I am jealous of your oriole! I love them so much. I had several pairs nest every year at my old home but never had one since I moved. Did you have them before you put up the feeders? I've never put up feeders for them, they just showed up. Three years in a row they made nests on the same branch in a tree in my front yard. They found some string from a blue tarp, and they'd use it every year to build their nests, which made the nests very strong and they really stood out. One year we had winds in excess of 80 mph and I was worried sick about those poor little babies. After the storm I was outside with a flashlight, searching the ground for the babies. Darned if the next morning they were all in that tarp built nest, still alive. I was thrilled they survived the storm. The following year one oriole built a nest on a limb that was only five feet off the ground. We joked it had to have been one of those babies from the wind storm that was brain damaged. :) I sure miss those birds since we moved. They seemed like old friends. Thanks for sharing your picture.

I was just reading this thread and feeling very jealous of you all when my doorbell rang and after I answered it I walked through the kitchen and saw 2 orioles at my hummingbird feeder. I could not believe my eyes. I thought I took a picture but nothing showed up in the camera. I may have forgotten to push the button or something. This explains why my feeder has been drained for the past week. I only have a couple of hummingbirds but I didn't put your messages together with the thought that I might have something else feeding there. I found a good web site that tells about them. The pictures on the web don't do them justice. Their color is brilliant. Here is a link that might be useful: baltimore oriole information

Thanks! I tried to sneak back and take a photo when the sun was out for about 20 minutes but the oriole stayed away. Meanwhile, it went back to raining again. It's been mostly raining off and on-mostly on- a slow drizzle for weeks now. Meanwhile, the leaves are opening and I can see my hopes for more warbler photos in a sunny woods fading. But last year, when the weather stayed fair during spring migration, KY suffered a severe drought that lasted until this current rain, so I should be grateful for it. Now they're putting out flood warnings.

My yard has numerous mature trees, mostly an open woodland habitat, which is the attractive to Orioles. There is a large Pin Oak right above my deck and bird feeders. Baltimore Orioles have nested in this tree for 3 years in a row. This year I've been watching them more closely and reporting sightings to the Oriole Project with Mass Audubon. Right now, both parents are very busy feeding the babies, and I can hear them squeaking when they are getting fed! Their nest is located at the end of a branch at the bottom of the canopy about 30 feet above the ground. It is a different branch each year, but the nests have been close to each other and the shell of the previous year's nest hangs there for awhile. The nest is an amazing hanging pouch of woven fibers. I watched the female weave the nest this year! I don't feed Orioles, and have reduced the amount of food I put in the feeders because I didn't want to attract a lot of birds to the feeding station so as not to disturb the Orioles. They are very territorial about their nesting area. When the female was incubating eggs, Dad was aggressively chasing away all birds, from Crows and Grackles, to even the little Goldfinches! I can't imagine them tolerating other Orioles near the nest. I don't know how far they nest from feeders or other food sources, but I've observed them several time flitting through the branches and leaves of assorted trees (including Crabapples), probably picking at insects. Here's a couple pics from this year.