MARCH

Greetings from Capt. Dave & BAYMEN!

Hard to believe, but February (and winter?) is already behind us. Temps this morning were 13 degrees at first light, but the first day of Spring is just 17 days away…

Signs of spring are already beginning to show in Baymen Land. Snow drops and Crocus have already started blooming and the green tips of the daffodils are poking up. Skunk cabbage is starting to show in the swamps and Maple sap is running like crazy up north and the sugar shacks are fired up! 

The first herring will start to arrive in all the herring runs this month throughout Massachusetts. The first BlueBacks and Alewives typically arrive on Martha’s vineyard, then Middleboro, then Weymouth, and then all the runs start to fill up. The spring spawn is on our doorsteps…

All the ponds will have ice out this month and the annual Spring Trout Stocking begins. Watch the MA Trout Stocking Report for all the latest stocked waters in Massachusetts and get your gear ready!

If you are a birder (I have been a life-long birder since I was born) you will notice many birds are already singing. Cardinals, Titmice, Carolina Wren, and Black-Capped Chickadees are already making a lot of noise. Soon – any day now – Redwing Blackbirds will arrive from the south and fill the meadows, fields, swamps, and pond edges with their calls and flashing red wings. The males arrive first to stake out nesting territory and then the females follow later. And let’s not forget about the arrival of the first Osprey, right on the heels of the herring. And if you are an upland bird hunter, nothing says “Spring” more than the arrival of Woodcock migrating north. Their mating sky dance is one of natures most fascinating events.

If you spend any time in the woods, keep your eyes out for Mourning Cloak Butterflies – the first butterfly to come out of hibernation. They have brown wings edged with dirty gold, lined with muted blue/purple dots. Also listen for the croaking of Wood Frogs, and of course the most recognized sign of spring everybody knows about – SPRING PEEPERS! Boy, it is going to be exciting to hear them singing again.

“In like a lion, out like a lamb”  that is what we say about March. So far, so good. Maybe a snow storm or two, maybe not. We have bare ground and signs of Spring all around. MAYBE, Spring will just quietly glide in on silent wings… But not to worry, one thing is sure: SPRING is just 17 days away!

Happy March from Capt. Dave

BAYMEN Guide Service, Inc. 32 Years Guiding The Bay, Still In Love. Soli Deo Gloria!