Bald Eagles are returning to and refurbishing old nests or building new ones right now according to email reports from around the metro area. One of the new nests is located on the east side of I-35E,just south of the merge with I-35-W. Another is along the east side of I-494 about a half mile north of the Highway 5 junction.

Great Horned Owls are on their nests, incubating eggs. They breed and hatch early to give the young birds as much time as possible to mature and learn to hunt before they will be on their own come next winter.

In our yard this morning: A cardinal singing its spring song, first for me this "spring." Chickadees have been whistling their courtship song for several days. Also heard this morning were calls from White-breasted Nuthatch and Downy Woodpecker. Spring songs are triggered not by weather but by our growing amount of daylight.

Crows in our neighborhood also were calling this morning, but crows talk year around.