The Oriole Cam

Backyard bird report.

It would appear that the redwing blackbirds have left for the season.  Same for the tree swallows.  Off to southern coastal states, Mexico and Central America.  Jill spotted bluebirds in the bird bath.  The robins continue picking-about in the yard.  Cardinals, kingbirds, hummers and goldfinches are everywhere, warblers are passing-thru. It's been the best year in memory for indigo buntings, purple finches and orchard orioles.  And with all the dead and dying ash on the landscape woodpeckers rule the world around here.

The orioles are still hanging-around but they're not long for this neighborhood and will be departing before too long.  And the porch camera will likely be redeployed somewhere in the woods.

Meanwhile, the grape jelly has been removed as it's been attracting bald-faced hornets; and those buggers are sociopaths.

Last batch of photos.....

 

   

2025 Graduating Class

It's been a terrific year for the birds that come to the oriole feeder; including the Baltimore and orchard orioles, indigo buntings, purple finches, catbirds, rose-breasted grosbeaks and red-bellied woodpeckers.  Sometimes a ruby-throated hummingbird will pay a call.  Anecdotally, I've observed more orchard orioles than in any previous year.  

Best of all, for a couple of weeks the fledglings of all of the foregoing are now coming to the feeders to be fed by mom and dad before figuring it out on their own.  By the time you read this I will have gone thru fifteen, 32 ounce (two pound) jars of grape jelly and a pile of navel oranges.  And taken thousands of digital images with a trail camera strapped to a post on the west side of the porch.

Anyway, here's a selection of this year's graduating class since the last time I've reported on the subject.

Fun Fact: Fledglings of these species oftentimes look like females.  They're all adult-sized. Male orchard orioles share the coloration of a female (the lack the distinctive ruddy brownish red of an adult male) but share the distinctive black hood and bib of an adult male. 

Update From The Oriole Ranch

As per usual there are a couple of oriole feeders out.  And the one on the west side of the porch has a trail camera mounted on the post opposite of its location.  It attracts more than just Orioles.

Male and female Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Catbirds, Purple Finches and a Red-bellied Woodpecker for good measure.  

Some recent photos of feeder action for your viewing pleasure.  This year's crop of fledglings should be arriving in just about a week...

 

 

The Oriole Ranch

The Oriole feeder has been deployed for a couple of weeks already and a spare trail camera strapped to a porch post has been offering-up a couple of batches of images worth sharing. 

Here's a double fistful of images illustrating the variety of species attracted to garden-variety concord grape jelly and a navel orange. It's not just orioles.

As time passes I'll post new (and old species) and any good action shots.....

Male Baltimore and orchard orioles

Female Baltimore oriole

Male house finch

Female Rose-breasted grosbeak

Male ruby-throated hummingbird

Female indigo bunting

Male indigo bunting

Orchard oriole and Downy woodpecker 

Coming in for a landing

Take-off!

 

Collage

Nice AI-generated collage of songbirds captured last summer on the Oriole Cam situated on the west side of the porch.

The orioles are the last to arrive and the first to depart.

Thanks Google Photos..... 

Update From The Oriole Ranch

Our first oriole sighting was Wednesday.  So I deployed a grape jelly feeder outside the kitchen window at the southeast corner of the porch.

Yesterday, there were orioles coming to the west side of the house looking for a grape jelly and orange treat that wasn't there.  

Do they remember from one year to the next?  Are they habituated to a feeder location?

So I deployed the second feeder there where it belongs.  Including a Moultrie trail camera.

 

And sure as shooting we've got birds coming to both locations now.

Check-in periodically for an update from the oriole ranch...

Report From The Oriole Ranch

Backyard bird report.

 

It would appear that the redwing blackbirds have left for the season. Same for the tree swallows. Off to southern coastal states, Mexico and Central America. 

 

Bluebirds are still around. With the recent rains the robins are picking-about in the yard. Cardinals, hummers, king birds, catbirds, and goldfinches are everywhere. It's been another banner year for indigo buntings and with all the dead and dying ash on the landscape woodpeckers rule the world around here.

 

The orioles are still hanging-around but they're not long for this neighborhood and will be departing before too long. And the porch camera will likely be redeployed somewhere in the woods.

 

Photos from this last week and prior.....

 

 And check-out those hydrangeas in the background!

Update From The Oriole Ranch

In the past ten days the Orioles really began hammering the feeders.  I go thru a 30 oz. jar of grape jelly and a navel orange in less than two days.  As of Sunday we had not spotted any fledglings.  That doesn't mean they weren't there (we were out and about with a visitor) but we hadn't observed them.  

Yet.

That changed Monday with the appearance of the Graduating Class of 2023 having fledged the nest to accompany mom or dad and come to the feeders.  They still haven’t completely figured-out how to feed themselves so it is hilarious to observe the youngsters alight and then chatter and whine for an adult to feed them.

They’ll get the hang of it before too long.

Here are some photos from Monday and Tuesday courtesy of the Oriole Cam on the porch.

 

In further news, yesterday we observed that the bluebirds nesting at the edge of our back yard have begun laying their second brood.  

 

Hubba Hubba....