Yesterday, we reached the equinox where night and day are equal in length. The official start of the spring season in the northern hemisphere, the day was cold and windy, winter lingering in reality in spite of the calendar and the turning of the world. Yet, the birds knew it had begun. The sound of morning outside my door has evolved from the spare songs of winter, lonely calls punctuating the silence of a sleeping world to the bubbling orchestra of songs and calls that greeted me this morning when I stepped outside. More than anything else, the sounds of returning birds signals the massive change about to occur in the natural world.
The sound of morning birdsong in January.
The sound of morning birdsong in late March.
The snowdrops began blooming last week and the hellebores are starting to show their flower buds (see above). Yes,the garden is beginning to emerge but bloom will be about two weeks later than normal, or at least what has become normal in our changing climate. I’ve already pruned most of the shrubs and trees and began raking the leaves scattered and mounded by winter winds. For me, the garden season has begun, another year of beauty and adventure. Regardless of the weather, I long to spend every moment outside, a witness and participant as the world comes to life. But for now, March is demonstrating its unsteady temperament; this morning’s sunshine has been replaced by a wintery snowfall. 
Interested in seeing what the world looked like on the day of the spring equinox? See the photo from space at space.com and learn more about the phenomenon of the vernal equinox. Think spring!
composerinthegarden 
Cheers to the transition. Because of the native plants we had in our landscaping in our old residence, we’ll miss that this spring. …. meanwhile, I’m starting to emerge from the mountains of tape, paper, boxes, and bubble wrap. …. and I did see that you stop by during my absence! 🙂
Aha, that’s where you were, Frank! It takes a while to find everything after moving, as I remember. And yes, I did stop by your place; I’ve been absent as well, too much going on at work, but it’s nice to be back. Thanks for stopping by!
Beautiful equinox post, Lynn. Happy Spring! I enjoyed listening to the bird songs. Quite a difference between January and March.
Thanks, Robin – the songs get livelier every day! You probably have a whole new set of birds to listen to now that you are along the shore.
This is a lovely equinox post, Lynn. I’m glad the snowdrops are up and not surprised that you’re behind, with the incredible winter you had. But once those few hardy souls have poked their heads up, you KNOW it’s coming and soon there will be the relentless green push that will inspire you again. The recordings are fun – yes, more song in March, but oh how I love that Cardinal! I haven’t heard one for so long, being our here in the west now. Happy spring to you!
Thank you, Lynn. I love hearing the birds first thing in the morning. We’ve had a pair of cardinals in our white pines for a long time – love them!
Aw! The snowdrops. Lovely promise of things to come!
Hello, my friend; say hello to spring for me and send her our way!
Joyful, joyful…still a lot of snow on the ground here, too, Lynn, and a frozen river is halting spring’s progress…but I know it’s coming, and yes, the bird song is glorious! Your snowdrops certainly herald hope. Thank you for a beautiful and welcome post.
HI Kitty, thank heavens for snowdrops and birds! Thanks for stopping by. I’m guessing that your river may be spectacular when it melts. My parents used to live next to the Clarion River in northern PA and spring was thunderous when the river melt started – glorious and rather dangerous.
Fascinating difference in the bird calls from January to March.
I’m impressed that you’ve seen signs of blooms. Everything still seems dormant to my (admittedly layman’s) eyes in this part of the world.
Kerry, it is only because I’ve been planting very early blooming plants for a while that I can see bloom – a crocus opened yesterday. Bloom time is very late this year and we have another cold week coming, ugh! The birdsong is definitely the key to knowing spring is on the way!
I’m thinking spring but is spring thinking spring?
Ah, that’s the real question, Tootlepedal!
You’re right – the birdsong, especially on a sunny day is announcing the change! I should start recording the cardinals – you could listen to them all day long. We still have snow on the ground in most parts, but your snowdrops are so lovely!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Oh, you should record the cardinals; they are a delightful bird and we always have a pair of them here. We got a snowfall today but delightfully, it melted by late afternoon and the sun returned. But I still have mound of ice on the north side of my house – the last vestiges of a long hard winter.
That’s a noticeable difference in bird songs, so somebody knows spring is on the way, even if the air doesn’t know it. Just hang on a little longer.
Absolutely, Steve; it’s what keeps me hopeful!