NATURE / OUTDOORS
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Baltimore
Oriole
Icterus Baltimore
5/29/07
Mark Burchick
Baltimore
Oriole
While edging a
perennial bed
this afternoon I
heard a bird
that was
uncommon for me.
Looking up into
the top of a row
of sycamore that
line my driveway
I saw a male
Baltimore Oriole
singing away and
pulling apart
sycamore balls
looking for
insects. I
grabbed my
camera and got
some good,
close-up shots.
Baltimore
Orioles are
migratory,
they over
winter in
Central
America and
breed in
much of the
United
States, east
of the
Rockies,
including
Maryland.
They
primarily
feed on
insects by
foraging
thru the
upper parts
of tree
tops.
They will
also eat
fruits and
nectar.
They like
open fields
with tall
trees, more
common in
rural
residential
and
farmlands.
The male
Baltimore
Oriole has
an all-black
head, which
is the
diagnostic
key over
Bullock's
and Orchard
orioles.
Because they
nest and
feed in the
tree tops,
they are
seldom seen.
The nests
are
gourd-shaped
sacks, made
from woven
hair and
plant fiber
(hopefully
our goats,
dog
and neighbors
horses can
help out
here).
I'll be
listening
more
intently, in
the hopes
that this
oriole
sets-up shop
on our land.
Baltimore
Oriole
Baltimore
Oriole
