Palm warblers are one of the earliest arriving warblers. They winter within the southern U.S. and Greater Antilles so they don’t have as far to travel as many other songbirds. Watch for their constantly wagging tail, which is a giveaway to their identify. Courtesy of Jeff Wells American robins are back just about everywhere in our area, and the mornings and evenings are filled with their cheerful songs echoing across the landscape. It is fascinating to watch a singing robin and see the energy the bird puts into the effort. Courtesy of Jeff Wells Homeowners awakened at dawn by the rat-a-tat-tat drumming of a male yellow-bellied sapsucker on a roof top metal stove pipe may not have a the same sense of gratitude about the return of this migratory woodpecker to the Maine woods as the rest of us do. But all who get a good look at one in its spring finery surely can’t help but be wowed by such beauty. Courtesy of Jeff Wells Seeing a flock of tree swallows artfully swooping over a wetland, lake, stream, or river in pursuit of the small, flying insects they eat is a joyful spring sight that signals the warming and reawakening of the interconnected web of life. Courtesy of Jeff Wells Like the palm warbler, the yellow-rumped warbler is one of the earliest arriving warbler species here in Maine. Some don’t have far to travel, as a few very hardy individuals even occasionally winter along the coast if they can find enough bayberries to eat. For those arriving In spring, the bright spots of yellow on the rump, breast, and head seem to glow. Courtesy of Jeff Wells