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Oriole south migration underway

17 years ago

I was looking out my window this morning and saw a female oriole land on the shepherd hook where the orange/jelly feeder is hanging. Unfortunately, I had not yet refilled the empty jelly trays so it flew off. This is the first oriole I've seen in two months.

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Comments (10)

rachel_frome_ky
17 years ago
Cool! Maybe I'd better refill mine as well!
donald lucius
17 years ago
I,m in southwest Colorado and the nights are getting cool.
I had three nesting pairs of Bullocks Orioles. After the young got big enough i had also eleven young orioles. The adult males left first. and in this last week all but 5 of the others are gone too.
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Tom, It's so cool that you're still seeing them. I've been watching but none yet. Here's a site that has month-by-month migration on Baltimore and Bullock Orioles: Oriole migration I couldn't find any info on whether the males and females migrate separately. It appears that they will winter in Florida from September through March. I found it interesting that older migration maps such as my Audubon Field Guide from 1977 (even found other maps online as late as 1985) show them wintering in Mexico and south with no mention of wintering in Florida. However, newer maps show Florida as a main wintering ground. Global warming? I know that they like sugar water and fruit juice, especially oranges, so I' not surprised they are using your hummingbird feeders. Enjoy your birds, Rhonda
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When my husband lured him out, he put the red feeder in a large ficus that spends winter indoors and had just been moved outside (because I can NOT completely get rid of the scale on it). The ficus is nestled in a shady corner by the garage door. Amazingly, although never having had a feeder anywhere near that space in the past, two males were fighting over it before nightfall. I think they really like having a feeder in a tree. They'll sit on the higher branches and then flit down to the feeder. My husband didn't know they were territorial and said the two hummingbirds were "dancing" around the feeder. HA! Next time my teenage boys start arguing I'm going to yell, "Ya'll stop dancing!" Either those two males were fighting over all feeders in the yard, or I have several hummingbirds right now. I did just see my first female at a feeder in an older location. Dicentra is blooming, forsythia is still in bloom, and I'm not too many days away from Columbine canadensis flowers opening.
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boston_ma_02125
16 years ago
Folks if you like orioles, enjoy gardening and have the space I have a truly cool tip: plant a grape arbor. I live in Boston near downtown and have always enjoyed gardening. Living in the city, seeing orioles was a rare treat... but not any more. Three years ago I planted a concord grape and trained it up to cover our 2nd story deck. The number of birds attracted has risen exponentially of these three years. Seeing ten orioles at a time is now pretty common. Also attracted are cardinals, jays, and catbirds. There are so many birds out there right now that there probably won't be enough grapes to make jam once they fully ripen. Do I mind, not at all
rachel_frome_ky
16 years ago
Wow! Another tip I'm going to follow, if possible! I wonder if I can grow grapes in Albuquerque (still hoping to move there next yr)?
builder24car
16 years ago
I've been trying to get an Oriole for years. I took this pic last week thinking it was an immature robin. I posted it on another board and two people told me it was an immature Baltimore Oriole! I want a bird and when I finally see it I don't even know what it looks like! I suck as a birder. *sigh* At least it's a lifer for me. :)
hawkeye_wx
Original Author
16 years ago
The one female oriole stayed for a couple weeks, but I have not seen another.
dzyg
16 years ago
So far ours here in WI are still around eating the jelly but it won't be long now. I think our hummers left though. =(

Donna
donald lucius
16 years ago
the last of my orioles left out yesterday. I had three nesting pairs of bullocks orioles and got 11 young ones
the male adults left over a month ago and since then the others are leaving in small groups. The last two did not show up today at all so i assume they left yesterday.
I expermented this year with a variety of fruits and they ate most anything i put out, One loved watermelon and they all liked apricots and cherrys, a couple drank orange juice from a lid everyday and a couple even ate plums.
Cantalope was not a big treat for them.
hawkeye_wx
Original Author
16 years ago
A male baltimore oriole came to my yard this afternoon. It has been back for grape jelly twice. I sure with I had more of these beautiful birds during spring/summer. With a little luck maybe he'll stay for a couple days. Most of my orioles in spring were one and done.

Hawkeye
East-central Iowa
beckyw
16 years ago
Here is a pic of Mr and Mrs on their way south.
From 2009-09-07 yard

We got these HB feeders this year and the orioles loved them. It was the first year we had some stay and nest. We had at least 2 nests nearby. After they raised the babies they disappeared for a few weeks. But when they started south we had them on the feeders several times a day. We haven't seem any for a few days now but for awhile they hit it heavy. The feeders are made by First Nature and we got ours at Walmart for $3.88. They come completely apart for easy cleanup and have a wide mouth on the jar part so they wash easily.

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