What’s That Orange Bird?

by Donna Lewis

This morning I looked out our front window to check on one of my hummingbird feeders. I went oh, what is that big orange thing! It was a male Baltimore Oriole!!

It was trying to drink the sugar water from the hummer’s stash.  I rushed to see if I could take a photo through the window. I got a few that were good enough to clearly identify the bird. He was not there long because a couple of attacks to his head by one of my male ruby-throated hummers ran him off.

I had the bottom of an old feeder, so I got it out. I placed some grape jelly, pineapple chunks, and some Mandarin oranges in it and mixed a little sugar water in it also. An orange cut in half would have been better, but I had to use what I had on hand.

I took the feeder out to my garden and hung it on a shepherd’s hook.

In about an hour the Oriole found it. But so did the other hummers. Not so fast they cried.

Those little rascals simply think they own the garden. I have seen them run the butterflies off too. I love them all, so they will have to work it out amongst themselves.

I have noticed that for the past three years, I have had just one of these beautiful birds show up here at our place.  

So why is it alone? No one will ever know, he’s not talking.

The world is full of beautiful little nature events like this; you just have to pay attention.

Remember who you garden for.