Signs of Spring: “suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” This robin challenged its reflection for days. The rapping was mildly annoying, but the scat he left on the windows, patio and patio furniture was disgusting. The dogs gave up trying to chase him away; they just lay in the sun and watched.

In the past we have seen similar behavior in bluebirds, but they are cuter and don't leave a mess. Our woodpecker friend has returned to rap on the roof, but these birds eat the pests destroying our trees. We frequently hear the strange warbling of Sandhill Cranes. They prey on mice in our grasslands. At a distance, their slow, gliding flight (always in pairs) is suggestive of pterosaurs.