Rich reports the wrens, orioles and grosbeaks have arrived back in our area, right on schedule! I guess the bird population follows its calendar no matter how stubbornly chilly it remains around here. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen an oriole in person (okay, I’ve seen a couple of the guys that play baseball for Baltimore…but not the feathered kind) and I wondered just how one might attract orioles to their yard. Seems they eat mostly insects but they also like fleshy fruits and berries. I found several photos online of orioles perched on the edge of an orange half wedged securely in a tree. One site recommends chopped pears, apples and figs on a platform or fruit feeder. They also suggest planting fruit-bearing trees like cherries and mulberries. A bonus there is you get pretty flowers in the spring as well.
Just as I began typing this post, Margaret was standing at the front door and exclaimed, “Oh look…there are three male rose-breasted grosbeaks at the feeder! And a female, too!” So I got to see another bird I don’t recall seeing before. They’re really lovely with their splashy red chests. Grosbeaks are part of the cardinal family so you can attract them with black-oil sunflower seed and small fruits. Seems they especially like maple seeds. We ought to see a lot of them here at the Nature Center then!
More signs of spring!!