Qaulluqtaaq

I guess spring has arrived here.  It was another gorgeous day out and I spent a little time working on my four stroke lawn ornament that some people might call a snowmobile.  I thought I heard birdsong, a Snow Bunting but when I stopped what I was doing and looked, and listened some more I heard and saw nothing, and went back to working.  I thought that if I could solve my electrical problem I could actually get out of town for an hour or two, and Leah would be able to use the machine for this weekend's fishing derby.  But alas it was not to be.  Tomorrow I seek help, hopefully it isn't the alternator and I can solve the problem with a new battery.  But I digress...

Back inside I went into the office and prepared to bury my head in some paperwork when I took one more longing look out the window. There, flying up onto the roof of our old place was a small passerine. The Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) have returned, my ears hadn't deceived me.

Pretty much our last migrant to leave in the fall, they are also are first to arrive back.  Known in Inuktitut as Qakuqtaaq or Qaulluqtaaq they are a sure sign that our spring has arrived. As is typical this bird was a male, and they usually arrive first to establish territories. It is thought that they return to the same territory year after year, and once established they will defend it vigorously from other males.  The females should start arriving in a week or two.

I'll enjoy listening to their trilling, harbinger of spring and the burst of life that is about to arrive here. Now I have no excuse not to spend more time outside, even if it is for work.