Aug. 29, 2021 - Baltimore Orioles

Here’s the story of how I got some Baltimore Oriole photos at our lake home in northern Minnesota. We still have at least five Orioles coming to this jelly feeder. It normally hangs on a wire with our other bird feeders. These Orioles are building up their fat reserves for their migration to Central and South America. I put the jelly feeder on a stump. Next, I attached two birch sticks to an older tripod and placed it so I would have a nice green background.

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How did I know that we had five Orioles? First, I saw two adult males still in full breeding plumage at the feeder together.

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I also saw another male with orange fringes on the black feathers on his neck and back. He has apparently already molted, and these are brand new feathers. These fringes will wear off during the winter and by next spring, he will have the solid black breeding plumage on his neck and back. That makes three Orioles.

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Next, I saw this bird which is either a female or a juvenile. Notice that the white wing bars form two solid lines. That makes four Orioles.

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The wing bars are very uneven on this bird. It’s getting new feathers, but they haven’t completely grown out yet. That tells us this is the fifth Oriole.

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I know that birds like to land near a feeder before they actually start to eat. That lets them look around and make sure no predators are nearby. Knowing that allowed me to get shots like this as the birds landed on the birch sticks.

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Here’s my favorite Oriole photo from that day. I’m sure I’ll make this into a note card for next year.

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