Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Orioles Have Landed

The trees are heavy with Orioles.  First it was a bachelor party with the men arriving one by one.  Then the ladies joined them.

Orioles

It must be a good year for Orioles.  Last night I counted at last twenty in the yard.  Of course Far Guy reported that he filled the grape jelly dishes three times yesterday.  So we have very spoiled Orioles.

Look out you will choke to death

Look out you could choke to death guzzling down that grape jelly!

Sharing sometimes not so nicely Sharing sometimes not so nicely.

King of the Orange

Sometimes playing “King of the Orange”

Usually we get two or three Orioles..never ever have I seen this many.  They must have had a good winter someplace south.  Most likely we are just a darn good grape jelly stop on their travels.

My Dad built the Oriole feeder several years ago, it has room for two halves of orange and it has two containers for jelly.

oriole Feeder

It has a flat Plexiglas roof so that the Orioles can see the tasty treats that await them! It also helps to keep the rain out of the grape jelly…we got about 3 1/2 inches of rain the past couple of days:)

Blog Signature

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

How beautiful they are! Love the feeder your dad made. We've had a lot of rain in the past few days, also.

linda m said...

The orioles have been here for at least a week. I have 2 males and two females but rarely see more than two at a time. Your tree filled with them is a sight to behold. I have the same kind of feeder (store bought) and the birds totally ignored the orange halves and will only eat the grape jelly. I just love having them around as they are so pretty.

NCmountainwoman said...

Every year I put out the oranges and grape jelly for the migrating orioles. And every year they pass us by. But I'll keep trying.

Lanny said...

Those are gorgeous birds! How lucky you are to have them. Generic, Welches or Smuckers?

Far Side of Fifty said...

Some of each..whatever is on sale presently Smuckers:)

Linda Reeder said...

What beauties! Is grape jelly an Audubon approved treat?

Muffy's Marks said...

The morning serenade must be awesome!!! We have orioles here, but I can't get them to come to my feeders. I've tried oranges, grape jelly and an oriole feeder!! They like it down by the lake better. Our lake neighbors have tons of them!

MTWaggin said...

You are the second blog today that has orioles and grape jelly and oranges. Who knew!

Cappy said...

Are they Baltimore Orioles? I'm a native Marylander and have never seen one live, in the wild, and in person! And they're our state bird! LOL!

From time to time, there's noise about changing our state bird to the great blue heron, which nests all over the state... grin

Leah said...

We have Orioles here too --- that is a first for me who just started putting birdfeeders out last fall.... they sure are beautiful!

Anonymous said...

What lovely shots! They have such great colouring.

Anonymous said...

I tried, unsuccessfully (as my mother-in-law did before me) to attract Orioles here. My mother-in-law was very happy when they started showing up at their next house so I get to enjoy them when I'm there.
-Laura

Far Side of Fifty said...

Hi Cappy, Yes their real name is Baltimore Orioles:)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I would probably get a crop of cow birds, but I may try this soon.

DJan said...

Wow! I am so impressed. I don't have them around the parts, so I'll just enjoy yours. :-)

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

I LOVE that oriole feeder. Last year I bought what was called an oriole feeder, and it leaked sweet water all over everything. Not sure orioles come through here anyway; must do a little more research. Enjoy your colorful visitors!

Nancy said...

I had no idea that orioles like grape jelly. Of course, they don't get this far west anyway.

Country Gal said...

Oh WOW ! I have never seen that many Orioles in one place before fantastic photos ! We have had ours back for some time now and Mrs has made a nest in our big old Oak tree and she has a few fellas watching over her as well lucky gal lol ! I have an Oriole feeder that I put sugar water and bit of 100% OJ in and they love it, I have to refill it two to three times a week lol ! We have had many rain clouds over us but no rain tonight it is very windy and chilly after a week of summer like temps and sunshine , this weather has been so strange again . Thanks for sharing . Have a good day !

RURAL said...

Those are beautiful birds...grape jelly, hmmmm.

Do they also have them in yellow? I have a photo of a unknown bird, it's yellow...wondering.

Jen

Red said...

Sounds great that you have lots of orioles . Maybe we will see few this year. They're always around here but you have to work hard to find them.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

Orioles are one of my favorite birds to spot. Our variety (the Bullock's) looks a bit different than yours and stays here year round. I have been so tempted to get a feeder for them and now that I've seen yours with the great plexiglass roof, I'm thinking I just need to finally take the plunge and put on in.

Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

Rita said...

They are just such striking birds. I have seldom ever seen one. What a treat to have a yard full. I bet the spot for grape jelly and oranges has been the talk of the flock on their way up north. ;)