When Saturday afternoon’s sun had melted away the trace of Friday evening’s snow in my yard, crocuses were left in full bloom. These early blooming cultivars are harbingers of things to come. Sure, spring is still six months away and a date on the calendar is no guarantee of balmy weather in the mountains, but it’s coming.

The planet is wobbling back around and the sunlight is taking on a different hue. The days are, nearly imperceptibly, growing longer. The maple and amelanchier buds are beginning to give the mountainsides a rosy complexion. Spring ephemerals like bloodroot, trout lily, trailing arbutus, hepatica and spring beauty are scarcely a month away.

The Carolina wrens in my yard appear to be nosing around the kinds of nooks and crannies that wrens love to nest in. I caught a white-breasted nuthatch checking out the bird house that appears to be a winter-time den for southern flying squirrels.

Soon, groundhogs, chipmunks, bats and other hibernators will be joining the local fauna. I have had chipmunks up a couple of times already in my yard, testing the air. And, of course, Punxsu-tawney Phil will be pulling his gig on Friday to determine if spring is truly in the air or if we will endure six more weeks of winter.

If you stop and listen, your ears will also tell you spring is on the way. In fact, the increased decibel level just outside your kitchen window when you have your morning coffee is probably one of the most noticeable signs that spring is approaching.

Many of our feathered troubadours are clearing their throats and beginning to practice the serenades they hope will find favor with the ladies of their particular species. Carolina wrens come to mind right away.

These lusty songsters have been known to break into song during any month of the year. However, you can tell, during the winter months their hearts are really not into it. Its kind of like when you’re preoccupied and realize that you’ve been humming or half-heartedly whistling a well known tune but can’t remember why.

They’re beginning to get serious now. Carolina wrens have a large and varied repertoire. Their basic chorus is a loud, rolling, rollicking tea kettle, tea kettle, tea kettle, or chirpity, chirpity, chirpity. Often, you might hear a little bit of a combination, like chirpity, chirpity, tea kettle. These diminutive crooners are loud! If you haven’t heard them yet, it won’t be long till they’re rockin your neighborhood.

Northern cardinals are also beginning to clear their throats. Cardinals, like Carolina wrens, may also be heard to some extent, year-round. Cardinals are unique, in the fact that they are one of the few species where the female often joins in, in song. Pretty, pretty, pretty, or I’m here, here, here are the loud, musical, whistled notes most commonly heard from the northern cardinal.

The tufted titmouse is another year-round, vocal resident. While this little bird utters an astonishing variety of chips, chirps, squeaks and calls it is most recognized by its loud whistled peter, peter, peter that is beginning to echo through the tulip poplars. Don’t be confused if this character peters only twice, or perhaps four times. It is pretty easy to recognize the tone and/or cadence of this song.

Song sparrows have a song that, undoubtedly, other song sparrows love. And while these songsters may not top the musical charts, you have to give them an “A” for effort. They generally commence with three, clear, rather musical notes followed by a garbled, jumbled, trill. One field guide describes it as Madge, Madge, Madge, quick, yourteakettleisboilingover. You can usually rest assured that three clear notes followed by a jumbled trill is, indeed, a song sparrow.

If you need another sign that spring is truly in the air, check out the change of threads on the American goldfinches. I have had a stable population of goldfinches at my feeders all winter. It is easy to see that the males are beginning to spiff up. The yellow is beginning to shine through along the neck and back. I saw one just the other day that looked like he had black eyebrows.

Don’t remove the weather stripping, just yet. The temperatures and more snows are likely to fall in the next few months, but nature’s intuitive clock won’t be slowed.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News