Saddened as the number of birds eating at the feeders in my Mulberry tree had whittled away some, I've recently been pleased to observe their return to old schedules, however, arriving this time to dine with a new partner or an old pair arriving with new behavior--the males foraging for the best and feeding beak to beak their thankful mate......the same food they've both been independently surviving on all winter long! Yesterday afternoon as I was under the tree myself, I heard a soft squeaky sound above my head that was immediately responded to a little higher up in the tree. Looking up -- a Catbird pair had just landed and were checking out their summer source of fruit. Immediately they flew over to the nearby bush they have nested in for several years, flitting around its branches, evaluating every spot it seemed and then perched to just rest. About the same time today at the other end of the house across the street on the Joppenburgh ridge an E-O-Lay followed by several more calls floated through the air....the Wood Thrushes have arrived! No calendar or holiday could more clearly define better the beginning of spring than these guys!
