Happy May Day!
Well, here on Cape Cod, the weather is seasonably chilly and drizzly for the first of May. The plant life is benefiting from all the rain, as pretty much everything is starting to green up beautifully. The daffodils are in full bloom, as is the forsythia, and they provide a sunny brilliance even on a cloudy day like today.
We also had our first Baltimore Orioles visit. I had just put out the feeder this morning, and sure enough, by mid-day, two beautiful males were there scarfing down the jelly like there was no tomorrow. They too brought brilliance to the day.
So we quickly put up the NovaBird camera to see if we could capture their dazzling color:
This oriole was so happy just to find the jelly cup that he sat there for quite a while, singing and eating. He sure looked like he enjoyed himself.
The NovaBird also gave us quite a surprise, as it caught this fine fellow checking out what all the excitement was about.
He didn't stay very long, but I think he enjoyed a brief treat before flying off.
We're expecting perhaps half a dozen or more orioles in the neighborhood soon; they come back every year -- males and females, juveniles and adults, likely all from the same family. They fill the yard with their clear sweet call of "Peter! Peter! Peter! Cheer, cheer!" Our two males today were just the advance party.
In the meantime, we'd better start stocking up on the oranges and grape jelly!
See you by those colorful feeders!
Mrs. CapeCodAlan
eBirdseed.com photo library
Comments
Hi! I just found you today - what a beautiful site! Your pictures are amazing. My husband & I bought a house about a year ago in Hanover Park, Il - about 30 miles west of Chicago. We have some wonderful songbirds in this part of the country so the first task was to install bird feeders around the house. All has been well in our home and feeders the past year. The cardinals and blue jays have been such a wonderful addition. Then the grackles arrived! Not only have they required me to clean my car EVERYDAY, but they seem to "hunt" with a sort of mob mentality - even grabbing the squirrel feed & bread and scraps I leave on my crow perch (who by the way are just beginning to make a comeback after our outbreak of west nile a few years back). Any suggestions you have for keeping the grackles out of our feeders or perhaps something I could lure them away with -- it is getting a bit dirty around here between the droppings and the "bar fight" type of feeding frenzies. They have even begun sending out scouts to sit on top of the feeder and on the ground below while one eats - reminds me of the Sopranos "takin care of family"! Any suggestions?
Posted by: Julie Kolakowski-Jeong | May 16, 2009 7:46 AM
Hi Julie,
Glad you like the site. (Be sure to visit our bird photo library link at the bottom of each post. The "Favorite Bird Photo" section is pretty cool.)
As for the grackles... Three thoughts...
* You could get protected bird feeders so that only smaller birds can eat. (Though that will block out the crows and the jays, as well as the grackles.)
* I've heard that some folks will stop feeding birds entirely for a week or two. That may make the with the "Grackle Mob" move on. Again... Far from an ideal solution.
*Contact your local county extension office. (In your region those folks may be called "Environmental Police", etc.) It sounds like your grackles may be becoming more than just a mere nuisance and instead a public health concern.
Hope this helps...
CapeCodAlan
Posted by: CapeCodAlan
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May 16, 2009 3:58 PM