Featured Photo: Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, displaying multi-colored gorget
By Jaya Ramanathan
Photos by Jaya Ramanathan
Spring is here, with cooler temperatures, and crisp mornings. Our dormant plants wake up, some faster than others. Winter migrants depart up north. Some birds that wintered south, migrate north along the Central Flyway, giving us an opportunity to spot them. Others migrate and stay here through summer. Resident birds pair up, and get ready for nesting. Clearly, spring brings forth fresh beginnings.
Trumpet Vine blooms, Red Oak opens its dormant bud to reveal leaves
Our Trumpet Vine flowers prolifically, heralding the arrival of spring. Red Oak, opens dormant buds to reveal tiny dark red leaves, which eventually turn green. Crepe Myrtles start with light red leaves which later become green. American Sweet Berry, Vitex, and Canna Lily, all sprout green leaves to begin with. Roses, trimmed before spring, bloom anew in many colors. Our Hydrangea adventures end, as we choose freeze-resistant, native plants. Coral Honeysuckle and Salvia blossom to welcome migrating Hummingbirds. Live Oak’s fresh pollen attracts Carolina Chickadee.
Northern Cardinal pair kiss, Black Vultures snuggle on rooftop, Black-bellied Whistling Duck family on rooftop
Signs of courtship and nesting abound. Kinglets practice singing, as they prepare to breed up north. Male Northern Cardinal offers female a seed, and keeps a watchful eye when she snacks at feeder. When one leaves, the other follows suit. A pair once rewards my tracking them with their kiss. Black vultures snuggle on rooftop. A Black-bellied Whistling Duck pair visits, one perches on our rooftop, then chimney, the other on oak. Another time, a family of five visit. We often see them flying – maybe nesting nearby? Carolina Chickadee pair playfully chase each other. Male Hummingbird dives acrobatically to impress prospective females. House Finch carries nesting twig under a coffee shop’s rooftop. We create a pile of dry Lantana stems, nesting material. I wonder if nests on our oak and elm would host young ones.
Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird sipping nectar from Coral Honeysuckle, Male Black-chinned Hummingbird displaying its purple gorget
Migration has begun. Winter migrants such as Kinglets and Chipping Sparrow dwindle. A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird fortifies itself for its journey at our nectar feeder and Coral Honeysuckle. It perches on a branch tiny enough for it to grasp, its sun-lit gorget displaying varied colors, whenever it looks around. A male Black-chinned Hummingbird, that summers here, displays its purple gorget. Warblers play peekaboo, Nashville Warbler hiding among oak’s foliage. Wilson’s Warbler, distracts me from total solar eclipse guests. I feel a thrill when I recognize its distinct black cap when it bends down. American White Pelican, migrating at scale, magically paint our backyard blue sky, glitter-white and black.
Migrating American White Pelican
Neighborhood parks come alive. Freeman Park has dense greenery, fragrant blooms, and colorful blossoms such as Trillium. We spot White-eyed Vireo, first sight ever, as we have only heard its calls before. Old Settlers Park has colorful wildflower carpets. Northern Mockingbird entertains us with its long mimicry. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, back from Central America, perches among wildflowers, its long tail flapping in gusty winds.
White-eyed Vireo at Freeman Park, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher at Old Settlers Park
Early spring show of wildflowers will soon disappear, but we anticipate other sights. Hummingbird skirmishes. More Warblers, Flycatchers, and Vireos. Mississippi Kite and Hawks. First blossoms on new plants. Repeat blooms on others. Juveniles. And more. We can’t wait for the fresh beginnings of spring to blossom into its full splendor.
Wildflower carpet at Old Settlers Park
