Dear Folks, It's officially spring around here because I heard the sounds loud and clear. This afternoon when I went outside the first thing I heard were the spring peepers, the little frogs who loudly sing their heads off when it gets warmer and the ice has melted. Since the temperature reached 60 degrees today, who could blame them. This early evening around 7:00 when there was still a bit of light out, I went outside again to pick up something from my car. The peepers' voices were even louder and clearer but along with their chorus was the song of my hooty bird. My hooty bird stops off briefly around here early spring after spring and even with my binoculars and my illustrated bird book, I've never been able to identify him. He flies rapidly in a wide circle just far enough overhead to where I can't get a good look at him. I call him a hooty bird because that's what he sounds like. He calls out "hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot, hoot" in rapid succession. The only description of him that I can give you is that he seems to be a dull brown or gray medium sized bird and has pointy "elbows" similar to a seagull. So even though I still don't know what sort of bird he is, his beautiful hoots are a definite declaration of spring around these parts. Of course the peepers' chorus adds that much more joy to the early season. We may have more snow before winter finally gives up, but for the moment we're all content that no matter what, spring is here. Such a glorious feeling! vee