Spring In Virginia

It's been slow coming this year. We've had more snow and cold temperatures than we have in years. Now, snow here consists of a several inches, but be that as it may, I have never liked it. The roads freeze over and no one knows how to drive on snowy, icy roads around here.

Spring in Virginia usually comes all at  once - 30 degrees one day, 70 the next. It may do this up and down thing for several weeks, but here are two sure signs the warmer weather is on its way to stay: the cardinals and the mockingbirds.

Male Cardinal
The male cardinals are often the first flash of color in Southeastern Virginia after a grey, rainy winter. They perch high up in the trees and call back and forth with short whistles and trills. They are usually the first bird that sings at the end of winter. Even though they are the brightest and first to sing, the most beautiful song belongs to a less noticeable bird.

Male mockingbird
The grey and white mockingbird is a common sight in Virginia. A shy and unobtrusive bird, the mockingbird is the owner of one of the most beautiful songs in nature. Gentle and melodic calls are the signal that winter is coming to an end. The mockingbirds usually sing early in the morning just as the sun is rising, as do the cardinals. The morning songs are a common springtime symphony in the country.

Spring doesn't always last a long time in Virginia. It heats up rather quickly, so that if you make it to Mother's Day without turning on the air conditioning you're doing well. Even so, the cardinals and mockingbirds still sing, albeit not as much. They are permanent residents, remaining through the fall and winter, hidden high up in nests in the pine trees, waiting to sing in another spring.

"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee


Comments

  1. Hamlette (Rachel)February 24, 2014 at 12:09 PM

    We're in north-eastern VA, and it's been a weird spring here too. This weekend we were running around without coats on cuz it was in the 60s, and tomorrow, it's supposed to snow again. Sometimes I miss the clear-cut seasons of farther north.

    ReplyDelete
  2. the far side of foreverFebruary 24, 2014 at 1:27 PM

    It's absolutely beautiful here today, but we're supposed to rop sown into the 40s later on. As long as it doesn't snow again...I hate snow!

    ReplyDelete

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