They
have appeared again and we do not know where they came from. A
neighbor who is really into birds told my wife to put out some grape
jelly and we would see a beautiful bird come and feed on the grape
jelly. It is the Baltimore Oriole. The oriole is a singer with a rich
whistling song that echoes from tree tops and parks. Now the birds
are in our neighborhood. We always thought this bird lived in the
eastern states, but here it is in Iowa. The male has brilliant orange
plumage while the female appearance is much more subdued.
Besides the Baltimore
Oriole, we are also being visited by the Orchard Oriole. A smaller
bird, the male is brick red with a solid black tail. First year males
have a well defined black bib. The female has a greenish yellow rather
than the orange - yellow breast. Their song is a medley of melodious
whistles and flute like notes, quite different from the short phrases of
the Baltimore. They migrate in July to August, so we do not expect to
see them much longer.
Male Orchard Oriole |
Female Orchard Oriole |
We live on a golf
course and there are no great stands of trees in our neighborhood.
However, to the west of our location is a wooded area. It is here, we
assume, they have built their nests. The female weaves a hanging nest
from slender fibers. We intend to hike over to the wooded areas and
search for the nests.
The name of
the bird is based on the crest of England's Baltimore family, and has
the same colors of orange and black plumage. The family also gave the
name to Maryland's largest city.
Their
breeding grounds are considered to be in the eastern and east central
United States. Iowa is far from being considered east central, but here
they are. We continue to enjoy the singing of the birds and the
brilliant colors of the male as they eat grape jelly from a feeder
placed on our deck. Besides the jelly in our feeder, they feed on
insects and forage for fruits in brush and shrubbery. We are very
interested to see how long they will be with us, as they winter in
Central America and will inhabit the coffee and cocoa plantations in
those regions.
Baltimore Orioles eat
insects, fruit, and nectar. Some orioles in our neighborhood have been
seen eating oranges that have been set out for them. However, they seem
to prefer grape jelly. Their preference for each food varies by
season: in summer, while breeding and feeding their young, much of the
diet consists of insects, which are rich in the proteins needed for
growth. In spring and fall, nectar and ripe fruits compose more of the
diet as these sugary foods supply energy for migration. Baltimore
Orioles eat a wide variety of insects, including beetles, crickets,
grasshoppers, moths, and flies, as well as spiders. They are also
helpful in our neighborhoods by eating many pest species, including
tent caterpillars, gypsy moth caterpillars, fall webworms, and spiny
elm caterpillars.
This
spring has unseasonably chilly weather and the birds are really chowing
down on the grape jelly. We put out our hummingbird feeders, but none
of them have showed due to the cold weather. When it warms up, they will
return.
Click on the logo to visit the website for great buys.
Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck. Hank
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