Spring has arrived!

It is a happy day here - the purple martins have arrived.

I have a group of martins that come back to our martin house year after year. They arrive in February and leave before the worst heat of the summer.

Martins make the most interesting sounds, whistles, clicks, skuawks, and chirps. They have quite a presence.

I am always a bit down when they leave in the summer - they add so much to my life in the spring. They are my noisy companions while I garden or play with the dogs. And, they eat a lot of bugs including mosquitos - so they are a real help. They are called aerial insectivores.

But just as I am sad when they leave, I am completely joyous when they return.

Here is a cool link Purple Martins
This site also has a place where you can report the date that the martin scouts return to your area.

Happy "The Martins Are Back" Day!
Cynthia