Update From the Oriole Ranch

With the arrival of the orioles on May 10th activity on the feeders was land office brisk.  The hungry migrators were gorging on high energy fruit and grape jelly. 

 

Business recently has been quiet.  The orioles haven’t entirely disappeared - but their feeding habits have switched.  As they rear their young high in the tree canopy they're now dining on the abundant high protein insects and insect larvae.  

True to form, in July the adults will return with their fledglings to introduce them to the decadence of grape jelly and oranges. 

That return is always a hoot because those fledglings will find a perch and beg mom or dad to feed them. By the time they’ve figured out how to feed themselves the orioles beat it out of Dodge and depart for their wintering grounds.

Last to arrive and first to depart. 

In the interim, the red-bellied woodpeckers continue to come around on a daily basis to indulge their sweet tooth. 

 

With all the dead and dying ash on the landscape the resident woodpecker population has soared to record numbers.