SPRING: Harold Whitney and his granddaughter Addison reported hearing peepers on Thursday at the bottom of Hedgehog Lane where Marilla Brook flows through.

We’ve been a bit remiss at peeper reports, but we’ve heard the tiny frogs singing near Interstate 86 at Allegheny River and in Lewis Run along the Tunungwant Creek in recent weeks.

Did you know that the song of the spring peepers comes in at approximately 90 decibels — about the same as a lawnmower! Just for a critter comparison, the sound of Cicadas is 120 decibels.

That nightly chorus, on warm spring nights, is actually a spring peeper mating ritual. The males of the peeper species are calling out to the females, who are drawn to their chirping suitors. After these tiny frogs mate, the eggs hatch in approximately 12 days.

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ROBINS: Earlier this week, we heard from some folks who had a robin eating at their suet. They were surprised, and didn’t know if that behavior was unusual.

We looked it up.

Robins can eat fruit, seeds, suet, crushed peanuts, sunflower hearts and raisins, along with their regular diet of insects and worms.

Speaking of robins, Hal Harmon on Bolivar Drive called last Wednesday afternoon to share that a robin was visiting his backyard bird feeder. This was while snow was falling, so we hope the bird got its fill of seed.

Did you know that robins roost together in trees and some roosts can have as many as 200,000 robins. Also, robins can have up to three broods in a year, however many of the babies don’t survive. The baby robins which do survive have a lifespan of only about six years.

While outside this weekend, see how many robins you can identify. Look for their distinctive red breasts and face.