I attached a stick to the bottom of one feeder , for the Towhees to perch on . The other feeder I left without . The Towhees have a hard time grabbing hold of the suet cage without something to perch on . Most of the other birds don ’ t have a problem .

The Towhees are charming enough to warrant the assistance . Very sociable , they will perch on the banisters and have a chirp with me , almost within arm ’ s reach . That ’ s pretty endearing , right ? They ’ re pretty sure I got the suet feeders just for them . They knew for certain I had planted tomatoes just for them . We like them all , but the San Marzano Cherries are our favorites . We have that in common . They seem a little disappointed that I don ’ t drive the Woodpeckers off , but being naturally congenial in general , they don ’ t gripe .

They live under my truck year-round . When I got my spare truck , they thought I did it for them . Thought I got ‘ em a game room or maybe a mother-in-law house . They were so happy . They ’ ve almost worn my driveway smooth , running back and forth between the two vehicles . Maybe they thought I was embarrassed at stealing their house every time I went to town and got ‘ em a guest house to hang out in while I was using their main house .

They used to sit on the banister waiting for me to return with the casa . Always happy to see me , ( or at least the truck ). Of course , I always brought ‘ em groceries . Fresh smashed grasshoppers , dragonflies and other tasty nums , all hot off the grill .

Other customers at the Suet Shop , here at the Porch on Thompson , include Crested Titmice ( or is it Titmousies ?), scads of tiny Little Gray Birds , Whitebreasted Nuthatches , who like to hang out , eat , and chirp all while upsidedown , and the occasional hawk , who never lingers over his food , just grabs a bite to go . Usually another customer , although never yet a Woodpecker , to my knowledge .

The Woodpeckers are the undisputed kings of the suet feeders . They run all the other birds off , including the larger Scrub Jays . One of our resident bird mavens told me Jays won ’ t eat suet . They only like sunflower seeds seasoned with balsamic vinegar , saffron and chives , roasted in lard from extra virgin Duroc