FIRST PEEPS: June Caldwell of Cameron County was coming back
from a prayer meeting when she heard the first peepers of the
season at around 9 p.m. Tuesday. We know what she must have been
praying for — spring! June lives on Wheaton Hollow, Shippen
Township, just over the Emporium borough line.

On another spring thing, Pat Franco of Rew wrote us during last
week’s “heat wave”: “Everybody’s always looking for signs of spring
especially birds. I looked out my front door last night before it
got dark and there was a swarm of big mosquitoes flying
around.”

BE CAREFUL: With the warmer weather coming, R. Klinczar passes
along a timely suggestion for motorists and pedestrians alike about
night-time walking, particularly on Campus  Drive:

“I was driving on Campus Road 3/11/10 around 7 p.m. I passed a
couple walkers whom I did not see until I was right next to them.
On down the road, I passed some more walkers that I did not see
until I was right next to them. Further down the road, another
walker. This person was wearing a white jacket and was clearly
visible. The previous walkers were all dressed in dark colors.

“It’s not always the driver. Pedestrians have to wear light
colors or carry a flashlight so they can be seen. I hope you can
help enlighten people to this problem.”

WRONG BIRD?: We stumbled into a bird controversy once again.

Rian Rich of Kane dropped us an e-line and assertion that Woody
Woodpecker was not modeled on the pileated woodpecker but on the
ivory-billed woodpecker.

You may recall the recent sightings of this big red-headed bird,
and our comment that it was the model for the cartoon
character.

Rian goes on: “In my bird book, which was published many years
ago, it lists the ivory-billed woodpecker as extinct. At that time
I did a lot of research on this bird and that’s when I learned that
Woody Woodpecker was modeled after the ivory-billed.”

Our internet research indicates that at least some sources agree
with our assertion about the pileated woodpecker, but other
woodpeckers also have their advocates for this “honor.”

Meanwhile, we recall in recent years that the ivory-billed
woodpecker has been spotted in some remote swamp and is not really
extinct at all.