"In like a lion; out like a lamb", goes the old saying about March. The lamb totally overpowered the lion in 2012, though, and the lion was nowhere to be seen. The month even broke records on breaking records with so many record highs and record high low temperatures set.

Nature responded to all the heat and sunshine, too. Wild flowers are blooming roughly a month ahead of schedule. Trees are blooming and leafing out as if it were early May rather than April. Field work is well along and some crop seed is already in the ground. People began mowing yards in middle of March.

Bird migration arrival dates have been early, as well, but perhaps not as far ahead as temperatures might lead us to expect. Bird migration is influenced by a more complex set of factors than temperature, alone. Day length and food availability are important factors in triggering the urge to move, and day length doesn't change like weather patterns do. Some of the summer birds that still haven't arrived spend winters thousands of miles to the south in Central and South America where they aren't aware of how unusually warm our spring has been.

Waterfowl are strongly influenced by the availability of open water and may begin their northward trek as soon as that's available with little regard to the date. Their courtship season began early in the winter and pair bonds were already well formed by the time they started to migrate. Year-round resident songbirds like cardinals begin to feel territorial urges and start to sing soon after the first of the year. They usually develop pair bonds and establish territories before their migrating summer neighbors arrive. Migratory songbirds tend to wait until they reach their breeding areas to begin courtship.

The science of phenology studies the relationship between climate and periodic natural events like the blooming of flowers and migrations. Nature's relationship to the calendar is not rigidly fixed, especially here in the Midwest, far from the tempering influence of major bodies of water. Unseasonable weather is really more the norm than the exception, here. That said, events that happen too far from their normal time can have serious implications for a variety of species. Waterfowl are little affected by cold and a day's flight can put them back in comfortable conditions even when winter returns with a vengeance. Some birds don't have that kind of range, though, and can be trapped in conditions that they can't handle if lured too far north too soon. Less obvious than a vicious return of winter, but still a serious problem, is how unusual weather patterns affect the availability of food. Some birds depend on specific kinds of food like insect hatches or flower nectar to supply their energy needs for migration, courtship, and reproduction. Seasons that get too far out of whack with the calendar can make it difficult for them to meet their food needs.

Insects have certainly hatched this year. Purple martins are back and feasting on flying bugs. Even a few days of cold that keeps bugs from flying can leave them starving, though. Bluebirds and robins are already building nests, but can shift to other foods and hold on through a cold spell. Incubating eggs and feeding young are another matter, though. Early hatched young birds aren't so hardy or flexible in their diet needs.

Perhaps the most striking indication of how unusual the past month has been occurred on April 1. The beach at Hickory Grove Park had as many people on it as a typical summer afternoon. Some were actually swimming, too. At least a few bluegills and bass were enjoying warm water in the shallows, too. That would have been unusual even on the first of May. I have never seen anything like it.