Tree swallows have returned and are checking out nestboxes. During cold weather they will fly farther looking for flying insect food.
Eastern phoebe, another insect eater, is also back. Look for tail-wagging while birds are perched.
One of the first flowers of spring is the tiny red beaked hazelnut on the tip of slender branches. The drooping catkins are the male plant parts containing pollen. Look for hazelnut bushes in the forest on trail edges. Bushes are about three feet high.
Willows and red maples are blooming too.