 |
| Male Hooded Oriole |
Since I am to be laid up for a few more weeks I thought I'd write about my favorite annual visitor. We have lived in our house in Napa for nearly 30 years and every spring and summer we have been visited by Orioles. Interestingly enough for many years these were Bullock's Orioles with an occasional visit from a Hooded Oriole. In recent years however, that trend has been reversed. These days our spring and summer residents are almost all Hooded Orioles. They are nesting in the larger trees in our neighborhood some of which are palms. This species of Oriole is known to prefer palms for nesting. Hooded Orioles are very much a bird of the southwest. They spend their winters on both coasts of Mexico and the lower half of Baja California. For their nesting season they migrate to southern Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Southern California, and the Central to Northern California Coast. The first ones begin to arrive in our area around the first week of April. Many of these birds are probably passing through and moving to nesting areas to the north of us. However some of them are our regular returnees back for another year to raise their young. They will stay in our area until early September when they and their newly fledged offspring will return south to the coasts of Mexico.I put up a feeder especially for them which they eventually find and then continue to visit. Orioles are often seen at hummingbird feeders because they are nectar eaters too. However, due to their size it is difficult for them to effectively access the sugar water in the feeders. A special Oriole feeder will help with this. I keep the feeders clean and filled with sugar water mixed at a 4:1 ratio water:sugar. These birds are not uncommon here in California but most people don't even notice them. When you can get a closer look you will be surprised at the vibrant color of the male Hooded Oriole and wonder why you haven't noticed them before.
Over the last few days I have been photographing my resident birds as they have been visiting our backyard. Males, females, and first year birds are coming more and more regularly now. We will be able to enjoy their visits for a few more months before they are off to the warmer climates of coastal Mexico. Their visits cheer me up and make this time of recovery a little more bearable.
 |
| Female Hooded Oriole |
 |
| Male Hooded Oriole |
