Swing Low, Sweet Suet - or - Raiders of the Lost Suet

I was thinking, given I feed so many of the seed and peanut-eaters in my garden, that it was time to look out for the birds that preferred a meatier diet. So I duly trotted off and bought a suet ball and a suet ball holder. For a while it seemed no one noticed my offerings, until one day I realised just about the entire ball had disappeared...

What voracious bird, I wondered, had got so successfully at the suet, that in three or four days most of the stuff was gone? I really should have known, shouldn't I?
And this is how it was done:

The mysterious suet thief... "Who do you think you're looking at, go away, I'm busy!"

Now, I edge along the branch...

Then I swing down...

I lunge to my left...

And grab hold of the basket...

Right, now, this is the tricky bit...

Up and over...

Get my mush stuck firmly stuck into this lovely stuff...and grab a piece

Back up again, there we go....

Ah heaven...

Though it's equally good when eaten hanging upside down.

Well, if nothing else, and even if the robin and boubous went without, it was worth it just to get these shots!

And in other news... I was supposed to be off to the UK this week, to attend a much looked forward to children's writers' conference in Winchester with all my SCBWI-BI pals. Unfortunately ongoing health problems have put paid to that. And am I miffed? You bet! Oh well, there's always next year and now I have no excuse to finish off the final tweaks and tucks to my manuscript.