Out with the Old, in with the New

Rainwater from the showers of earlier that day, March 25, spattered from the newly-emerged leaves on the neighborhood trees and flowed down the roadside drainage ditches.  Most of the low-lying yards in the neighborhood held puddles of at least an inch or two deep.  Still, it wasn’t raining now, so a couple of family members and I decided to take advantage of this lull in the drizzly weather to exercise a little.  As we walked along the roads, Brown Thrashers chattered from their secluded perches in the shrubby woodlots.  

Brown Thrasher

The thrashers had been doing this for the past month or so, actually; like their close relatives, the mockingbirds, they’re typically early nesters.  So are Eastern Bluebirds.  A couple of pairs of these birds displayed their gorgeous cobalt-blue plumage as they flitted around the open fields, probably seeking out cavities in the large oaks and sugarberry trees that might serve as nest sites. 

Eastern Bluebird on wire

As I made my way down the road, multiple Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice sang loudly from the woods all around the neighborhood.  In all likelihood, the bluebirds in this area compete with these two species and a variety of other animals, including squirrels and nuthatches, for nest sites.  I’m not sure that the forests here are quite swampy enough for another small, cavity-nesting bird, the Prothonotary Warbler, but since it’s nearly time for these yellow-and-blue birds to be winging their way back to their breeding territories, I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.

A brief sequence of wheezy notes sounding from deep within the cedar thicket made me stop for a moment.  Was that a Black-throated Green Warbler?  I pished loudly for a few seconds, then heard the call again.  No, it was the first few notes of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet’s song, the entire phrase sounding like Sisisisi see see see liberTY liberTY liberTY—all things considered, a boisterous song for such a tiny bird.  Although kinglets start singing during March and April in Mississippi, they breed elsewhere, migrating to Canada, the very northernmost United States, or the western U.S. to claim nesting territories.  Unlike most of the other birds I saw on the walk, the kinglets will soon be moving on.  I’m glad to have them around for a few more weeks, anyway.  That also goes for the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker that gave one squealing call from the trunk of a large sugarberry tree and then quietly slipped out of view.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet painting

Obviously, migrating birds were not the only noticeable changes in the environment.  Vegetation flourishes at this time of year, and with new plant growth and rain typically comes an increase in insect abundance.  That seemed to be the case here.  A profusion of wildflowers—spring beauty, wild garlic, henbit, Carolina anemone, and others—covered the lawns, and new, green leaves showed on branches.   

Carolina anemone

The rain had also helped to dislodge wilting blooms from many of the flowering trees and shrubs; the redbuds were no longer fuchsia-colored, and stringy, greenish blossoms from the oaks dotted the pavement.  Eastern tiger swallowtail and cloudless sulphur butterflies darted out from the woodland edges where, only a few weeks ago at most, they had emerged from chrysalides.  Unfortunately, the rain and warmer weather also bring out less pleasant insects, such as mosquitoes and gnats, but that’s just part of life as spring rolls into the Southeast.