Birders: Orchard Orioles

The spring migrants are here for the nesting season. I don't have them nesting in the area around my house, but my brother does 15 miles east of where I live, I spent 2 hours filming there this evening, and these are my best portraits of the day.

Jonathan

Adult Male Orchard Oriole


Female Orchard Oriole

Awesome photo Johnathan. It is funny you should post that just now. I saw my first one ever two days ago. They are just starting to move in here. Neat little bird for sure. I only saw the male. I hope he had a lady friend someplace close.

The Orchard Orioles always have a non-typical oriole basket nest. Were they making one yet Jonathan ?

Really distinct call.....any 2 acre farmstead you could hear them calling when I was doing my breeding bird surveys on the praries.

Have three pair Orioles, three pair Indigo Buntings and cant count on Rosebreasted grosbeaks viaing for oranges, grape jam and a few hummers at hummer and oriole sugar water feeders....... thanks for posting pics J

Lovely birds...among the prettiest out there .

[quote=Northof50]The Orchard Orioles always have a non-typical oriole basket nest. Were they making one yet Jonathan ?

NT, I am not sure. It was my first contact with them there and I only concentrated my session with pairs at the jelly feeders. We didn't look for the nests yet.

Jonathan

Cool bird

Really Nice Shots Jonathan... Springtime color!

I'm trying to get a pic of one of those but he won't sit still!

Nice captures.
I have never had Orchard Orioles here but the Baltimore Orioles nest here.
I was in Richland Center, Wi. over the weekend. My friends there have many feeders and a great many types of birds.
They have many of both type of Orioles and the Orchard Orioles they have are the only live ones I have ever seen.
They feed on sugar water there and it looks like they prefer the feeder to be in a protected place.
The feeder they used there was under the eves of the house and had some tree limbs close. There were other feeders available but the one described was the one they preferred.
It was quite a spectacle with those hordes of hummingbirds and the two different specie of Orioles vying for that feeder.

Beautiful

Baltimore nest are dome shaped with and entry hole , but Orchard's are basket -cup shaped woven.
The male always flys to where she is caring to the nest and they try to weave together.
Small 2-3 " coloured darning yarn cut up and placed around dry grassy areas, they go in and collect threads, you follow the flight path as they make several trips.
The nest will be 15-20 feet high and inside 3-5 feet on a crotch not like what a Baltimore does.
Good luck with the finding the nest.
They are late arriving at this location usually the 1 June so you may have some migrators you are working with Jonathan.

noticed that the males colour was off, or was it a late in the evening the pic was taken.

NT50, Thank you for the tracking tip using the coloured yarn! The colour of that male was as seen with back lighting two hours before sunset. Here is the unedited, out of camera take of that photo.

Jonathan



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When you can not find them making it............the thread shows up after the leaves have gone, so you can say ....Now how did I miss that...it's in plain sight.
If the yarn is too big it can actually be a hazard with the young in entagelment.

There are some hotels in Panama that the balconys are level with the canopy and 10 species of Orioles fly about all 2-3000 of them, so you have to be sharp on; " who is who at the zoo"

I have tons of them here. Both northern and orchards. They are eating me out of house and home right now. They have been eating over a half jar of grape jelly every day for the last couple weeks. I always hate when they stop hitting the jelly here pretty soon. Love to hear them sing.

Both species were very active at the jelly feeders last evening , but only saw one female Orchard Oriole during a one hour session.

Jonathan

Nice, Jonathan! We are currently inundated with Baltimore Orioles, and now the Orchard Orioles have shown up too. Yesterday, I had two male Baltimores and a male Orchard all squashed onto one grape jelly feeder at the same time, with a few more waiting on the sidelines. None of that would be a problem - it just gets a bit troubling when the Baltimores come inside the house repeatedly and write "grape jelly" on the grocery list.

I hope to claim them all as dependents on our taxes.

Patrice

I haven't seen ours back this year, but our Bullocks Orioles are back again this year.

I learn a lot from you folks. Thank you.

Excellent photos again! I just watched a female check out our basket ball hoop net

Thank you to all for your kind words and comments.

Cattrax, Your Bullocks photos are stunning, and a special addition to this thread.

And then there is "Apple Blossom White." That is one good reason why they are called Orchard Orioles. I went by an old, abandoned apple orchard about 7 miles from home that I drive by throughout the year camera scouting the brush and old trees close to a town road. I have seen and photographed several songbird species there over the years, but never saw an Orchard Oriole there until today!!

Jonathan

Very nice capture, up here they eat the blossoms just as the blossom comes out of the plums.
That's the colour of ones that I'm use to.

Asked the question of what will happens when people feed jelly and the colour of their feathers molting later will do down the long run.