2 or 3 chicks each year (chicks who are given names but are actually indistinguishable from each other.)

  

This Rufous male was the first to the feeder this year and he hung around for two hours.  The cold weather has to be so difficult for these little hummers.