Each year in east central Kansas the month of May is ushered in with the brilliant color and especially beautiful song of the Baltimore Oriole. These birds typically are nectar lovers and are often attracted to hummingbird feeders. But this gorgeous fellow loves the sunflower chips in one of our feeders. Seeing a sight like this one right outside your window is a true shock to your senses. The orange is so bright that it has illuminated the feeder in orange too. I can’t imagine any creature anywhere that is more beautiful…
Like father, like son… This juvenile male Baltimore Oriole poses at our feeder just like his dad. He is a recent fledgling.
Here two of our most colorful birds enjoy a meal together. Gold finches are the most common year round bird at our chip feeder. I wonder what he thinks of this colorful newcomer…
Baltimore Orioles are right up there at the top of my list of favorite birds. Not only are they a feast for the eyes and soothing to the ears, but they are also unusually intelligent. And the acrobatics they are capable of are extraordinary. There is no position they can’t contort themselves into when solving complex problems. The phrase “bird brain” doesn’t apply here…
This bird is so cleaver that he has figured out a way to reach the nectar in our hummingbird feeder. The holes meant for feeding are too small for him. So he sips nectar from under the rim. I am impressed by his tenacity and ingenuity. I felt badly that he was having to work so hard at it. So he now has his very own Oriole feeder complete with nectar and grape jelly! He seems very happy about that and brings his whole family to “his” new feeder!
Yep, that grape jelly sure is GOOD!
On the opposite side of the color wheel to the Baltimore Oriole is the amazing little Indigo Bunting. He likes chips too. His feathers are actually black. They refract blue light thus making the bird appear to be blue. Like many colorful songbirds, his little wife is a drab brown. This helps her blend into the background while on the nest.
As it turns out, this little guy likes grape jelly too… 🙂
