The miracle of spring brings joy after winter

It’s been said many times and in many different ways. Yet, despite having lived through it for more years than I like to consider, I’m bowled over by the arrival of spring. It’s a miracle.

Our springs are, of course, a product of our winters, both literally and figuratively. Literally, as without winter we would simply have summer all year round, just like the tropics. Figuratively, without going through the challenge of long dark nights and frigid temperatures, we wouldn’t experience the joy that spring brings.

I feel sorry for the people living in parts of the world that don’t get a real taste of winter, as they don’t get to savour the feeling that the first day of spring elicits.

While the drip of melting snow or the first glimpse of the lawn can make us rejoice, it is the arrival of the first birds of summer that signal the season has returned for good. Fittingly, the earliest of the spring birds are ones we are the most familiar with and their return is like welcoming back old childhood friends.

The chirp of robins and the calls of Canada geese and sandhill cranes from overhead trigger relief that winter is over. Even crows are welcome for the first few weeks of spring. Mallards search out the open edges of sloughs, while blackbirds begin to call from their perches on last year’s cattail stalks. Juncos in their tuxedo-themed formal wear can be seen hopping on the lawn, searching for morsels left over from the winter bird feeder.

Once the sloughs become nearly ice-free and the shallows warm to about 10 C, the frogs awaken from the icy spots where they over-wintered, filling the air with their calls, even while patches of ice bob about in the deeper water.

The bees from our beehive begin to search afield for sources of pollen, no doubt relieved to be free from the confines of the hive after a long winter.

For Rae and me, the signs of spring have been particularly impressionable this year, as we bailed out to Costa Rica in late winter. Many friends and family members have extolled the virtues of this beautiful country and we are happy to report that it lived up to our expectations.

We won’t bore you with the details of our travels. However, despite all the pluses of travel itself — exploring new places, learning about new cultures, and eating new foods — there is a lot of truth in the adage that one of the best things about a voyage is returning home. For example, the joy of sleeping in your own bed cannot be overstated. A second good thing about travel is that visiting other countries broadens the mind and gives you a new perspective on life at home.

Rae and I share these sentiments, particularly the latter. For example, several things were immediately apparent after we left the confines of Winnipeg. Firstly, our roads are wide and straight. Secondly, there are a lot of pickup trucks in Western Canada.

However, the real eye-opener is the amount and variety of wildlife that we get to enjoy in our backyards. Inevitably, based on our interest in all things wild, Rae and I spend a LOT of time in Parks and preserves when we travel. Yet spotting wildlife in these places can be hard work.

It’s much easier to see wild animals here in Manitoba. A few days after our return, I went for a drive. In less than half an hour, I spotted over 50 deer feeding in the fields, a coyote, a couple dozen geese and a pair of sandhill cranes, all without trying. Even in our backyard, we were able to trace the tracks of snowshoe hare, red fox, black bear and even an otter in the newly fallen snow in mid-April.

In our travels, there has been nowhere else that you would expect to see such an abundance of wildlife, with the exception of some parts of Australia or Africa. Even there, it often takes an effort and an experienced guide to see wild things.

There are many reasons why we Manitobans can enjoy the natural bounty that we do. Much of it has to do with the privilege of living in a country where we are not forced to exploit every resource available, including wild game. Secondly, our shared love of nature is built on the wisdom and values instilled by previous generations who saw, in wildlife, a fundamental element that makes Canada, Canada.

Going full circle, I’m also convinced that having four seasons instills a regard for all things wild. We can commiserate with animals who struggle to survive our winters and rejoice with them as they bring their young into the world each spring.

A Costa Rican told us that they have only two seasons … the rainy season and summer, when it doesn’t rain as much. While we enjoyed the heat, kind of, during our visit, we know that living in a country without four seasons isn’t for us.

Which strikes people unfamiliar with cold winters as a little bit nutty. Conversations in many countries we have travelled often start, and end, with their simplified observation that “Canada is cold.” It is difficult to convince people that we not only survive but thrive in such a cold place.

I’ve given up trying to sound rational. How do you explain the beauty of a sunny -40 C day, followed immediately by a day of melting snow?

» Ken Kingdon lives in the heart of the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve. Send him a text at 204-848-5020 if you have stories to share.