Baby birds!
In the last couple of days, the air has filled with more squeaks and begging calls. The Blue Jay babies have fledged, as well as Orioles, Redwinged Blackbirds, more Doves and Grackles. Not pictured but also seen were a Redbellied Woodpecker baby and a young Cardinal. All of them also seem to love the pond, so there is lots of fun stuff happening there. It is wonderful to see them explore things and follow the parents around. (Oriole, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Grackle, Blue Jay, Redwinged Blackbird)
Usually when the Orioles arrive,
I also get lucky to see an Orchard Oriole too. This year does not disappoint in that respect. He has been here for a couple of days now, he likes to chatter, and I hope he sticks around a bit and maybe brings the wife. Apart from the difference in color, Orchard Orioles are also smaller than Baltimore Orioles. Immature males are yellow with a distinctive black bib. I had one one year and always hope to see it again.
Since I was so fascinated
with the intense Oriole the other day, I have tried to see if I can capture some photos of it too. Here it is, amongst other (male and female) Baltimore Orioles. It is so interesting to see how much they differ in color. Some of them are adults, others are molting into adult plumage. The photos were taken over the course of two days, so light and shadows vary a bit.
While summer is slowly
coming to an end, and I have not seen Grosbeaks for a couple of days now, I still have quite a few Baltimore Orioles around. It is mostly females and youngsters now, but there also still is the occasional male. They all either grow their first set of proper feathers or molt to get ready for migration. And they have to share the grape jelly with Robins, Woodpeckers and House Finches, too.
More rain yesterday,
and more drenched birds. The Orioles have returned for very sporadic visits, and I think I might only have one pair this year. I also spotted a couple of Grosbeaks at the feeders yesterday, but also here, far from the numbers of previous years. It remains a sad season so far, but I am thankful to have at least some summer visitors. The good thing today is, the rain has finally stopped and the sun is out. However, it is rather windy and still cold. I am ready for some more summery weather. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, everyone!
Oriole activity
has been off to a comparatively slow start, and I am a bit bummed that I haven’t seen an Orchard Oriole or a Catbird yet. But the season is also young, and there is plenty of time for them to show up. Migration is still ongoing, and right now is a great time for surprise visitors to the backyards and feeders. As far as Oriole feeding goes, I find it interesting that some years, they seem to prefer oranges while in others, they are all in for the grape jelly and hummingbird nectar. Here are three beautiful males.
