A sparrow flew uncertainly from branch to branch. It looked as if it might be driving drunk.

This was about a month ago. Then animals emptied the Squirrel Palace and all of our other feeders by Wednesday. That was twice as fast a usual. I figured out that my drunken friend was in fact a sparrow who was fledging. Unlike their moms and dads, the newbies stick close to home and they’re voracious.

About the same time, a pair of chickadees started hanging in the backyard. They like to pick at the leftover peanut butter after the squirrels have eaten the easy pickings that I’ve slathered on corn cobs. Watching them makes me feel happy.