This time of year is filled with ancient rituals, rituals that ensure the survival of the natural world.

Each spring  as has happened for tens of thousands of years, and in some species millions of years -- birds and animals strut, sing, show off, chase, cajole or whatever it takes to find a mate with the sole objective of reproducing.

The huge diversity of bird and animal species has lead to a wide variety of ways in which the males prove to the females that they are worthy fathers.

These rituals are triggered by the amount of available daylight and signal the start of the breeding season. As the world tilts on its axis and the sun slowly get higher in the sky, we gain more daylight. With each passing day in spring, we gain more daylight. In fact, we have gained more than five hours of daylight since the winter solstice — the shortest day of the year, in December.

The amount of daylight is called the photo-period. The photo-period is what indicates or triggers the mating response in birds and animals.

Mammals perceive daylight through their eyes, which pass messages to the brain. And humans respond the same way. We feel different at this time of year because of the amount of daylight we perceive with our eyes.

Birds, by contrast, perceive daylight directly into their brains through their skulls. A direct signal to the brain from the outside world, if you will.

Daylight triggers hormones that are released through the bodies of animals and birds and that awaken reproductive organs, which lay dormant most of the year. Unlike humans, most animals and birds mate only during a brief period each spring.

Once the reproductive organs are up and running, the mating rituals begin. In the bird world, the males are the ones dressed to impress. Males of many bird species have brightly colored feathers designed to do one thing — communicate to the female that he is good and strong with an abundant food supply within his territory.

Male birds augment their brightly colored feathers with song. Bird songs are as ancient as bird species. Many songbirds have been around for hundreds of thousands of years.

Songbirds are a specialized group of birds with wonderfully complex songs typically sung only by the male. A few species break the rules with both the male and female singing, such as the Northern Cardinal. But in general, songs usually come from only the male.

The Wild Turkey is among the species with no song at all. Turkeys rely on visual display to show that the male is a strong, healthy and a worthy mate.

Male birds fan out their tail feathers, droop their wings so the wingtips drag the ground and puff up their iridescent body feathers to impress the gals. The male even has large patches of exposed skin around his head that change color from red to blue and white.

Male turkeys make a hissing and popping noise as they try to maneuver in front of the females in his group. Only when the females are ready to nest will they pay the males any attention and allow mating. The actual mating is brief, but the courtship goes on for weeks. Males strut about so the females don’t forget them until the female is ready.

I look forward to spotting and photographing strutting male turkeys each spring. In my mind, it’s an ancient ritual that indicates spring. I can spend hours watching the males do their thing. I get a sense of security and permanence and that all is right in nature when I see this ancient dance.

For you the rituals of spring may be the singing of a male robin or the mate chasing off the Eastern Gray Squirrel in your backyard. Cottontail rabbits will also chase each other across your lawn and jump high into the air for their mating ritual.

No mater the spring ritual, remember they are important aspects to a healthy environment. Such rituals ensure that these birds and animals will be around for many more generations, but only when the sun climbs high into the spring sky.

Until next time.