COMMUNITY JOURNALISM: Signs of spring are everywhere

Editor's note: Rick Hollis, 64, of rural North Liberty has been watching birds since his childhood and is past president and newsletter editor for the Iowa City Bird Club.

By Rick Hollis, community contributor

This is just wrong.

That is what my neighbor told my wife about the weather. I could not be in more agreement. Whether you call it weird, crazy or strange, we all agree it is truly odd.

Someone on the Weather Channel said, “No one alive today remembers a spring like this year.”

Many birds are not just showing up early, but nesting. A friend in Ida Grove noted his earliest bluebird nest in more than 30 years, almost a month earlier than the previous nest in his boxes.

In Corps of Engineers land where my dog, Bella, and I walk frequently, I am seeing snow trilliums (one of our earliest wildflowers) blooming but fading fast. Bloodroots and Dutchman's breeches are very early. Someone who keeps records has bloodroot as 2 1/2 weeks early. Rue anemone, sharp-leafed hepatica and the first wild yellow violet were blooming on March 21. May apples are up 4 to 5 inches and buds are well developed. Prairie trillium is up and flower buds are developing. Jacob's ladder, downy phlox and bellwort are starting to bloom.

As for the birds, an osprey returned to its nest in southwest Des Moines on March 21, 10 days earlier than normal. The first yellow-rumped warbler was recorded on Feb. 12. Woodcock were seen as early as Feb. 27 and flocks of red-winged blackbirds were seen Feb. 29.

Based on arrivals recorded on a state database, I counted 15-plus species that were recorded early, tying either the first, second or third earliest date.

I will not try to understand exactly what is going on, but soil and air temperatures are above normal and the plants are popping early. The same goes for insects.

The dogma is that bird migration is based on day length. Basically that is true. But there always are birds that push it. Some waterfowl push the ice boundary when the day length dictates they look north. Some land birds try heading north ahead of the rest of their species and if these early birds find food, they stay. If they do not, they either turn around or die.

This year many are showing up and some are making nests. What a leap of faith to fly into Iowa in February.

More photos of many of the aforementioned flowers may be found at http://tinyurl.com/CampDaybreak