The arrival of the first Baltimore Oriole of spring is a day to celebrate at any feeding station. And it’s easy to photograph birds that visit your feeders as long as you reference the direction of the sunlight and the background setting.
Can there be deeper shades of orange? Offering grape jelly at your feeding station is the best way to attract orioles, and you may be surprised by the variety of interesting songbirds that relish jelly during a migration stopover and during the summer nesting season.
A female Baltimore Oriole takes her turn at the Heath Outdoor Products Oriole Feeder, affectionately referred to as the “circus feeder.”
A surprise fan of grape jelly was a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the first of its species to feed on jelly at Paul’s feeding station, returning a number of times during its day-long migration stopover.
The following day a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak made repeated jelly feeding visits, as did another female 6 days later.
Last Friday, a combined new ‘state bird’ and new ‘yard bird’ arrived for grape jelly snacks – a first-ever Black-headed Grosbeak! It just goes to show that you never know what bird might show up next – in this case as a result of providing grape jelly.
Finally, a beautifully colored and elegant-looking female Orchard Oriole arrived for jelly, joining adult male and yearling male Orchards and a variety of Baltimore Orioles, Gray Catbirds, American Robins, House Finches – and who knows what new birds will follow!
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As you know, we’ve been touting the attraction of Grape Jelly to bring orioles to your feeding station during migration, and throughout the summer nesting season. With that in mind, during May songbird migration really kicked into high gear, and although the fun has just begun, we wanted to provide you with an example of just how attractive a little dish of grape jelly can be, to orioles and to a wider variety of songbirds that migrate north each spring. Grape jelly will bring some expected feeder visitors, and this unique food will probably lure some surprise birds too!
As a case in point, our editor provided a day by day feeder watch description of the birds that have been visiting his “circus-style” oriole feeder that holds 2 halves of a sliced orange and small dish of grape jelly to start with, and the fun began almost immediately.
Knowing the earliest return date for orioles has been May 10th in my area of the northern plains (southeast North Dakota) – actually that’s the earliest date they have arrived in my yard. So on Wednesday the 8th I revamped my feeding station to position my oriole feeder in the central position with my hummingbird feeder 2 feet away in anticipation for the action that was bound to begin soon.
Wednesday, Thursday, and thereafter, House Finches were regular visitors, with American Robins a close second. Friday the 10th, the “first of spring” Gray Catbird appeared for jelly, and Saturday a Swainson’s Thrush awkwardly tasted the jelly – a first for that species. (I buy convenient squeeze bottles of grape jelly, which make refilling my jelly feeders easiest.)
As I returned from my morning bird photography adventure Sunday the 12th, a beautiful adult male Baltimore Oriole was eating orange citrus – Hooray! And less than an hour later, as I was working on last week’s issue, I looked up to see a big surprise – a striking male Rose-breasted Grosbeak! Although it was initially perched on the shepard’s crook that holds the oriole feeder, it dropped down to eat some bites of jelly before leaving. I so wanted to try to photograph this beautiful visitor, but didn’t want to disturb it with the hope it would return – often. An hour later, with my camera ready a foot from my computer, I wondered what was holding up the oriole and grosbeak from returning, or from more of their kind visiting – patience.
Actually, I no more than wrote the above sentence when a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a Gray Catbird flew to my feeding station! The grosbeak was spooked by the catbird and flew out of sight, but I reacted by getting into position with respect to the lighting and the background setting, then zooming to the preferred focal length, and before I could take a photo of the catbird, it moved to the birdbath. Just then the grosbeak returned and I became especially excited to begin photographing this remarkable bird as it perched on the top of my oriole feeder, then ate a couple mouthfuls of grape jelly – Hoooray!
Even before I recovered from the excitement of the Rosey visit and photo op, within 3 minutes a vibrant male Baltimore Oriole landed on the feeder and began feeding on an orange half, providing a super new image to share with you here – the first of the year. Dare I write Hooray yet again? Let’s go with WoW this time, because after my feeding station has been all but vacant for a couple weeks, seeing and photographing these beautifully colored new birds was quite a thrill, and it was just the beginning!
