The Orioles are back!

I’ve seen the flashes of orange fly by this week. The orioles are back for the season!

I talked to my mom over the week-end and learned that they were greatly enjoying the Woodlink oriole feeders we gave them last year.

She was especially excited to have identified an orchard oriole which is a smaller oriole, about the size of a bluebird.

The picture shows a juvenile male orchard oriole with a well-defined black bib at his throat. As he matures, his coat will turn a brick red. This is the only species east of the Mississippi River with a solid black tail.

Orchard orioles prefer orchards (hence the name) and shade trees in parks and gardens.

They enjoy the same delicacies that entice the other oriole varieties to the feeders, mainly grape jelly, nectar and orange halves.

My parents has their feeders in a perfect location for both attracting orioles and for watching them. The feeders are placed in a flower garden a few feet from their picture window for great viewing. There are also shrubs and trees nearby for cover and a convenient birdbath for water.

They keep fresh nectar in the feeder with a half of an orange on the top and all the feeding ports full of grape jelly.

Then they just sit back and enjoy the show!