When it comes to backyard birds, there are those year-round regulars we come to know and 
love (and perhaps take for granted), and then there are those species that make their appearance only at certain times of the year ...
For example, when our cherry tree is in it's May bloom, we know to keep a look-out for Baltimore Orioles passing through. And just after Christmas, we keep a close eye on the feeders for the wee Carolina Wren ~ he visits a week, and then he's gone once again. When autumn returns, so too does the Slate Colored Junco; his arrival means summer is through.
And so it happened today, while we were playing outside, that a strange sound, a birdsong, caught our attention. It was coming from deep in the woods.
We could hear him, but not see him; he was definitely close by, but even with our binoculars we couldn't locate this mysterious vocalist. But something about the song was so familiar, and specific to this time of year. We tried to think about birds who return in the spring, but finally it was our handy Birdsong Identiflyer which helped us place it ~ we were listening to the Red-Winged Blackbird!
Of course! This is his time ~ when the days start to grow longer and the air a tad warmer. He's one of those harbingers of spring ... Mystery solved :)
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