I am always amazed at the beauty of Northern Orioles, not just for their physical appearance, but for their lyrical songs and enchanting call notes. They have honored me once again with their presence in my yard after a long migratory journey from South America.
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| Male Northern Oriole Just Arrived, and he's looking thin and very hungry, but very handsome! |
Orioles make the long trip northward in the spring to make nests and raise families because their babies would suffer and die in the extreme tropical heat. So it's easier for them to survive and thrive where days and nights are relatively cooler than in the southern climes.
The returning male has already spotted a female and begun to court her! I saw her follow him to the basket feeder he found earlier. In it I have all kinds of chopped nut pieces, including pistachios, peanuts and walnuts; as well as tiny pieces of dried fruit. I watched as the Oriole deftly poked each nutmeat between his toes and began to break off pieces with his narrow long black beak.
This is my most visited bird feeder year round, and it couldn't be easier to make and install using items you probably already have around the house.
If you want to make Orioles really happy, serve them grape jelly in glass containers or jelly feeders, which can be tucked in among the branches of your smaller trees or inside a tall hedgerow or shrubbery plants.
Or add a fruit feeder with orange halves attached. Oranges are another favorite treat that attract orioles to your yard and gardens.
And offer them pieces of string or thin yarn that's about 4" to 6" long. They'll use them to skillfully weave in and out of their amazingly elastic hanging pouch nest. It doesn't matter what color the yarn is, but I have used orange before just because it matches their feather color!
The nesting materials can be draped over tree branches where the birds will find them easily. Remember, they'll be searching your land from the sky, so think about the most visible areas of your yard from that point of view, and place the yarn accordingly. Or you can incorporate them into a nesting ball with other materials lots of backyard birds can use for their cozy constructions.
These awesome birds eat tons of insects, including beetles, wasps, and flies of all kinds. Orioles are a gardener's friend, so be careful not to use toxic insecticides that will make them sick, as well as kill off their natural food sources.
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| Beautiful Feather Colors of the Northern Oriole include yellow, orange, black and white. |
The beauty of the Northern Oriole to me is breathtaking, and I can't get enough of that bright orange and black contrast, with a little yellow mixed in for good measure!
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Oriole Nectar Feeder
