MARCH!

Craziest of seasons?

Winter? Or spring? Snowdrifts linger into March along U.S. Highway 20 near Williams.

MARCH!

I start March with a birthday celebration.

But that’s about the only predictable thing about this crazy month!

One day I stoke the wood stove, wondering if the firewood supply will be enough – and the next day we’re watching the TV forecasters report on record warm temperatures.

We HOPE to see migrating waterfowl – such as the thousands of high-flying white-fronted geese passing through in recent days en route to tundra nesting grounds in the far north. You may hear their high-pitched, laughing calls before you can see the loose strings of birds.

A flock of white-fronted geese circles over Warren County near Lake Red Rock.

Their name comes from the white stripe at their base of their bill. But many birders and hunters prefer the nickname speckle-belly, for the black bars and spots on the birds’ chest. Their orange feet are even more distinctive, almost glowing in the sun when the geese lower their landing gears as they drop into a field to feed or rest.

Orange feet and white tail band distinguish white-fronted geese as they land in a field near Carlisle.

We note in our journal when various birds reappear this month after a season in warmer climes. Some follow the calendar, while others’ flights are triggered by day length. We watch roadside shrubs or utility lines for the first red-winged blackbirds – which always are males. Females will straggle in a week or two later.

The killdeer says their name with a shrill “kill-deer!” We usually look for them first along low-lying country roadsides. But this season’s first killdeer was dodging cars in a Hy-Vee grocery store parking lot!

Cardinals winter in Iowa, of course, and they’re favorites at our bird feeders. But it takes only a few sunny, warm(er) days to coax them to begin their “Cheer, cheer, cheer” spring songs.

Spring-like days may set off flirtatious chickadees, who whistle “Hey, sweetie!” The pileated woodpecker, on the other hand, announces his mating urge with a staccato drumming on a hollow tree.

Now only a tinge of yellow - but this male goldfinch eventually will have golden plumage.

Goldfinches change plumage in honor of the coming breeding season. A couple of males in our feeder flock have only just begun to show hints of yellow. But their sunny summer gold eventually will out-dazzle any rivals.

Following recent record temperatures in the 70s, our daffodils peeked through the dead grass. Will they get nipped by a late freeze? Probably. But they’re tough. We look for blooms within a month.

Daffodils poke through dead grass. Will they get nipped by a late freeze?

Gray dominates the March woods, unless you get down on your knees for a close-up of the fuzzy green mossy tree roots. Warm days and sunlight have started the maple sap dripping. Friends who tap trees report one of the best maple syrup seasons in years.

March in Iowa typically means soft gravel roads, with frost coming out and leaving mudholes. Crossing my fingers – but our boondocks road hasn’t been TOO bad . . . yet.

Mud may linger longer in other parts of Iowa, though. March snows and high winds left drifts a couple of feet high along U. S. Highway 20 and other roads. Thankfully, there are enough fields that were not fall tilled, or were planted to cover crops, that the snow did not turn totally black from wind-eroded “snirt.”

Turkeys must be gobbling – if I’d only get up early enough to hear their pre-dawn chorus.

But I slept late after a 1 a.m. glance at the lunar eclipse. Tomorrow?

The Earth’s shadow creeps across the face of the Moon during a March 14 lunar eclipse.

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Here is the Zoom link for this month’s Office Lounge to give paid subscribers a chance to meet some collaborative members. It’s held at noon on the last Friday of the month. Next session is March 28.