Spring gets closer as each day passes, and yet it seems strange to be writing about spring after we received four or five inches of snow. But signs of spring are becoming more frequent.

Given the recent dead turkeys found in Edgartown (some of them are being tested for the avian flu) it is prudent to be careful even though the flu has not yet been detected on the Vineyard.

Almost two months of winter are yet to come, but signs of spring are becoming more plentiful.

During the last year, this column documented a remarkable 284 species seen on the Vineyard.

Temperatures have repeatedly been below freezing this past week, which changes a bird’s behavior.

An almost rainbow-colored male painted bunting has been at a feeder in Falmouth this first week of January.