What the Heck is a Fathead?

Well if you have followed us for a period of time or have had the pleasure of visiting one of our stores here in the Ottawa area, you likely would have heard the term Fathead thrown around a time or two.

Not to be confused with a falsified sense of confidence, our Fatheads truly are something special and one of our products that are consistently in and out of stock due to popularity.  Much like many of our other products, these have evolved from being beautiful pieces of art (which they still are), but have morphed into something truly useful that our back yard birds genuinely enjoy.

So, What is a Fathead?

Constructed of cedar, these wooden carvings are produced locally by an extremely talented artisan by the name of Dave Card.  A regular at our Almonte store, Dave has been providing Gilligallou with his carvings crafted of reclaimed material for a number of years now and his work adorns numerous back yards in the Ottawa area and beyond.

Image: Justine McNeely (Facebook)

No two Fatheads are the same either, as Dave crafts each one with a unique expression and personality.  Each Fathead is carved into unique faces and is crafted in such a way that nothing is ever added to the carvings themselves.  As an example, the noses and other facial features are all created using only the natural extensions of the wood as well as any other small details.

In addition to shifty and comical facial expressions, these Fatheads double as effective suet feeders, each equipped with convenient pre-drilled crevices for suet and hooks, allowing you to easily hang them in your yard.  Simply break off a small chunk of suet and place it in each of the holes to attract chickadees, nuthatches and woodpeckers.

Suet

Suet is a great form of food for birds, particularly during the winter months.  Its dense formula is high in calories and carbohydrates, giving birds the necessary energy they need to survive comfortably when the temperatures dip.

We carry a wide variety of suet formulated for different times of the year, including a summer formula that will not melt as many others do, which can actually be harmful to birds.  One of our favourite varieties this time of year is our peanut suet.  Pre-packaged in convenient rolls, we will simply unroll a portion of the suet, break off what we need for our Fatheads and wrap the remainder up.