After two glorious spring-like days, with temperatures actually above normal for the first time in what seems like forever, it snowed . . . again. What a difference a day makes, huh?

Here’s the garden in front of the store yesterday:

And, here it is today:

But, yesterday, Jeannette and I visited Capisic Pond Park and Dragon Field in Portland before work. There was a lot of activity at Capisic, led by lots of Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins, and Common Grackles. We also flushed three American Woodcocks, and were thoroughly entertained by 4 rambunctious drake Hooded Mergansers who were performing their hearts out for two hens, who really seemed more interested in finding breakfast.

Then, over at Dragon Field, more migrants were noted, including our first 2 Northern Flickers and first American Kestrel of the year, plus 12 Horned Larks, 3 Killdeer, 13 Song Sparrows, and numerous American Robins. While the resident pair of Red-tailed Hawks have yet to begin nesting this year, one bird was circling low over the quarry – at least until a pair of American Crows raised up to mob it. One of the crows was particularly aggressive. At one point it seemed to land on the gliding hawk’s back (or nearly landed), and actually plucked a feather! The crow circled around with the feather in its bill, appearing rather proud of his accomplishment.

Meanwhile, up on the hill, after 55 raptors were tallied at The Brad on Wednesday (our second highest count so far this season), 51 were tallied on Thursday, including our first American Kestrels of the season.

Then, came Friday morning, and with it, snow. Rain changed to snow in the early morning hours, and continued until afternoon. It wasn’t very spring-like today! But, Jeannette and I made the best of it, and got out on our cross-country skies for one last (hopefully!) time. At North Yarmouth’s Old Town House Park, male Red-winged adamantly protested this meteorological turn of events. My 33rd Northern Shrike of the winter, and first for this park, kept an eye on things from a top a tall oak. Meanwhile, a flock of about 30 American Robins were heading south overhead – no doubt muttering, if birds were to mutter, “screw this!”

See, these early-arriving “short-distance,” facultative migrants – such as robins, blackbirds, grackles, many ducks, Killdeer, etc – are able to turn around and head back south if the going gets too tough. An oriole leaves South America at nearly the same time each year, and returns to our area at roughly the same time each year. Their migration timing is “built-in,” they come and go by some automatic clock (likely a increase or decrease in certain hormones triggered by changes in day length, which is the only thing that is constant from year to year – and the only thing we haven’t screwed up yet!). These are called “obligate migrants.” To oversimplify things, once they go, there’s no turning back.

Our facultative migrants are more flexible. If heavy snow blankets the fields and marshes, Killdeer will go back south, or retreat to a tidal saltmarsh. If those American Robins were having a tough time finding fruit here, they may go a hundred miles south to find open ground. And, when conditions improve once again, they’ll turn around and head back north. While some blackbirds will undoubtedly move south in the next day or two, others will simply stick it out – such as those persistent male Red-wings proclaiming their snowy territories this morning at Old Townhouse Park. And, many will descend on feeders – along with the other early migrating Song and Fox Sparrows, and Dark-eyed Juncos. For example, here at the store, we’ve been seeing about 50 Common Grackles and up to 30 Red-winged Blackbirds in the past few days. But today there’s been a whole lot more – plus my first 16 Brown-headed Cowbirds of the spring.

News and Notes:
Turn off your lights on Saturday Night!
Join the worldwide “Earth Hour” by turning off all of your lights between 8:00 and 9:00pm. The City of Portland is participating, as are cities around the world. Check out Earthhour.org to sign up. Inspired by a 2007 Earth Hour in Syndey, Australia, in which 2.2 million people and 2100 businesses turned off their lights for one hour, the movement has gone global for 2008. Be part of making a statement, and making a difference!

Bad News for New England Bats:
This is scary. A mysterious disease is killing thousands of hibernating bats in New England.

Good News for Red Knots:
Governor Corzine of New Jersey has signed a bill to impose a moratorium on the harvest of horseshoe crabs in the state. I particularly liked the statement: “’This moratorium will be held in place until the populations of both horseshoe crabs AND RED KNOTS have returned to a level where they will be self sustaining as determined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service,’ the Governor added.” This is great news for the Red Knot, but let’s just hope it is not too late.