Female Baltimore Oriole

I saw this Baltimore Oriole on May 14, 2014 along the boardwalk at Magee Marsh. A male Baltimore Oriole was much higher in the canopy of the tree flaunting his brilliant orange feathers, but this little female, understated in faded orange, was just as sweet, and she came in closer…

Female Baltimore Oriole, Magee Marsh, Toledo, OH (5-14-2014).

A female Baltimore Oriole studies a caterpillar before gobbling it up. Orioles also eat berries and even drink nectar from fruit blossoms.

I think it's hard to tell juvenile and female Baltimore Oriole's apart. Since this was early May, and most Baltimore Orioles don't return to Lake Erie until the first week of May, I assumed this was a female. Nest building starts soon after they arrive, and most babies fledge in late June and early July. 

Females build beautiful hanging nests. If you're in Cincinnati, you can often find a nest at Lake Isabella. I've seen nests there, and in the autumn, when the leaves fall from the trees, you can find the remnants of the summer's nesting activities! Click here for a photo of an oriole's nest.

This post is for Aunt Diane and Curg, whose spark bird was a male Baltimore Oriole they saw at Armleder Park (aka Armendinger Park) in Cincinnati, OH.

p.s. I'm enjoying our cooler weather. It was 49 degrees this morning, and I just had to go in and get a fleece-lined flannel shirt so I could continue sitting outside while I write this post.

Cedar Waxwings, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Warblers, and Orchard and Baltimore Orioles at the Great Blue Heron Heronry

While photographing the baby Blues and listening to their froggy little cries, I could hear a mix of other birds' songs in the woodlands surrounding the heronry more so than any other time I had been there. The songs were so pronounced, they kept pulling my attention away from the herons. I heard two Wood Thrushes in the woods, and over by the small creek, a Swainson’s Thrush...and while those beauties were singing, a Baltimore Oriole started in by the tree line just past the pasture. I looked up and found him gleaning insects…next to him by about 15 feet, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak doing the same thing. As I shot a few photos of the Grosbeak, I heard that distinctive chitter-chatter of a Cedar Waxwing and soon 10 to 12 followed, hopping from branch to branch searching for caterpillars, ants, moths, beetles and any other type of insect they could find. The calls kept coming, varied, and fast…a Nashville Warbler popped into view as well at two “Butter Butts” (Yellow-rumped Warblers), along with a couple other migrants I didn’t have enough time to identify. The bird song blended with the baby Blues' cries to create an energetic and unique sound…a constant barrage of life that was very exciting! I wanted to make sure I could remember what it sounded like, so I closed my eyes and let it sink in. (I can tell you, however, as I sit here writing, I can't recapture the sound in my mind. I guess it's one of those things you have to hear to experience, and when it's gone, it's gone.) In another tree, I saw movement and an Orchard Oriole came into view. I had just read about them earlier in the day, so my brain immediately IDd the bird. I watched him through the binocs, studying his coloring, which was a shade or two darker and rustier than the Baltimore Oriole. After about an hour of watching and listening to the herons and migrants, I had to leave. Some of the birds had moved on and weren't singing quite as much; however, the babies……..they hadn’t let up their cries for food one iota!

A Red-breasted Grosbeak foraging in the trees surrounding the heronry.

A flock of Cedar Waxwings joins them. They 

seem to be especially interested in the tassles!