As I write this column, it’s the middle of March. Only one week from spring, at least according to the calendar.

The other day, Susie and I were getting ready to head to Pendleton for lunch. Pizza King or Hacienda Vieja were our choices. I had to stop at CVS to restock all of my medicines again on the way.

As I backed her car out of the garage, we noticed some snowflakes starting to fall. By the time we had reached State Road 36 (about two miles down the road), the snow was falling so hard I had to turn the windshield wipers on.

Before we reached Pendleton, the road was covered and flakes the size of silver dollars made visibility poor. When we returned home, my picnic table had over two inches of the white stuff covering it. What was going on here?

Obviously, some of the birds in our yard were wondering the same thing. Our first robin sighting of the year. The poor bird was hopping through the deep snow trying to find something to eat. The snow kept falling, but not as hard as before and smaller flakes. I measured three and a half inches on my table. I didn’t see the robin again that day or since then. Maybe he said, “Enough” and headed back south.

I had taken down my robin nest boxes last fall to clean and repair them as needed. I build them in the winter when I have nothing to do. It’s just a simple floor, slanted roof, back, and two sides that cover only about half the opening. Then, I mount them on my house or shed underneath an overhang. For some reason, I have a pair of robins every year who don’t like my free motel and decide to build their own on top of my outside security light. It is mounted underneath the overhang on the back of the house. I don’t know if it’s the same pair or different birds every year. Every time they fly away, it activates the sensor and my light comes on.

One morning, I looked at the front window to see what kind of birds were having breakfast at our feeders. I saw two grackles there. These are the large birds, mostly black, with the gorgeous purple head and neck. This is early for those birds also, but I enjoy seeing them back and visiting. They were flying away with some of my whole peanuts I get from Scott at Seedy Sally’s every year. (The neighborhood squirrel also likes them.) I put them out for the blue jays and woodpeckers, but I guess I don’t get to choose what eats them.

On the way home from having Mexican for dinner tonight, I saw a red-winged blackbird on a cattail stalk. That was my first sighting this year — another early spring bird who apparently thought winter was over. I really enjoy hearing them sing. (Actually, it sounds more like just noise rather than singing, but I still like hearing it.)

I still am feeding all of my regular winter birds, although the feeders are not getting empty as fast. Maybe they are finding food elsewhere. I really enjoy watching the cardinals and nuthatches, titmice and chickadees, juncos and house finches. I can even handle watching the sparrows. But, I have put up a sign by the feeders that reads, “No starlings allowed!” Apparently they can’t read or choose to ignore the sign. They are really hitting my suet blocks hard.

I do have some help getting rid of those. We pulled into the driveway a week or so ago and saw a large hawk fly up from under the feeders. He had something in his talons, and as he flew by, I saw the black bird with white speckles all over. Yay! One starling gone.

Spring is here, and soon our hummingbird feeders will be out and some new birds will be available for watching.

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