Harbinger, by definition, means to herald the coming of. A harbinger could be a bad omen, but it is commonly used in the positive sense to announce the arrival of something good/nice.

I’d like to think that our spring season is a positive sign. Now as I more regularly visit my “go to” nature snooping spots, I see more and more signs that the season is changing.

I’ll identify a few things that you already notice and maybe I could pick out a few that maybe you can observe with just a little more time “out there.”

On March 17, I checked a vernal pool where I sometimes find common snipe (a bird). When I pulled off the road 50 yards away, I heard what almost sounded like ducks quacking from afar. I knew almost immediately that what I was hearing was a chorus of wood frogs.

Wood frogs are often the first amphibians to emerge from hibernation, and even on this 36-degree morning the pond was full of activity. As I approached closer for some pictures, the calls ceased and I saw a few ripples on the water’s surface where they had submerged.

I only had to wait a few minutes before a few heads popped up. And in minutes, maybe a dozen males were “quacking away.” The calls, of course, were not meant for me but for the female wood frogs popping up all over the vernal pool.

Two other amphibians lead the way in announcing the change of seasons: the spring peeper and the spotted salamander.

Many of you are probably familiar with the former if you live near or drive near a marshy area around or after dusk

The 1-inch peepers make quite a racket. Peeping sounds can be heard from quite a distance, and once late March arrives, I roll down the pickup window in the evening when I pass a “wet area” that always harbors the peepers.

If you try to approach them, they immediately hush up until you remain still and quiet. Soon the chorus of the males will resume.

Meanwhile, particularly on the Pocono Plateau, the mostly subterranean spotted salamanders will shortly be moving to their vernal pool birthplaces to mate and lay eggs.

Unfortunately, a number will be killed if that pond happens to be across a secondary road. Look for them on a damp or rainy evening slowly but deliberately crossing in front of your vehicle.

Two plants that tell me spring is here are the coltsfoot and trout lilies.

You’ll find the dandelion-looking coltsfoot lining the shoulders of secondary roads that don’t get sprayed with herbicides.

These bright yellow flowers add some much-needed color to the still-dull roadside edges. Don’t blink too long; they’ll only bloom for about eight to 10 days.

The diminutive trout lilies, reaching a height of about 6 to 8 inches, can be found in damp areas near streams like Lizard Creek.

When I see or hear these harbingers, I know that spring will hang on and prep us for warm times still to come.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Which of these adds small twigs or sticks to their nests? A. downy woodpecker; B. pileated woodpecker; C. screech owl; D. all of these; E. none of these.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Garter snakes, probably because of their smaller bulk, emerge earlier from hibernation than timber rattlesnakes.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com