Spring arrives on the wings of snowbirds

Well, it has been a while.  But the sun has come back and the temperatures are above 0, and the snow is even melting a teeny bit every now and then, so in a month or two, the TundraGarden will emerge.

But I know it's spring, because the snowbirds are BACK!!!!  They are really snow buntings, but everyone here calls them snowbirds.  They are the first birds back (except for the ravens that spend the winter) and they are the true sign of spring.  The males sing, loudly, from high perches, and I often hear them a couple days before I see one.  I'd been hearing them for a few days, and then saw one driving home from work a couple of days ago.