Perhaps against my better judgment, I am going to move forward with an early signs of spring column.

Even as nearly a foot of snow fell in my area a few short days ago, signs of spring are out there. They may not abound yet, but they are out there.

It started a little over a week ago with one of the typical first signs of spring: snowdrops poking out of the ground and flashing their little white flowers. A day or two later, a flock of turkeys walked past my window at work. It was a good-sized flock of about 15 to 20 birds, and, of course, I had to leave my work area temporarily to check out the action.

As I stepped out of a door a fair distance away from the turkeys so as to not disturb their day, I noticed that several of the males were displaying. No matter how many times you’ve seen it before, it is always an impressive sight to see turkeys displaying. They are large birds to begin with, so when their feathers are displayed to intimidate or impress, the birds appear to be that much larger.

Turkeys display and gobble during their breeding seasons. The spring breeding season typically starts in March, but these males must have been practicing up and showing off for the hens in the flock. I didn’t hear any gobbling, but that will happen in the weeks ahead, I’m sure. Turkeys are a common sight at my work.

Two or three days later, I was taking my normal walk around the small field at work when I noticed in the distance a red-shouldered hawk uttering its loud kee-aah call. Within seconds, the hawk flew almost right over my head and landed in the Y of a tree in a little patch of woods next to the field. It was the same tree in which red-shouldered hawks nested last year. 

I discovered the nest last summer when I saw two fluffy birds sitting up in a nest in that Y of the tree. The bird the other day landed on the nest for a short while before taking off across the field and eventually out of sight.

It is presumably the same bird as last year as red-shouldered hawks are monogamous, and this is about the time they start gearing up for the breeding season. Now that I know where the nest is, I’m hoping the hawks use it again so I can monitor the nest all spring and summer.

Finally, on the same day that I saw the hawk, I heard a very boisterous male cardinal belting out a variation of its melodic and well-loved song. Hearing cardinals sing in the winter is not that unusual of an occurrence, but it is always nice to hear and offers hope for the season of renewal that lies ahead.

Signs of spring will continue to pop up here and there as the days and weeks go by. Spring, of course, officially starts this year on March 19, but New Englanders know all too well that that is merely what the calendar says. Spring in New England is a roller coaster ride throughout March and April, and sometimes even into early May.

In the meantime, winter offers its own rewards for birdwatchers. In fact, some of my most memorable birdwatching moments have occurred in the winter. I am in no way rushing towards spring with this column, but merely sharing a few observations I have noticed. The change of seasons will happen regardless of our hopes or desires, and I’m just thankful to live in a part of the country where the seasons are so distinct.