by Darcy Thomas
On her birthday for every year of her childhood, my firstborn daughter, Ceinwen, desired a wish that could not be. She longed to have a spring birthday. But she was born on March 19 and technically that is still winter. Further, being nine days overdue, she should have been more of a winter baby. Nevertheless, each year as her birthday approached, Ceinwen asked for a beach party or an outdoor picnic, or another theme that required good weather. Inevitably there would be snow.
Spring, as you know, begins on the spring, or vernal, equinox which is variable. It most often falls on March 20th or 21st. Ceinwen just missed the cutoff. On this day, the sun is exactly above the Equator and night and day are of equal length. In the Northern Hemisphere the sun moves northward across the celestial equator and daylight becomes longer. Our earth begins to warm and ice thaws. Spring is in the air and so are migrating birds. By the time of the spring equinox, waterfowl migration is at its peak. With thawing bodies of water around the valley, you can see thousands of ducks and swans. This is a great time to get out and watch nature unfold. The West Valley Ponds, Lower Valley wetlands and ponds, Church Slough, Creston Wetlands, Smith Lake, Foys Lake, and Egan Slough are some great birding hot spots for ducks, grebes, swans, and geese. Watch for Red-winged Blackbirds staking out their territories in cattail marshes. Keep an eye out for the first bluebirds and meadowlarks of the season. They prefer open areas and a great place to spot them is along Smith Lake Road. Tree Swallows usually show up on the vernal equinox, so look for them on the phone wires. Freezout Lake, though not in Flathead Valley, will host thousands upon thousands of Snow Geese by late March.
This year, the spring equinox will occur on Tuesday, March 19. This is the earliest arrival in the United States since 1896. My daughter will be so happy when I tell her! Though I should have told her sooner. She has already planned a ski trip for her birthday.