Baltimore Oriole Sightings

by Dave, Li, Peggy, Bonnie
(Calmachie, Markham, Ingersoll, Lake Scugog, St Thomas)

Dave wrote to tell us ... I had my Oriole feeder out for about 2 weeks, expecting them to arrive in the Camlachie area on a warm, moderate south wind. They need to cross Lake Erie, rest a day or two, and then continue northward. I was rewarded on May 4th or 5th. Hummingbirds arrived at the same time. Some years, there's a month's difference in their arrival times. They're a pleasure to watch. Orioles are still wary when I move near them, but they will gain confidence as the summer progresses, and not leave the feeder when we're 20-30 feet away, and not move to suddenly or quickly.

Li reported her sighting ... We saw two orange Baltimore Orioles in our backyard, drinking from our hummingbird feeder and oriole feeder. We have 1:4 sugar : water in both feeders. One oriole was pushing a black-chinned hummingbird off the feeder. First time seeing Orioles! It was awesome! We are in Markham, Ontario.

Peggy from Ingersoll wrote ... I live in Ingersoll, Ontario (between Woodstock and London). We have had families of Orioles come to our hummingbird feeders for several years now. They come near the end of April/early May depending on the weather. The males come first to find a nesting place and the females and last year's babies follow shortly after. They come right up to the hummer feeder outside our dining room window. They even look in at my African Grey parrot, Keiko when she is on her stand in the window. They are very bossy and will become quite noisy if the feeder should run out of nectar. Since the Downy Woodpeckers, house finches and hummingbirds all use the same feeder, it is constantly being filled. I use 1 cup of sugar to 4 cups of boiled water and NO food colouring in it. I let it cool and keep a good supply in the fridge. I really enjoy the Oriole and hummingbirds that use my feeders.

One of our readers reports ... we have at least 2 families of them making a pit stop at my feeder here in Milton for the past 2 days May 13 & 14. Amazing looking birds. Never saw them before. The female is a bit harder to spot from other birds. Gold finches, a Cardinal, Cowbird, Red Wing Blackbird and Doves (on ground) have been feeding at the same time, and neither they or the Rose Breasted Grosbeaks seem deterred by he other bird's presence.

Bonnie wrote to say ... Our Orioles came back yesterday May 10. We live On Lake Scugog, a country home. I put out their feeder right away and half a cut orange on a bare small tree beside the feeder. I saw them today in our Flowering crab tree, but they have yet to go to the feeder or eat the orange? Maybe they are tired still from their flight?

We saw a Rose Breasted Grosbeak in our feeder this morning (1st time ever) May 15th. We are located in NE Ontario, between Pembroke and Mattawa on the Ottawa River. Today we had snow flurries: temp. about 3C.