And now for something slightly different … and somewhat silly.

I wrote this ‘a cappella’ song some years ago. I have, on occasion, been inspired to sing it after a night of celebration and good cheer. There have been no such spring gatherings for the last two years – because Covid. But I did bellow it out into the Holler and it bounced back off the Highlands. Here are the lyrics.

Spring Ditty

Dark-eyed juncos jumping all around
     picking up tidbits off the ground.
Red-breasted robin sings a cheerful song
     and winter's snow
     is almost gone.
And it feels like spring is coming to the Holler
Don't you think that we should sing and holler?

Well the other night I heard a little frog peep.
     No one replied so he went back to sleep.
But the ice is melting and it won't be long
    'til that froggy pond
     is filled with song.
And it feels like spring is coming to the Holler
Don't you think that we should sing and holler?

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Well hey there buddy budding on a tree,
     thanks for the things that you do for me.
And to every little shoot and every little sprout
     I'm so glad
     that you're coming out.
And it feels like spring is coming to the Holler
Don't you think that we should sing and holler?

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Well some ducks dabble and some ducks dive
     but it feels like spring when the ducks arrive.
And the snow melt grows the pond into a lake
     as the sleepy Holler 
     starts to awake.
And it feels like spring is coming to the Holler
Don't you think that we should sing and holler?
Don't you think that we should scream and holler?

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So there you have it. The ditty works much better when sung. I think. Maybe. This song typically fits this time of year, but as I described in April and the Albedo Effect, this year has been anything but typical, so it’s a little off time-wise. The snow and ice, usually ‘almost gone’ by the end of April, actually melted three weeks ago.

Up until recently I did hear the odd little frog try a tentative peep, followed by silence. But last night the froggy pond echoed with a chorus of spring peepers for the first time this year. The wood frogs, as usual, beat the peepers by a few days and are quacking away like drunken ducks.

Speaking of ducks, the ditty did fit, with a pair of dabblers (American black ducks, left) and a pair of divers (common goldeneyes, right) hanging about for a while now. I don’t have a zoom lens so the photos are fuzzy, but the male goldeneye is laying his neck along his back to woo the female. She doesn’t seem overly impressed.

I hope this ditty brought a smile to your face as we head into a two-week ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown here in Nova Scotia. Next month back to more serious topics like, say, funny frogs or dueling ducks. In the meantime, I hope the many signs of spring will delight, amaze, and lift your spirits.

Thanks to Lisa Finney for allowing me to use her photo of a dark-eyed junco. You can see more of her stunning photographs at www.somethingwithpictures.com.

Sue McKay Miller
April 26, 2021

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