I stopped by Hammond Pond for a few minutes this weekend. Mostly it
was the regulars, hooded and common mergansers, mallards and a single
black duck, and ring-billed gulls. The great black-backed gull who had
stayed for a few weeks was gone, nor could I find the ring-necked ducks.
But my walk to work this morning was much more eventful. As soon as I
stepped outside the house I was greeted by the two noted "phoebe" mating call of
the black-caped chickadee, usually one of my first signs of spring and
the impending chorus of birdsong. I do miss the slightly more musical
four-noted song of the more southerly Carolina chickadee: "fee-bee
fee-bay". The song sparrow who has been gracing the us with his complex
song was absent from his usual tree. But before I turned down the next
street I had an excellent consolation prize. The slurred liquid whistles
of a single northern cardinal rang out and I looked up to find this
brilliant red specimen singing with full morning light to show him off
in stark contrast to the branches of the bare oak he was perching in.
This cardinal certainly knows that spring is on the way.
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