Birds on the Wing

It was still daylight when I left the Warehouse last night.  A welcome harbinger of spring that makes those grimy slosh piles a distant memory.

An even more cogent reminder greeted me in Mount Vernon.  I often hear honking at the busy intersection, but this was coming from overhead.  Several battalions of Canadian geese, flying in v-shaped formations, were heading north.  I've never quite understood why they squawk like an Aflac commerical (it's supposed to have something to do with cheering the flock leader) but for as long as I can remember, it signaled the changing of the seasons.

When I lived in Annapolis, I marvelled at the osprey couple who were my closest neighbors.  They always returned from wintering in South America between the Ides of March and St. Patrick's Day.  First came the male, who tidied up the nest, and then the female a few days later.  I don't know if they vacation separately, or she stays behind to close the nest in Rio, but be assured -- in several days you'll be seeing ospreys in and around the Chesapeake Bay.

Which brings me to our other migrating birds -- the ones currently in Sarasota, tuning up for another spring and summer here at Camden Yards. They'll be here a few weeks after the ospreys, but they can be assured that we've been spending the winter tidying up their nest, too. 

While they've been basking in the Florida sun, we've been replacing the seats in the lower bowl, (even during the blizzard,) upgrading the clubhouses, touching up paint, repairing concrete damage, installing a new energy efficient climate control system, developing a sustainable landscaping plan, and generally getting the place in tip-top shape for their triumphant return next month.

When the weather is as beautiful as it's been today, spring is in the air.  Very soon, our birds will fly north to spend another summer with us.