The oriole returned 15 minutes later, and several other times while I was home, as did the grosbeak, so the next questions would be: “When will females arrive? When will Orchard Orioles arrive? And when will Ruby-throated Hummingbirds find my nectar feeder?” Pronto I predict! But I didn’t predict a beautiful male American Goldfinch in full alternate plumage that made a quick pit stop – what fun. And did I mention the first Chimney Swifts were flying over my yard when I returned after noon?
After leaving home for a few hours on another birding drive, at sunset the Rose-breasted Grosbeak made a late stop to get a last taste of grape jelly. Although I’ve had a male or 2 perch at my feeding station before, none has ever fed at my feeders, so this was a first-time breakthrough. Boy would it be nice to get him and a mate to stay here like some of the orioles undoubtedly will. My fingers are crossed! Actually though, I’m hoping the impressive male continues to stop by tomorrow, and the next day …
Jelly Bellies
When I returned home after noon on Monday, the jelly jar was all but empty, and the new orange slice I added to the oriole feeder had been tasted, so I hoped orioles and grosbeaks were still in the area; even so, it sure seemed quiet at my feeding station. House Finches stopped in for jelly, and soon a new bird showed too – a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the prettiest brown grosbeak I’ve seen to be exact. She drank at my birdbath initially, then moved to the oriole feeder to eat grape jelly (it was a first to have a female eat jelly too). As she left I said, “Ya’ll come back real soon now, ya hear.”
I continued writing, and hoped for a bit of a parade, although there were already White-crowned Sparrows foraging on the ground with a big Harris’s Sparrow, and a female American Goldfinch stopped in. But while the female grosbeak, catbirds, robins, and House Finches periodically stopped for jelly, no orioles or male grosbeaks showed. But Tuesday at least 3 Baltimore Orioles attended my jelly bowl, including 2 mature males and a yearling male.
Last Wednesday at least 5 Baltimores ate the grape, including 3 adult males, 1 yearling male, and 1 adult female; and the first very energetic male Orchard Oriole waited his turn for jelly. With as many as 2 Baltimores and the Orchard vying for their turn at the jelly feeder at one time, I added a separate, larger jelly bowl, placed to one side in my shallow water basin (bird bath), which the finches, catbirds, and robins also fed at. Thursday’s oriole mix included 3 Baltimore males and 2 females.
Friday Surprise! Imagine my surprise when a bird I’ve never seen in the state before, let alone in my yard, arrived at my feeding station and went directly to the grape jelly feeder – a First Black-headed Grosbeak, a male – WoW! Considering the Black-headed Grosbeak didn’t investigate or hesitate as it came to feed on jelly, I had the impression it had been there earlier in the morning, so while I wasn’t ready with my camera initially, I was prepared for its next visit. Although I was working on this issue, writing, but had a hard time focusing on my work as my attention drawn to the feeding station as I hoped for the grosbeak’s return. Gosh, 2 new feeder species – a male Black-headed Grosbeak now, and a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak before, representing the east and west species of North American grosbeaks – both attracted by grape jelly, both the same week! But did I miss my chance to photograph it?
A couple minutes after the grosbeak arrived, a Western Kingbird perched on the shepherds crook holding my hummingbird feeder – a first for a kingbird to visit my feeding station. It didn’t feed, only perched for a moment, but it was a first visit, although they commonly perch high in the trees, where they “hawk” flying insects.
Eventually, a bit more than an hour later, the new grosbeak returned and provided a few different portrait angles on my oriole feeder, the shepard’s crook, and a nearby stick perch. How surprising and how exciting it was to have a male Black-headed Grosbeak check in regularly throughout the rest of the day, but like the Rose-breasted male and female that preceded before it, the western grosbeak was also a “one day wonder.”
Friday there were at least 6 different Baltimore Orioles on parade, and Saturday at least 9 different Baltimore Orioles were feeding on jelly (and rarely on oranges), although I’m sure there were more than 9 because it was almost impossible to distinguish one adult male from another. I also had another surprise grosbeak visit my feeders in the evening sunlight, a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, which I photographed along with a variety of Baltimore Orioles. The arrival of at least a fourth grosbeak at my jelly feeder in a week leads me to believe that jelly might be a better attraction for grosbeaks than seeds, in my area at least, although it’s also an indicator of their seasonal change in diet. The first oriole of the day was a male Orchard Oriole, but I was surprised not to have more Orchard sightings at my feeders during my afternoon work period.
