The robins are back

Wikipedia photo of an American robin

It was heartening to drive along the Rockcliffe Parkway this morning and see the widening patches of grass beneath the trees as the snow recedes under the blue sky. The buds on the trees are swelling too. The road, by the way, is riddled with potholes and from the lookouts you can still see people (ice fishermen?) walking about on the ice that remains on the northern side of the Ottawa River. I hope they know what they're doing, because most of the river in this area, to my amazement, is now clear of ice. The rain that fell midweek (at times heavy) must have loosened it.

Best of all, this morning, I noticed a flock of robins by the roadside: turdus migratorius —the summer birds have started to arrive!