Unusually early sound from last year finally returns to NJ

After a very long winter, the return of spring is such a breath of fresh air. Warmer weather, longer and brighter days, all with life returning to nature for another fantastic growing season.

And with that change comes certain changes in our surroundings. The most notable changes include the flowers starting to spring up, followed by greener lawns and greener trees.

Plus the insects and animals, all awakening from their long winter naps. Simply put, springtime in New Jersey is just a great time of year.

With that said, there was a sound I finally heard on the last day of winter that, over the past couple of winters, I've heard much sooner than that. In 2024, I first heard this in early February, and in 2023, I first heard this at the tail end of January.

That's quite a difference in time

Why so delayed this year? Is something going on that we should be made aware of? Well, maybe.

It's the sound of the Spring Peeper, finally making itself known throughout the Garden State. I first heard them the evening of March 19, the last day of winter, but I'm sure parts of the state that are warmer than where I have probably heard them even sooner (I'm by the coast).

However, they emerged rather late this year when compared to the winters of 2024 and 2023. The big question is, why is that?

Well, it's really 2025 that we don't need to question. If anything, late winter and early spring are the precise times we should begin to hear them.

The chill never subsided

Our consistently cold winter most likely prevented the Spring Peepers from coming out so early, which is a good thing. In fact, that's how it should be.

The past few winters prior to 2025 have been exceptionally mild. So much so that it prematurely brought the Spring Peepers out early, making hearing them as early as late January loud and clear.

Who knows how early we'll be hearing them again next winter. Hopefully, they won't emerge until around the time they did now. But in today's ever-changing world, that might be a stretch.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.