What's one of the most popular hobbies in the world? Birding

Sure signs of spring
The birds are singing again and Cheese and Quackers are back.

Cheese and Quackers? Two ducks that make our backyard a waystation on their northbound trek. Are they the same ducks that come every year? I don’t know. They land and putter about for a day or two and then they’re off. A sure sign of spring.

And birdsong
It was just before dawn last week when I heard the birds singing again. They were chirping in the early morning hours, just before sunrise. It surprises me that they sing when it's dark out.

It's one of the reasons I love spring.

But it's not for everyone. Spring is a controversial topic here in Maine. People like to joke that we have five seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter ... and mud season. Mud season they argue is uncomfortably squeezed between spring and summer. It's still cold outside, there’s a lot of mud, and too many black flies to make a hike in the woods the thing to do.

It’s not like winter they say, when you can ski. Or summer, when it’s warm and we can do so much outside. Or fall, when at least the bugs are gone and there’s foliage to fawn over.

Maybe. But it's the smell of dirt as winter thaws, the budding trees, the forsythia, the crocus, and tulips that I love. The return of the robin, open windows, and most of all, the light.