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Call it what you will – March Equinox, Vernal Equinox, or Spring Equinox. Day to day, there are increasing hours of sunlight in a twentyfour- hour period than during winter. And as the season changes, each day pulls us into anticipation, wonder and discovery.
People gather outside facing the rising sun surrounded by a halo with sundogs. Daily stops occur observers go out of their way to see trumpeter swans, geese, goldeneyes, and occasionally a mink on the open water of Shagawa River.
Morning checks of birdfeeders provide different results. Ravens, blue jays, Canada jays visit less often as their nesting has started. Woodpeckers are pairing up and increasingly vocal as they begin drumming, pairing, and building tree cavities. Tube feeders are filled with “finch mix” and surrounded by a hoard of finches (redpolls, pine siskins, goldfinches, and purple finches). When will the final visit of redpolls occur before they head back north for summer nesting?
New topics arise for discussion as a raccoon takes down a bird feeder and some people are surprised. Questions, experiences, and curiosity spreads about mammals. Those feeders provided for birds have attracted squirrels and occasional pine martens in past months, but now raccoons and other mammals are coming out. Foxes, raccoons, skunks, bears, porcupines, and others may be seldom seen.
There has been a lot of excitement this winter with owls migrating into northeastern Minnesota and being seen hunting or roosting in open areas. Many stories have spread of seeing wildlife that are active outside of their usual nocturnal activity.
With the passing of the vernal equinox more mammals will be experienced. They live here and some are diurnal and others more nocturnal. When will you hear or more likely see your first raccoon, skunk, ground squirrel, star-nosed mole, ermine, mink, otter, beaver, porcupine, bear, bat, or returning birds or butterflies of 2025?
