"Never are voices so beautiful as on a winter's evening, when dusk almost hides the body, and they seem to issue from nothingness with a note of intimacy seldom heard by day."
— Virginia Woolf
A hike at dusk is a uniquely immersive Nature experience that transforms familiar trails into an enchanting adventure, as senses shift from sight to sound, making you acutely aware of the nocturnal world awakening around you.
I've been observing large evening flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and American Robins moving around, likely heading to communal roosts for the night. March is a volatile, transitional month where winter's grip finally breaks and the world seems to hold its breath before bursting into life. Spring bird migration is well under way, but tiger beetle season could begin in just a week or two, perhaps even this coming weekend. I'll probably go to Sauk to check.
An inch of snow fell Saturday but has since melted. These photos are from Friday evening at Pope Farm Conservancy, where the birds included American Robins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, and a few Red-tailed Hawks. As the sun sank in the west, repeated tinkling trills of a lone male Horned Lark were the day's final note, a tiny, silver bell rung before the great, quiet curtain of night fell.
It won't be long now ...
Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Yellow Warblers, and so much more ...
They'll keep their promise, here, and everywhere else ...
Will we?
Go outside and welcome them back!
All images © 2026 Mike McDowell