Sunday morning conversations. "The mourning doves are back. I heard cooing at dusk last night." "I heard that robins have been seen in Kincardine." "I saw a robin." "Me too." "Grackles are back and redwinged blackbirds."

I felt a twinge with the last. Back on the farm, with the swamp between our house and the road, we had lots of redwinged blackbirds. I am not so sure we've habitat to attract them here. On the other hand, the eagle we haven't seen since December perched on an ice-island last week, watched the water flow around it. A couple mallards swam past. And chickadees and others are singing a different song.

We have had Canada Geese since a week ago. First a pair, now a single swimming near them. And Sunday afternoon, the wild turkeys that regularly visit were in the back yard, and the Canada Geese came to shore. The two sets of birds shared the territory for a bit. The geese seemed less interested in the seed the squirrels had dropped and swam away.

The next day we had a display from the senior male in the turkey flock. He strutted with tail feathers fanned, snood and wattle bright red. Turkey eggs and chicks are in the planning stage. The fox that has traced their footsteps all winter will keep an eye on this I imagine.

It is the early birds coming back, the ones that can survive on a mixed diet. Those like swallows who feed only on insects will be a good long while yet. Though snow on the fields is practically gone, the ground is frozen hard every morning. Among the trees, it is still quite deep. And the meteorologists warn us temperatures will drop, and we need to watch for snow.

"Spring is not locking in" seems a favorite weather-news headline this year. I do remember years when the transition was almost overnight and complete, a shift to above-zero temperatures and bright days. Some farmers would cultivate and even plant in late March. We always had too many rocks to pick to manage such an early planting, but we have been on the fields early in a year like that.

This year, the bare ground looks dry in patches where sun has taken the moisture, but the way snow soaked in, I suspect the soil is saturated. It will be a while before land is worked up.

And we're getting cold and a rain/snow mix this weekend. Prepare for a bit of yucky driving, the kind we've had too often this winter.

The fluctuating temperatures from December on are part of what made this a tough winter. The wild wind didn't help, but it was the days of rain on snow making skating rinks that for me made it difficult to walk and drive.

The fluctuation this week is perfect for maple syrup producers. Below freezing nights. Sunny days above zero. Little wind. Sugar content in the sap is pretty high I hear. Evaporators of all kinds are busy. This year's sweet crop is coming.

The temperature range has not been so great this year that the trees are getting confused. Buds on the forsythia I cut are closed up tight, will take a while to burst and flower I suspect. And so far, the cold doesn't look so bad that robins and others will have to flee south again. But we'll see.

The lack of redwinged blackbirds is not the only thing I have to get used to this spring. I will keep the bird feeders full so that I catch sight of some migrating birds. I suspect thought that warblers may not risk it as the feeders are in the open. Perhaps I should add one in the clump of spruce, but that group of trees may not provide enough shelter to tempt them.

Spring is always an adjustment. It is always unpredictable. The thickness of the snow cover affects what we can do when and how much moisture winter provided for spring to use. There will always be fluctuations in temperature. The move from rest to growth is never straight and consistent. In this season we get to practice flexibility.

Cathy Hird lives on the shore of Georgian Bay.