Thursday, May 13, 2010

Baltimore Oriole

Last night in the garden I heard a bird song I didn't recognize. I looked up and found a pair of Baltimore Orioles, male and female. . I am always excited by seeing Baltimore Oriole because I grew up rooting for the Baltimore Oriole baseball team. They always seemed like a mythical bird to me because we never saw them in our area. I've now seen them more frequently last year and this year. Last night my hands were covered in mud so I wasn't able to get any photos

This afternoon when I got home I heard the call again and found the male up in the trees and got a few photos. It was eating the seeds or flowers on one of the trees.

Later in the evening there were two males arguing in the lilac. The photo here isn't the best, but you can get an idea of how the bright orange looked in the green and purple.
I'll enjoy listening to them as I work in the garden. I hope they nest nearby.

5 comments:

Dan said...

Nice photos! We get Oriole's in the big trees out back. I keep thinking we should start feeding them, I've heard they like oranges and grape jelly.

miss m said...

Have not seen them here. They're magnificent !

Marcia said...

I am sooo envious! I never get to see them and they were named here. It's not fair that you have them there and you took lovely photos of them to boot! I think they will be a regular around your place. Maybe you will spot their nest soon. You will have to call them up when I visit.
We have hawks nesting nearby and one was just on the garden fence. My fear is that it will hunt the bluebirds.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful! They are gorgeous birds. If you put oranges out, as Dan suggested, you will see them more frequently and even encourage them to nest in the area. We made a very simple feeder consisting of a block of wood with nails set in at an angle on each side to hang the oranges. The block sets on a scrap of plywood as a base and perch, and the whole thing is on a iron pipe set in the ground. Easy and inexpensive.

Love the lilac shot!

June said...

Oh, lucky you! We always put oranges out and revel in their visits. Last year we had three pair nesting around our meadow. This year, the apple trees bloomed so early that the orioles never came to the oranges. I hear them in the apple trees. But I have yet to see them.

LUCKY YOU!!!!