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What bird is the true sign of spring where you live? (1 Viewer)

In Gävleborg, Sweden, the non-birding family I was staying with told me it was Starlings that heralded Spring.

Here, I think it's Sandwich Terns skreeking over the bay.
 
Little Ringed Plover often makes it in before the Sand Martins locally, but the latter are more prominent in the landscape.

Someone mentioned Blackcap earlier, but so many winter that it doesn't connect me with spring any more than Chiffchaff. Both are first of January birds for me.

John
 
Tundra Swans leaving followed a few weeks later by Sandhill Cranes leaving means spring to me. In this part of California I always think of Feb 1st as 'spring like'. Blossoms on some fruit trees and such. Still often stormy and wet. Loads more snow in the mountains.

Truer to the question ----- Rufous Hummers (1st on Feb 26th) are the 1st tropical migrant showing up. Perhaps just stopping once and blazing north. The big pack of them comes later.
 
Reading this thread I've just remembered that on Sunday I had my first true spring migrant of the year - a male Wheatear that flew off a snow fence between Tomintoul and the Lecht summit.

I was driving at the time and in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't stop, and later on I was busy doing other stuff.

Now I have to check to see if I need Wheatear for February.

John
 
Here in the midlands (UK), it's got to be the first Little Ringed Plovers returning.
There was a sighting of one on the 26th of Feb from a reliable source, so who knows spring might already be here
 
Reading this thread I've just remembered that on Sunday I had my first true spring migrant of the year - a male Wheatear that flew off a snow fence between Tomintoul and the Lecht summit.

That is an exceptional record and well worth submitting to the Moray and Nairn recorder!

http://www.the-soc.org.uk/moray+nairn-recorder.htm

Looking at this page for arrival dates since 2004, the earliest wheatear for Scotland over that period was 9th March (worth submitting to the email address on this page too):

http://www.the-soc.org.uk/migrants.htm

Birds of Scotland mentions only 3 February records.
 
The first sign that spring is on the way here is most certainly the first Lapwings and Skylarks... when I hear the first singing Skylark I know that spring will come this year as well, no matter how long, cold and dark the winter has been.
 
Oystercatchers are the first sign of spring here - they usually return in the third week of February and the sound of them flying around calling at night is a sure sign that the winter is coming to an end.
 
Spring has come to northwest Missouri when we see Turkey Vultures and Chimney Swifts (and when the Dark-eyed Juncos head north).
 
Felt like Spring today was out for a walk (not birding) and was enjoying the bird calls saw alot of Blue Tits flying around and alot of Robin songs.
 
Whenever I see my first swallow, I know spring has really arrived, but when I hear the great tit begin to sing here, I know that spring is on the way.

Si.
 
I've never really thought of 'one' bird embodying the return of Spring, though hearing the Blackbirds starting to sing is probably the big one for me personally. It's more an overall impression from longer days, more birds singing, the trees coming into bud and flowers starting to appear.

Lots of birds to choose for a spring heralder here though; Cuckoo, Whitethroat, Blackcap, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Swift, Swallow, House Martin...

Skylarks should be the sign for me as I tend to see them a lot on my local meadow but though they're much more active at the start of spring and really making a lot of songflights the fact that I see them in the winter too and hear them singing a little in those cold days makes them less of a sign than birds that appear with Spring. Blackbirds are around all year too but somehow their song makes more impact on me - I've always been a sucker for Blackbird song, even before I got into watching birds.

Nightingale is another biggie in East Anglia for Spring, but I have to take a good long walk to hear one here.
 
For me it's the humble Rook. I live in the country and my bedroom overlooks part of a rookery. They've been checking out the old nesting site for weeks but the clincher is when I see the first one flying around with a stick in it's bill........then it's all go and there is no holding back......it's all go now with squabbles, stick stealing from the neighbours, dismantling each others nests when the neighbours are out and sex in the treetops. For me they are the most entertaining neighbours, noisy but fun and a sure sign of spring.
 
From childhood I "learned" that the sign of spring in the USA was the first arrival of the American Robin. Most people here, I think, still take this event to be the sign of spring. I have found in subsequent years that the robins are actually here all year long. At times they are few and far between during the winter months, but at times they can be found in huge "winter roosts" which number in the 100,000's.
 
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