We have had such a beautiful spring that our "break up" happened quickly, quietly and sooner than in the last few years so we have been very busy outside getting ready for summer. Actually, our joke this year is that spring came on Thursday, 1 May, when the birch buds burst, and then summer arrived on Friday, when the temperature climbed above 70 F (21 C)! I cannot remember when we have had such a lovely April (and, so far, May). However, we are concerned about how dry it has been and are ever vigilant in case of wildfires. Fortunately, we did get a little rain overnight, although certainly not enough to ease the threat of fire.
Perhaps you remember that our spring last year was remarkably late and budburst did not occur until late May. I think because of how cold and inclement it was last year we were taken a little by surprise this year at how "easy" our break up was. I enjoyed your latest email with information about our Fairbanks spring.
Some of the spring migrants have arrived back in our woods so it is very pleasant listening to our old friends singing to us again: Juncos, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, American Robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
I think the birch tree buds may have actually burst late on 30 April or early 1 May and I really do believe that if I had the patience I could stand quietly and watch the leaves lengthen as they have been growing so quickly! The temperature at solar noon (close to 2 pm) was 65 F (18.3 C). There was no rain in the rain gauge (and no snow depth either!)
We are celebrating the amount of daylight we have now: on 3 May the sun rose at 5:13 am and set at 10:25 pm, for a total day length of 17 hours and 12 minutes!
