Hey everyone!
I cannot even begin to tell you all how excited I am!
Why? You may ask?
It’s because I saw one of the first signs of spring today: a Robin.
This morning was bright with barely a cloud in the sky. The air was still brisk enough to see my breath, so I kept the windows up and the heat on.
While I was waiting in line for the traffic light to turn green, I happened to turn to look at the Charles River through the filter of trees. The water was calm and glistened like bits of Herkimer diamonds 💎. A flock of geese was grazing in the narrow park next to the river, occasionally checking each other out and nipping at the little white curly dog who was brave enough to sniff one of their tail feathers.
I smiled at the dog and bird sizing each other up when I saw something else move on the ground. Something low and almost blended in perfectly with the dead leaves left over from fall.
At first I thought it was a rat. I’ve seen a few since moving down to the area back in October 2020, so I wasn’t surprised.
Until I saw it flap its wings and caught sight of its terra-cotta colored belly.
I had to blink a couple times and actually register what I was looking at. My smile couldn’t have gotten any wider when my brain finally confirmed I was indeed staring at a Robin.
I’ve always loved seeing a Robin as the first sign of spring. There is one that lives around my parents house that has the most interesting anomaly – its usually brown feathers had dapples of pure white on them. Sometimes I would try to talk to it and coax it closer so I could feed it. But the grackles always got in the way and acted so greedy!
I would always be leery of warm weather during the traditional winter months. Even more so with the past few years.
But seeing a Robin? That to me was always a sure thing.
Only once in my life did I ever see a flock of Robins during a cold snap, when the temperature dropped so low the group had to take shelter in the city trees and pick up whatever scraps of food they could find from generously filled feeders, like the ones my father built and kept overflowing religiously.
That little Robin I saw today was proof enough for me that spring was finally on her way, ready to wake up from a cold slumber.
I am so ready to see the cold months go and welcome spring!
L.J. LaBree 