Weather-wise, December has been dismal! We’ve had one dreary, drizzly, nose-numbing day after another. But I have found a surefire way to add some cheery to the dreary is simply to lather up a few branches with Bark Butter and wait to see which birds show up.

Today, the woodpeckers were the first to arrive. This handsome male Red-bellied wasted no time in landing and loading up his beak.

You wanna know a couple cool facts about most woodpeckers? (Of course you do!) Well, they have fascinating tongues that are barbed and coated with sticky saliva, to make grabbing bugs (or Bark Butter) easier.

They also have a third eyelid, that closes from front to back, to help protect their eyes from debris – something that comes in handy when they are drilling into tree bark.

This fella’s lovely lunch date also made an appearance.

A female Hairy Woodpecker stopped by to sample the cuisine, though the skittish male was once again a no-show.

And a dapper male Downy dropped in to take advantage of the free food.

I guess the dreary is not so dreadful when the company is so delightful!