We’re starting to hear and see more birds returning to the feeders around our yard. It’s one of the welcome signs that spring is on its way even in the face of waking up to freezing rain this morning.
It will be at least another six weeks until we start to see all of the birds of summer return to our yard. I know this from experience and also from The Cornell Lab’s All About Birds migration map. The map shows when birds generally return to different regions of the United States.
Speaking of birds returning, The Cornell Lab has an interesting article about the difference between when migratory birds returned to Walden Pond during Thoreau’s time there and today.
Here are some additional resources for teaching and learning about migratory birds:
We’re Counting BirdsHow Birds Learn to SingThe Wall of Birds