Signs of Spring

Last night Hubby and I went to a lecture at the Tollgate Farm, which belongs to Michigan State Extension Services. The topic of the lecture was " Signs of Spring" which was especially appropriate because we are expecting 2 to 4 inches of snow tonight. The lecturer was in charge of the interpretive center at the Lake Erie Metropark. He started out with a stuffed robin on a stick which he called "bird on a stick." He said robins are not signs of spring because they are here all winter long. He then showed us a redwing blackbird, on a stick. The males are just arriving now to set up there territories. He proceded to show us stuffed muskrats, possums, woodchucks, skunks and minks with funny stories about each. He said some possums were born dead on the side of the road. By the time he was done we were anxious to take a trip down there to see the Merganzer ducks do their spring head bobbing, go on a "discovery cruise" on the Detroit river and especially go to the Hawkfest in the fall when hundreds of thousands of hawks fly over that particular point. He said this weekend the Easter Muskrat will be at the park and they will have an Easter Egg hunt for the kids, but they won't really have to hide the eggs because there will be 2 to 4 inches of snow on the ground. The kids won't be able to see them anyway.