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. 

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!

 

Smile For the Camera

Migratory bird life around here is almost complete.

After spotting a rose-breasted grosbeak the very next day the orioles and hummingbirds materialized.  The brown thrashers have been here awhile, the catbirds can be heard calling and for the first time ever a red-headed woodpecker has been a regular visitor to the feeders in the yard.

 

Sunday I fetched one of the trail cameras from the woods and mounted it on a post on the west side of the porch with a clear view of a feeder stocked with half of a fresh orange and generic grape jelly.

The Oriole Cam is back in business for the duration of the season....

Update From The Oriole Ranch

The month of May brings the return of our Baltimore and Orchard Orioles.  And arrived  a week late on May 10th.  This was accompanied by the return of the Orchard Orioles and followed by the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds,  Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Catbirds and Indigo Buntings.

A new trail camera was mounted on a porch post with a clear view of the feeder.  I call it the oriole cam.  Triggered by motion it captures images of birds visiting the feeder without the presence of a human. 

Here are some recent photos from last month.

And stay-tuned for more to follow this summer...

Baltimore orioles

 

 

 

Orchard oriole

Indigo bunting

Downy Woodpecker (male) 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Oriole

 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

 

 

 

Update From The Oriole Ranch

The month of May brings the return of our Baltimore and Orchard Orioles.  And arrived  a week late on May 10th.  This was accompanied by the return of the Orchard Orioles and followed by the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds,  Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Catbirds and Indigo Buntings.

A new trail camera was mounted on a porch post with a clear view of the feeder.  I call it the oriole cam.  Triggered by motion it captures images of birds visiting the feeder without the presence of a human. 

Here are some recent photos...

Baltimore Orioles

A Ruby Throated Hummingbird 

Indigo Buntings

Orioles and an Indigo Bunting

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak and Baltimore Oriole

Stay-tuned for more camera action from the Oriole Ranch.....

The Oriole Ranch

The oriole camera has been deployed for a couple of weeks and visitations have been disrupted by the construction crew hard at work replacing the porch deck.  Nevertheless, Friday I fired-up the motion-detecting oriole cam and scored some photos late yesterday afternoon.  

For sure we have orioles and a few other birds too.   

Male Baltimore birds    

Female Baltimore    

Female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird         

And a Male Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Raising a toast to the song birds that deliver such joy in the midst of such grimness....