Most likely if you read my column, you have some interest in nature, and I bet most like, feed or even seek out birds.

If you feed birds almost year-round, like I do, you know that a few species feed there through all the seasons.

The cardinals, chickadees, tufted titmice, song sparrows, and house finches are year-round resident birds.

Most of the other birds that we see in our backyards and/or woodlots are summer residents. These are the species that migrate to areas less harsh or where more food is available.

These migrations can be rather predictable, sometimes almost to the exact dates, year after year after year.

On Feb. 25 on my birding route around Franklin Township and the Beltzville area, I saw numerous small flocks of robins.

Looking back at my bird notes in my journal, the past three years I began seeing flocks of robins between Feb. 24 and March 2.

On this same birding trip, I saw a few male red-winged blackbirds perched in the same marshy spots and fence posts as last year. Sure enough, my notes from the past few years documented that they too “showed up” at almost the same dates.

Weather conditions can affect that, of course. If a strong nor’easter blows up along the coast and dumps a foot or two of snow, that can change things a day or two.

I do know that the lengthening and shortening daylight has the greatest effect on their migratory decisions. But do they notice a three- or four-minute change in daylight hours? Nature, that’s why I find it so interesting and intriguing.

I’m going back to my records and make a few predictions on when to expect some of our summer breeding birds.

Remember, some of these birds have wintered in the West Indies, Central America or even South America. They somehow begin their migrations north, some of their treks are thousands of miles, and still get to their breeding areas within a window of a few days each year. Again, it’s our amazing world of nature.

Before this column is printed, I’m sure you’ll see common grackles stopping at your feeders or feeding in your yard or pastures. Most arrive here about the first week of March.

Here are some of my projected arrival dates based on my check of four random year’s data from my bird log:

• Tree swallows earliest sighting March 24; the other three years, March 29, March 31 and April 1.

• Chipping sparrows, earliest sighting, April 2; the other three years, April 7, 9 and 10.

• Eastern phoebe, earliest sighting April 6; the other three years, April 23,28 and 30.

• Barn swallows, earliest sighting, April 10, the other three years, April 10, 11 and 12.

• Osprey, earliest sighting, April 7, the other three years, April 12, 18 and 24.

• House wren, earliest sighting, April 19; the other three years, April 26, 27 and 28

• Baltimore oriole (one beautiful bird most look forward to as the harbinger of summer), earliest sighting, April 23; the other three years, April 27, 29 and 30.

My annual bird list for Carbon County ranges from about 160 to about 190 species each year. I could make this list exhaustive so I just tried to pick out those birds of which you might be familiar. Migration arrivals predictable, You Bet!

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Which of these birds will be the earliest nesters? A. mourning; dove B. American goldfinch; C. barn swallow; D. tree swallow.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Last week’s question was, true or false, 15 voles live in 1 acre of suitable habitat. False, 100 or more voles can be found in field or field and orchard areas.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com