Return of the Nuthatches

Every spring, I start listening for the nuthatches. I have white-breasted nuthatches outside, and you can hear them before you see them.

Long before the trees have fully leafed out, I begin hearing their distinctive calls outside my window. Some years there seem to be more than others, and whenever I notice their numbers have dwindled, I’m reminded that it’s probably time to refill the feeders and include peanuts.

Their return has become one of the small signs that winter is finally giving way to spring.

When I painted my White-breasted Nuthatch, I hoped to show ts curious personality and unmistakable habit of climbing headfirst down tree trunks—a behavior that never fails to catch my attention. They're energetic little birds, constantly moving, barely willing to pause just long enough to be appreciated.

It's easy to think of spring in terms of flowers and bright colors, but for me, the birds call.

The first calls of chickadees, wrens, and nuthatches remind me that another season of observing the birds in beginning. The trees fill with movement, nests begin to appear, and familiar visitors return to the yard.

Those small seasonal rhythms inspire many of my paintings.

Every year I look forward to the nuthatches, and every year they remind me that paying attention to the natural is one of the simplest ways to enjoy the changing seasons.