Chickadees

“Chickadees are small songbirds of woodlands and suburbia—just a handful of feathers held together by an intense will to live…. Winter is time for hunkering down, huddling up, and pooling one’s resources, but chickadees rarely seem to give into the season. During the bleakest, coldest days of winter, their effervescence is often the perkiest part of any given day.” --Stephen Lyn Bales on the Carolina Chickadee, Natural Histories, Stories of the Tennessee Valley.
Visit Stephen Lyn's blog, Nature Calling!
I feel very fortunate that I have only to look out my window or stop to listen for a moment to discover one of these lively sprites. Besides their incessant chant, tche de de de, tche de de de, their acrobatics never fail to delight. As much trapeze artist as persistent vocalist, these energetic gems are cheerful neighbors in the waning days of winter.