Where has winter gone?

Much as I love the winter season—the brutal winds and driving snow, the 20 extra minutes required to properly dress for the dangerously long trip from the house to the car—I do envy the birds who get to escape it all by going south. Which is why it is perplexing that several mornings recently we have been awakened by BIRDS. In JANUARY. Judging by the amount of droppings on our porch, one of them is even getting a nest together under the overhang. A NEST. IN JANUARY.

The obvious explanation for the birds’ hanging around is that it has been so mild this winter. Still—and you'd think the birds would know this, being experienced travelers—it’s a lot MORE mild wherever it is that they usually go. If I were a bird, I'd be a lot more interested in ditching our northern locale.

On the other hand, they're probably saving a lot in travel costs. Wear and tear must be pretty considerable for birds. And at peak travel season the skies would be jammed, and what bird enjoys trekking long distances with hordes of other travelers, or getting stuck in a long line at the travel plaza fast food places?

But the longer the birds wait around, the more risk they run of being trapped by truly nasty weather. It's sure to arrive sometime. Their meager lodgings here don't have heat, and the restaurant buffets can be pretty skimpy when the brutal weather comes. Birds who stick around too long make for easy prey, particularly by unscrupulous sellers of time shares in more hospitable locales.

So go, birds, go while you can. Our porch will be here for you in spring. Though we can’t promise it will be clean.