Some folks see a robin and instantly think spring — even though individuals and flocks of robins often can be seen in winter here in Maine, where they subsist on fruits and berries.

For that reason, those in the know are more likely to claim the red-winged blackbird as the true sign of spring.

Red-wings are far less likely to tough it out through a Maine winter and thus the one you see in March probably really is a migrant returning to breed or headed farther north to set up territory. Some birders have adopted the turkey vulture as their symbol of warmer months ahead. Seeing these large, black birds soaring with their shallow v-shaped wing position as they cruise along on thermals is definitely a clue that spring is on its way.

For us, and many others who have a particular affinity for a certain grapefruit-shaped bird, spring hasn’t officially arrived until we’ve heard the “peent” of a woodcock.

American woodcocks feed on earthworms, beetles, snails, spiders, and other invertebrates they find in the ground. In fact, they are specially designed for probing the soil; they have a long bill that has a flexible upper mandible perfect of snatching worms.

They may shift their weight forward and back and foot to foot, creating vibrations that stimulate earthworms to move, making it easier for the birds to find them. Such specialized feeding strategies are hardly made for the frozen ground, so when the woodcocks, or timberdoodles, as they are sometimes called, return, it’s safe to be fairly optimistic that winter is loosening its grip.

In early spring, woodcock are most likely to seek out patches of bare earth among the snow in fields and clearings, which tends to be near water, where, if their search for insects is a bust, they may feed on plant material. But don’t expect to see them, at least not easily. Even in their small islands of thawed ground, they are well camouflaged, with their mottled brown, black, and gray plumage blending in perfectly with the muddy earth.

It’s the male’s breeding display that gives their presence away — and that lifts the spirits of anyone ready to say goodbye to winter who recognizes the loud, nasally “peent” calls, given as night approaches. The males also put on a mesmerizing display in the darkening sky, hundreds of feet in the air.

Although difficult to see, the display starts with the male rising into the air on whistling wings until it reaches its zenith where it begins a series of wide descending circles all the while uttering a persistent high-pitched twittering vocalization that can be heard from a surprising distance.

As the bird descends, the circles get smaller and the twittering gets faster until suddenly when perhaps 50 or 100 feet above the ground the bird goes silent and swoops down to land. A few seconds later the “peent” calls start up again. And so it goes until darkness fully descends.

It’s hard to imagine such a mild mannered-looking bird going to such an extreme to attract a mate. On the ground, it appears as “just” a small, plump shorebird, with short legs and neck.

Unlike its coastal shorebird cousins, which tend to dart about in quick movements, the woodcock pokes about slowly so it can tune in to the forest floor. If you’re fortunate, you’ll catch a glimpse just before you startle one into flight if you happen to be strolling in a shrubby field or young forest, where they breed.

More likely, what you’ll see is what birders fondly describe as a “flying grapefruit” as the startled bird flees.

Here in Maine, reports of woodcock have already begun to appear.

So enjoy the robins, watch for those redwings and turkey vultures, but if you’re looking for the perfect spring pick-me-up, keep your ears tuned to the early evening sky.