Eye on Nature

Not even the threat of another week of cold and wet can dampen the enthusiasm of this time of year. Trees have flowered and proclaimed that spring has arrived. Small buds on bare branches have exploded into full leaf. The machinery of photosynthesis—powered by water, air and light—has sent quiescent perennials reaching ever higher. In a competitive race to capture more light than their neighbors, they spread up and out in any space available.

The animal community has likewise blossomed. On the bird front, our migrant guests have been arriving daily, having left their warm tropical habitats for the promise of long days and abundant resources. Soon the visitors will be joining our resident birds who are already busy setting up house.

On campus, those tiny bundles of energy known to birders as bushtits have left their gregarious social groups and are now paired. Both males and females can be seen weaving their hanging nests with lichen and bits of spider webs. Crows gather twigs to place just right in their bulky, jumbled nests. With growing parental urges, they are becoming ever more protective of the space around their nests, chasing even the smallest intruders away. Male house finches stand their lone vigils on the highest trees on campus, singing their warbling song. Dark-eyed juncos call from more secluded perches, but proclaim their status as breeding males with loud repeated notes. To passing females of their kind, their strong song and striking plumage must be irresistible.

For everyone, early spring is a time of investment and hope. We pour our time and energy into an investment in our students, hoping to enrich their lives. Around us, nature’s denizens invest in their own futures and, in doing so, enrich our lives. What a wonder . . . .

Wally Shriner is an MHCC biology instructor and is a Natural Resources Technology program faculty adviser. Eye on Nature is his monthly column.