northeast-flora-and-fauna

Looking back, I'm kind of surprised at all the Baltimore Orioles I met this past spring. Here's another 1, taken far enough from the others that I have almost complete confidence this is a new oriole [1]. I'm not sure I would have spotted this oriole if a couple birdwatchers hadn't notice him. A lot of times I'll see other people looking at something; it frequently but not always turns out to be something interesting [2]. I don't have a lot to add, but here's an 8 minute video that goes over stuff I may have forgotten to mention. May 11, 2023 at Great Swamp Photo 282421647, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] Sure, a Baltimore Oriole could fairly easily fly from Duke Farms or Delaware Raritan Canal up to Great Swamp, though given the acceptable habitat at those original locations, I'm not sure there's much motivation to do so. [2] When people are looking at things I don't consider particularly interesting, it's usually becau...

Here's yet another Baltimore Oriole I met last spring. Given the different location, I can be reasonably confident that this is a different Baltimore Oriole than the ones that were kicking around Duke Farms around this time (to say nothing of the Orchard Oriole there).  Though they're frequently on-the-move birds, they usually photograph well due to their contrasting plumage. Here's a video of Baltimore Orioles over a summer . May 10, 2023 at Delaware Raritan Canal Photo 282315900, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)  

Though I see their Baltimore Oriole cousins more often, their smaller cousins the Orchard Orioles [1] also live and breed in New Jersey (at least during the warm-weather months). Besides being smaller, they can also be distinguished by: Baltimore Oriole males are bright orange and black, while Orchard Oriole males are a rich chestnut color and black. Baltimore Oriole females have a yellow/orange breast/belly, while Orchard Oriole females shouldn't show any orange. This particular Orchard Oriole has a slightly different look though. Note the black patch on the throat? This is an indicator that this isn't a female Orchard Oriole but instead an immature male Orchard Oriole [2]. I don't see these birds very often, probably partly because they don't typically stay in their breeding area very long. They generally arrive here late in the spring and leave in the middle of summer, so they're in New Jersey for less time than the average bird. May 9, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo...

Perhaps knowing I'm a Boston Red Sox fan, this Baltimore Oriole was literally looking down at me [1]. Although I seem to recall multiple oriole activity, it's entirely possible this is the same bird I saw here and here . Unfortunately, this year I missed out on seeing the somewhat less-attention-getting female Baltimore Orioles , though there's a good chance those males were singing for someone's benefit. And orioles have nested near here before. As is also true of our local robins, sparrows, etc, Baltimore Orioles aren't really orioles, or at least not the original Old World orioles (though they do resemble them). Our local orioles are actually different types of New World blackbirds (which shouldn't be confused with Old World blackbirds like the Common Blackbird , which is [ARGH!] a thrush ) [2]. May 6, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 282303809, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] The Baltimore Orioles finished 11 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox...

Despite seeing Orioles, Blue Jays, and Cardinals 1 day this past spring, no baseball was being played. Of course, Orioles , Blue Jays , and Cardinals are different birds than Orioles , Blue Jays , and Cardinals . (It's doubtful that any of the birds I've mentioned would be particularly good at baseball since they all weigh less that a baseball [1]. In recent years a number of sports teams have changed their nicknames/mascots due to concerns about offending a group. We could eliminate all of that if every team switched to using bird names instead; at least I've never heard a bird complain that a team nickname demeaned them [2]. We could have heated battles between Juncos and Buntings, Scaups and Mallards, Cuckoos and Roadrunners. May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278556506, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278557219, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278557422, (c) jpviolette, some ri...

Last spring I saw  Baltimore Orioles in this general area though I only got pictures of this individual. This fella would sing a bit , fly to another branch, sing a bit more, and repeat this process.  The activity was near Duke Farms' Hay Barn, up in the American Sycamore and London Plane trees. As birds that will eat Eastern Tent Caterpillars [1], there was an abundance of food nearby. On the other hand Orioles enjoy a balanced diet that includes fruit, and this immediate area doesn't strike me as rich in berries and other fruits [2]. May 3, 2023 at Duke Farms Photo 278556535, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) [1] I'm pretty sure they eat these caterpillars when the caterpillars leave their tents to forage for food. [2] Depending on how far they're willing to go for a meal, raspberries, blackberries, and grapes would probably be available later in the year.

A little over a month ago I was on my way out of Duke Farms when a visitor wanted to know about these birds he saw over near the Hay Barn. It turned out that there was a Baltimore Oriole couple who were busy bringing food in for their kids. Their nestlings were definitely hungry; when a parent would show up, they'd all start crying for the food. And the parents seemed to be pretty good foragers - it seemed like 1 or the other would appear every couple of minutes. Baltimore Orioles build nests differently from most birds. Instead of something like a bowl that rests on a branch, the orioles build sack-like nests that hang from a branch. I'm not sure what the advantage of the hanging nest is, though there probably are advantages since they're probably harder to build. (I suppose it's probably pretty hard for a nestling to fall out of these nests.) Female Baltimore Oriole June 11, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 209944904, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) Male Balt...

A couple weeks ago at the Plainsboro Preserve I was told that orioles were out and about. I didn't see many of them but did get a picture of one male Baltimore Oriole vocalizing (as they are wont to do) near the top of a tree. At a glance you might see an orange breast/belly with a dark head/back/wings and think you're seeing the far more common American Robin . But with a clear look you'll see that their orange is a bit brighter/lighter, that they have no white eye ring, and they have a bit of white on their wings. (Robins also outweigh Baltimore Orioles 2-1, though as I've mentioned before it's not always easy to judge the size of a bird at distance.) Similar to the Northern Flicker and the Eastern Towhee , there is some debate on where to draw the line between species. The Baltimore Oriole is clearly related to the Bullock's Oriole , and there was a time they were considered the same species, called a Northern Oriole . Genetic analysis convinced ornithologi...

Don't you just hate it when you find the perfect addition for your home, but you can't get it there? This female Baltimore Oriole was having that exact experience a couple months ago. I don't know whether this was more of a vine or more of a plant root, but it was still attached to a plant and she was unable to pull it free. This sort of material is especially important for our orioles since they're one of the few birds that build nests that hang down from one or more branches. This "natural rope" could probably be a key piece in building a hanging nest. The story has a happy ending. One of the Duke Farms' staff went over and broke this vegetation free, and shortly afterwards Mrs. Baltimore Oriole collected it for her nest. May 31, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 133215444, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Here's a (non-baseball playing) Baltimore Oriole I met in late May. He and his (presumed) mate were flying around near the Orchid Range's Outdoor Education booth. I don't spot these guys very often, but their population seems to be doing reasonably well. They're considered a type of blackbird even though they probably have more orange on them than black. And these birds have a sweet tooth, being particularly fond of brightly colored fruit. I lost track of this couple. I haven't seen them in the area since this picture, so perhaps they elected to start a family on another part of the property. May 28, 2021 at Duke Farms Photo 133215338, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)