More About Woodie

I've been watching the Woodie tree from afar, hiding behind the yucca on the porch. I can hear the babies even at that distance! They get louder whenever one of the parents pops in with food, which they do regularly all day. In addition to the earlier bug meal, I've seen them arrive with two different kinds of berries:



They fly over with full beaks, land on the tree, scope out the area, move over to the hole, and then go in. I am fascinated by what happens afterwards--not every time, but sometimes. The parent (who, now that I think about it, seems to be Woodie, not Woodina, most frequently--you can tell by the red spot on the top of his head) pokes his head back out and opens his mouth several times. In the shots below you can just see his tongue. What the hell is he doing? Cleansing his palate? After a bit of that, he flies out and goes back to the hangout tree.



It kills me that these photos are not better. I will try again this evening when there's more activity again (things quiet down somewhat during the afternoon).