The osprey have returned to their poles at Chappy point, Wasque and East Beach. Each pair has started rebuilding their nest, piling on new sticks and beach trash on top of the existing foundations from last season. The nest at Wasque is significantly larger than the one at Chappy point; perhaps the pair at the point is having to rebuild after losing some of their foundation in a storm this winter. According to Suzan Bellincampi, director of Felix Neck and author of a new book, The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard, these nests, perched on top of their wooden poles, can become as large as three feet deep and five feet across. Although large, Ms. Bellincampi says they are not the largest in the bird world; eagles’ nests can weigh as much as one ton and measure 10 feet across and ten feet deep.

The pinkletinks (or peepers to all you off-Islanders) have also made their debut, filling the air with their springtime song. On the next warm evening, roll down your windows as you drive between the Chappy Store and Slip Away Farm to hear the serenade. It is the males you will hear singing, hoping to attract their mate.

On a bike ride home from the ferry yesterday evening, I counted 16 deer, including the white doe, between the Pimpneymouse field and the meadow next to the fire station. This was my first sighting in over a year of the white deer, it was special to see her in the fading light, but I cringed at the sight of so many others accompanying her, ready to eat all the Chappy gardens.

As spring advances, things are picking up at Slip Away Farm. In the fall, we planted 250 daffodil bulbs in the field behind our mailbox, and I am filled with anticipation watching them inch their way out of the ground. They are a few weeks behind some of the warmer, more protected pockets of Chappaquiddick; the daffodils at Blueberry Cottage have just started to bloom while Margaret Knight has had blooms in her garden for a few weeks now. I am hoping to plant a few more bulbs each fall and am particularly interested in the heirloom varieties. If anyone has any recommendations of varieties to try, please let me know.

Although I have been a farmer for over 10 years, I continue to be amazed when a seed or bulb evolves into an entire plant. How can so much life emerge from the simple act of placing a seed in soil? A seed is so tiny and it faces so many challenges. It must have the right amount of water and sun and warmth. Yet, almost always without fail, that single seed or bulb will set its roots and reach up to the sun to do what it is meant to do. Abundance from nothing. Each spring, I am again reminded of this miracle.

In planting perennials like daffodils, I love imagining all who will enjoy those plants in the future. Our fruit trees, our herbs, our perennial flowers will follow their seasonal cycle for many, many years to come. During these years, they will continue to change. They will grow larger and spread. Some of them may be dug and replanted in new places. Some years they may go unpruned or become overgrown with weeds. The landscapes around them may be altered dramatically. Some will die early, but, for the most part, they will persist, emerging in spring with fresh growth and dying back into the land again come fall. Perhaps in a future April my grandchildren will stop in the Slip Away field and harvest a handful of daffodils to bring home to their windowsills.

Sidney Morris is celebrating his 70th birthday this summer with a big bash at the Chappy Community Center and he wants you all to save the date. The event will be on June 2. It is sure to be a great party!

The next Chappy potluck is April 17. Please bring an appetizer or main dish for six.

The annual spring egg hunt at the Community Center will be on Saturday April 20 and starts promptly at 3 p.m. Be sure to arrive on time as all the eggs are usually found pretty quickly.