Unpredictable April

A massive front rolls through, just after dawn this morning at Glacier Ridge Metropark in northwestern Franklin County, Ohio. It was a wintry mid-30's and light snow when I hopped in my car just before daybreak to go check a few local patches. The day broke blue and beautiful once the storm passed, but temps never rose above the mid-40's. Just a few days ago, temperatures were in the 70's and 80's. Such yo-yo weather is typical of Ohio in spring.

A bit of cold and snow didn't deter this freshly arrived House Wren. He probably just got in yesterday or the day before, and is busily proclaiming his turf. From here through May, almost every day will bring a new buffet of neotropical migrants, and migration will reach a crescendo in the first and second week of May. Dust off your binoculars, and get out there!