They're back!

While I'm always sad to see our short, sweet summer come to an end, I do welcome back the chickadees.  I heard their melodic and soft songs as I drank coffe on the deck the other morning.  They were greeting me and each other in the big spruce tree where they hid and ate sunflower seeds all last winter.
Research has shown that chickadees can remember over 6000 hiding spots for their seeds.  That's pretty remarkable for a tiny bird.
Watercolor and pen in Moleskine sketchbook, from a newspaper photo.