The birds of spring, a harbinger of summer

This last siege of storms has made for long winter. The snow is welcome, but it may delay spring grass and the return of migratory birds.

As kids, our first sign of spring was the melting snow, which was ideal for snowballs. During the better part of winter, the snow was too cold and dry to stick together. After the doldrums of the cold months, any change was welcome. We knew that the huge snow...