THE IRISH EDITION: NADYA'S NATURE NOTES

By Nadya N.

The long-awaited days of spring have finally come. The sunshine and warm breezes are calling you outside - whether it's to play sports, hang outside with your friends, or a relaxing walk on a path in the woods. The fresh air is filled with bird songs - they are glad to be home again. Many of them flew away in the autumn and spent the winter where, I'm sure, you or I would have liked to spend it - far south. Scientists call this 'migration' - basically, the birds only leave us behind in school to envy the fact that they can afford their faraway vacations every year.

Though it's not as easy as it looks. The birds have to work really hard - for example, a tiny bird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, flies non-stop for 800 kilometers with a speed of 80 km/hour, without any motels or resorts along the way - and that's on a nectar-only diet! Then it has to rest, find some food, and fly again. But the winner of the flying non-stop race is the American Golden Plover, who flies for 5500 km from Nova Scotia and Labrador to South America in autumn, and then the same distance back, but with doubled speed, in spring. Scientists discovered that birds fly home in spring faster than they fly away in autumn - and most of them arrive just in time to gloat over us writing our exams.

But some birds stayed home, and shared with us all the 'wonders' of winter. European Starlings, introduced to North America in 1890, did not fly away in winter, and instead cheered us up with their happy songs while we trudged through the snow to school. Such native birds as Chickadees and Nuthatches begged for food and came to feed from our hands in winter, but now they are too busy home-hunting and singing. Even crows are in a romantic mood now, and quietly and shyly, they sing (believe it or not!) their serenades, just like Don Quixote to his Dulcinea.

So while you're out there, remember to stop and listen to the musical that the birds are putting up this spring. And best of all - tickets are free in Mother Nature's auditorium! But, like in a true theater, there are the same rules, such as "do not litter" and "respect the singers - do not make noise during a performance".

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NOTE to those who don't understand: the references to Don Quixote, his Dulcinea, and theater in general refer to our school musical performance for that year, "Man of La Mancha" (which is first of all a book by Cervantes)