I finally heard them… the true indicators that spring has arrived.
Although the official date for the start of spring was March 20, I don’t rely on a calendar to tell me when the seasons change. I rely on frogs and gobblers.
Specifically, I listen for the first calls of spring peepers and the authoritative boom of a turkey gobbler announcing his presence to the woods.
I heard the peepers one evening last week as the constant, high-pitched “peep” from several of the diminutive frogs emanated from a small pond.
Although the chorus of peeps wasn’t overpowering, it will soon dominate the nighttime sounds as more peepers emerge from hibernating in the muck at the bottom of the pond and take advantage of the mild evenings.
As spring progresses, so will the sound of the peepers.
It’s not an intrusive sound and it’s somewhat relaxing. When the peepers are going strong, it makes you want to go outside, sit on the porch and just listen.
The male peepers – the ones responsible for the spring serenade, will continue their calling into May. After that, the little frogs will quietly disappear, leaving behind egg masses on sticks and plants under the water. The eggs promise the peepers’ chorus will be heard again next spring.
Later last week I heard another tell-tale sound of spring. This sound came not from the water but on land via a turkey gobbler.
When a gobbler sounds off in the forest, the booming call puts everything within hearing distance on notice. For those few seconds that the gobble lasts, the turkey is the only thing that matters in the woods.
That was certainly the case last Tuesday when one announced its presence in a Slocum Township hollow. I was talking to a friend as we stood outside his barn located above the hollow.
When the turkey unexpectedly gobbled from some distance away, we both stopped our conversation and listened as the call echoed between the mountains.
It was as if the gobbler wanted us to quiet down, for nobody is supposed to be louder than him during the spring.
The peepers and gobblers are only two of many sights and sounds that signify spring.
Bluebirds and purple martins will soon compete for nest sites, darting and diving at each other in mid-air.
Male ruffed grouse will be busy drumming from a favorite log, flapping their wings extremely fast, creating a repetitive thumping, similar to the sound of an old tractor struggling to start. If you’re lucky, and quiet, you can follow the drumming and sneak up on the unsuspecting grouse, which will be perched on a rock or log with its tail fanned and its dark neck feathers, or ruff, puffed out. The display is as impressive as the drumming sound.
One of the better known reminders of spring’s arrival is the return of Canada geese. The event appeals to the eyes and ears as the impressive flocks of honking geese fly overhead in v-formation. Just as the gobble of a turkey mandates that you stop and listen, a noisy flock of geese passing through the sky always requires one to glance up and pay attention.
Nature is a more accurate indicator of the start of spring than a calendar. Whether it’s a sight or a sound, there’s no question that winter has come to an end.
When the peepers sounded off last week, the temperature was near 60. Conversely, when the calendar indicated the first day of spring had arrived, we had several inches of snow on the ground and temperatures in the 30s.
The dates on a calendar might not always be an accurate indicator of spring, but the call of the peepers is never wrong.
Previously published in the Times Leader, April 1, 2007.
