Don’t you just love the month of April? It kicks off with a celebration of fools, can be murky and fickle at first, but for me, it’s the actual beginning of spring here at 44° north. (I don’t trust calendars or groundhogs, and March is arguably the cruelest month, whether it goes out like a lion or a lamb.)
April is when we declare “Well, we survived another winter” — with more tenacity than melodrama again this year, waiting for the waves to calm. But that’s the other thing about April – nature awakens, takes a big inhale, inspires us with its resilience and consistency (and we sure do need us some of that).
We’re lucky, to spend winter with hardy squirrels, chickadees and other wildlife that make their appearance on warmer days (or mark their presence with tracks in the snow). The eagles don’t go far, even the robins rarely disappear for long…but here on the lake the great return begins in mid-March, and really kicks into high gear in April. It’s a welcoming time of year.
The mallards come back as soon as the ice gives way to mostly open water. They say a mallard hen will return to her birthplace with her chosen mate, and we have a pair settle into the same pond every year to lay eggs and raise ducklings. After a very wet winter, the pond is fuller than we’ve seen in years and we have two pairs, perhaps sister-ducks. It will come down to who picked the stronger drake, more on that drama to come… Mergansers, Canada geese, then the loons, calling “Where are you?” I heard the first call last night! I wanted to call back “We’re here, still here!” but the voices of loons carry loudly across the water, especially at night.
Soon, when the nights warm, the peepers will start their mating calls; it can be a deafening chorus outside until they all get paired up. The songbirds are much more pleasant. I spied the first song sparrow this week, it looked familiar (they can live a long life for a small bird), but its song had a slightly different tune, to my ear. I live with that short song on repeat all summer, know it well and have recorded it, so I'll do the same with this one and compare. A small amusement but part of my connection with our feathered friends who grace us with their return visit when April rolls around. 
Oh, and I’m already seeing little nubs of rhubarb pushing up through the ground, but all the things that April showers bring would make this a much longer post.
My theme for April – “A” is for Acceptance and Appreciation.
How was your winter? Are you looking forward to spring?
Tell me about it.
Happy April !!