Liz Moniz was cleaning up her yard over the weekend when she heard the call of an American woodcock, and immediately stopped to follow the sound.

As the Lloyd Center's education and outreach director, Moniz is familiar with various birdcalls, but particularly enjoys that of the plump shore bird also known as a timberdoodle. Around late March, the woodcocks can be spotted in open fields performing their peculiar mating rituals, she said.

"They do a dance, and some weird spiraling in the air," said Moniz.

However, with the 60-degree weather over the weekend (61 degrees on Thursday; 68 degrees on Friday; 65 degrees on Saturday), the woodcock and other signs of spring made an early appearance, said Moniz. She also spotted the red-winged blackbird at the Lloyd Center on Potomska Road.

"It's a sure sign of spring for us here. They're feeding from our bird feeders now," she said via phone. Moniz said that the witch hazel trees, notorious for being the first tree to flower, have already sprouted yellow blooms.

Nearby, cars both filled the eight-car parking lot at the Frank Knowles/Little River Reserve property, while an equal amount lined the street.

The reserve andthe other 15 trail systems managed by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust attract about 25,000 visitors annually, but this weekend probably attracted more traffic than normal, said Outreach Coordinator Jim Bride.

"I'm sure it was probably more than 1,000 visitors over this past weekend," he said.

At the tail end of the trail system, where the reserve empties into The Trustees of Reservations' Cornell Farm property, more visitors wandered about. More than 300 vehicles stopped by Cornell Farm over the weekend, each carrying an average of three people, estimated Trustee's Superintendent Diane Lang.

While none of the organizations reported any problems with crowds, officials did give reminders to respect other visitors, keep the trails clean, and practice proper pooch etiquette.