We had an oriole at our feeder!
We were quite surprised this morning to look out our window and see a Baltimore oriole under the ground feeder. Unfortunately, we startled him when we peeked through the curtain, so he wasn’t there long, but it was very exciting for us! Orioles can be attracted to oriole feeders which contain an orange flavored nectar or to orange halves. They occasionally will be seen at hummingbird feeders, as well. Although I had heard that they will sometimes take sunflower hearts, I never imagined one would visit our feeder.
Our Baltimore orioles only recently returned from their wintering spots in Mexico and Central America and are likely very hungry. This is the second one I have spotted in our yard. They also enjoy many of the same types of nectar bearing plants that hummingbirds visit. They can be seen sipping the nectar from prairie fire crab apple trees, a new addition to our garden (but too young to flower).
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia and is used under a Creative Commons license.)
oriole
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