Doughheads

Blue jay.

The birds at our feeders LOVE the homemade suet dough we provide. We feed it to them in moderation, so there's no concern about them getting obese, lazy, or addicted, but they ARE often waiting just after dawn in the willow tree off the back deck. They perch there, shifting from foot to foot nervously, wiping a wing across their beaks as they sniffle, eyes glazed. Their mood is very anxious, jumpy. They stare into the house through the sliding glass doors. They are waiting for "the man." Some mornings it is "the woman." To bring them their "medicine."

These are the "doughheads."

The second we open the back door to start the morning feeding frenzy, the doughheads make a big show of flying away. But they only go far enough to be in a good position to swoop in first to the fresh handfuls of dough on the deck rail and in the hanging dough feeder.

Here are a few of the most avid doughheads.

Female red-bellied woodpecker.

Male dark-eyed junco.

Male northern cardinal.

Female northern cardinal.

Shy male eastern bluebird.

Male house sparrow.