Oriole Feeders
These days, oriole feeders are readily available at birding stores, hardware stores and some larger grocery-department stores. Every oriole feeder has good qualities, and the model you select is clearly up to you. The feeder I refer to as the “circus feeder” is a fun model because it requires a bit of agility for a bird to feed from it, which all orioles possess. It’s actually called the Heath Outdoor Products Oriole Feeder.
The other oriole feeder I use is from Wild Birds Unlimited, and it features a nectar basin and 4 nectar feeding ports, along with 4 shallow ‘dishes’ on the top for grape jelly, and you can run a sliced orange half through the hanger – and it has a built-in ant moat to keep crawling insects from reaching the nectar and jelly.
Realistically, the orioles that come to my feeding station don’t utilize the sugar-water nectar, but I have the nectar basin filled during this migration period, just in case. In a pinch, you can always add grape jelly to any small bowl, or even put jelly in a hollowed orange half. The orange color helps to attract orioles initially too.
This spring, it’s very obvious that orioles are feeding on oranges more often than ever before at my feeding station, both Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles. Other birds are also eating orange fruit, including Gray Catbirds and House Finches.
Peak Oriole Action
Sunday, with as many as 6 Baltimores and 2 Orchard Orioles on hand at the same time at one point, I didn’t even try to get a minimum count, but I surely enjoyed the continuing visits of orioles throughout the day, mostly Baltimores. There were also periodic visits from a pretty female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and when she arrived while 2 Baltimores were on hand, it was interesting to see how much larger she seemed to be in size and bulk. I also appreciated how tiny a Tennessee Warbler was when it came to investigate my feeding station in the company of a Baltimore Oriole.
Late in the afternoon another oriole arrived for jelly, a yearling male Orchard Oriole with distinct olive-colored plumage accented by a black facial mask. A bit later, a first year male was present with an adult male Orchard Oriole, and moments after they left, 2 first-year males were present. That’s at least 4 Orchards present Sunday afternoon – 2 adult males and 2 first year males, but no females yet.
While working early Monday morning, before first light, I saw the first oriole of the day visit the jelly feeder at 5:40am – an adult male Orchard Oriole. The first male Baltimore arrived 5 minutes later, and a robin flew in before the oriole was finished. A yearling Orchard Oriole followed a Baltimore at 5:53, but I was surprised not to have heard any orioles singing yet. After several other orioles stopped by, at 6:18 the first female Orchard Oriole arrived at the feeding station, but didn’t eat – she had to work up an appetite I guess.
Throughout the day, it seemed Baltimore Oriole numbers were down by a couple birds, with Orchard Orioles up a few individuals. Highlights were provided by a beautiful female Orchard Oriole, along with at least 1 yearling male Orchard; and the adult male Baltimore Orioles that beam such a rich color of orange. One particular adult female Baltimore Oriole has been spending time feeding on a cut orange I placed on a small platform next to my oriole feeder, which makes it a bit easier to reach than the orange halves I affix to my circus feeder.
How enjoyable it is to have such an active feeding station filled with interesting, colorful birds that interact and return for more food – grape jelly! They also search for caterpillars and insects in my leafing trees, while adding their beautiful songs to the local mix. Nowhere else do I see such a concentration of orioles; not in the field, at local hotspots, or at other feeding stations in the area, and that’s a point of satisfaction too. I believe that the numbers of orioles that visit my feeding station are not just a result of providing oriole foods, but also that there is a cumulative effect year after year (that may be a bit of speculation, but I think it’s a valid hunch).
Consider the “white-winged oriole” that returned last spring after making an initial stop the previous August as an example of an individual oriole zeroing in on my well-stocked oriole cafe. Speaking of which, where is that white-winged wonder? I’m referring to the partial albino male Baltimore Oriole that spent last year in my neighborhood, visiting my feeding station often, after spending a week or so at my jelly feeder the previous August. Obviously, I’m hoping this identifiable “marked” bird visits this year too – I’ll keep you posted during regular updates in my Editor Afield article each week on the oriole antics among the other avian excitement I witness. In the meantime, keep a small dish well-stocked with grape jelly and see what birds it attracts to your yard – Good Luck.
Article and Photos by Paul Konrad
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