Announcing the Arrival of Spring

Hope arrived today.

Down at the pond, I first noticed a bluebird sitting atop a fence post eating what looked to be a big juicy grub. Yummy for that bluebird, I guess.

 

Within feet of his location, at the very next wooden fence post, was one of our three new bluebird houses that Glenn nailed up around the pond area last fall.  There was bird activity.  But, it was not bluebird activity.  It was tree swallow activity.  Tree swallows challenge bluebirds for the right to reside in the so-called ‘bluebird boxes’ and the tree swallows usually prevail.

The first thought that came to my inquiring mind is whether the tree swallow is a year-round bird that just exited its winter refuge or whether it is a migratory bird.  I really did not know.  The birds that I have been seeing lately are year-round residents even though they get scarce through the winter.  Where these year-round resident birds hang out I do not know, but I assume they take to the deep woods for protection from winter’s elements. They hide well.

In any case, my bird book indicates that the tree swallows are summer residents in our part of Virginia, actually in most parts of Virginia except for the coast. 

You saw right…SUMMER residents.  Hurray!

My first summer bird sighting this season and a sure sign that spring is (Dare I say it...do I commit?) here.

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!

P.S. To make the day even better...we just had a magnificent double rainbow - the main arc looked to begin in the pasture just below the house - what luck!

look closely - the rainbow comes down in front of the woods