Duane Radford | Article and Photos

There ’ s a harmonious ecological relationship in nature ; it is the very essence of all things wild and is manifest in all of God ’ s creations , especially in the spring and summer following a long Canadian winter . As the snow melts and breakup occurs on lakes and streams , one of the first harbingers of spring is the arrival of Canada geese in Alberta , usually while there ’ s still some rotten ice on water bodies .

“ Canadas ” like to get a head start on staking out nesting grounds and waste no time ! There ’ s nothing comparable to the honking of a flock of geese in late March , which signals that spring is around the corner . As breakup advances , flocks of snow geese and other waterfowl arrive in central and eastern Alberta , followed by sandhill cranes with their characteristic trilling calls that can be heard far away . I live in Edmonton , and the flights of cranes are always a stirring event — a true sign of spring .

Songbirds like American goldfinch , robins , and yellow warblers show up at my bird feeders ; and if I ’ m fortunate , perhaps some bluebirds and hummingbirds . Murders of crows and raucous gulls arrive about the same time . The crows pester resident ravens and drive them out of Edmonton ’ s residential areas to roosts along the North Saskatchewan River . Another portent of spring is the appearance of Richardson ’ s ground squirrels that locals call “ gophers ,” which seem to pop up

news & views SPRING 2023 | 15