Every year, about this time, old friends begin to show up in the neighborhood. It has always been quite remarkable to me that this happens. We have kept track on the calendar of returning critters. I know, we really should find better ways to spend our time, but it is amazing to see how precisely they return from year to year. When we see certain birds show up at the feeders, sure enough, the previous year’s calendar notes visual contact within a week, sometimes within days. This often happens without regard to what the weather is or has been. They just magically appear and we magically enjoy.

Take, for example, the cardinal image shared in this week’s adventure. I don’t know if this bird and its mate are the same couple we have seen over the years, but here they are, right on time.

Maybe this couple has been hanging around all winter somewhere else and just for the heck of it know they can freak us out by returning together during the same week in March. One day they just appear without fanfare. Although we do notice that they have a bit of a tussle with local residents who have remained throughout the winter.

The chickadee population, I think, becomes a bit annoyed with the new arrivals. There can be some feathers flying when everyone tries to eat at once — the morning feeding can turn ugly as new hungry visitors compete for space at the trough. Big birds don’t always prevail. Those chickadees are scrappy little buggers and they don’t give up without a fight. They already have competition from other small birds that have wintered over. The return visits from migrating others can be challenging. Eventually, it seems, everybody mellows and gets along. I know the new volume of guests requires more feed and more frequent resupply. I think there may be a housing shortage though. Local residents don’t always accommodate.

Other returnees are the mourning doves. Some seem to hang around for the winter but their numbers multiply at this time. They are ground feeders so there is less competition for them. They just hang out under the feeders and retrieve the spillage that flies out from the more aggressive birds. I love their cooing voices. They all assemble on the power line connected to the house, sunning themselves, dropping down to gather food from the ground. They are so passive but must be vigilant as the local hawk population notices their return.

The only missing returnees this year have been ducks to our pond. Its still iced over and landings can be a little chaotic. I have seen mallards crash land on the thin clear ice, bouncing off into the surrounding underbrush, clearly embarrassed. But they gather themselves and return once there is open water. They too must be vigilant.