Backyard Birds

House Wren

Robin

Baltimore Oriole

Groundhog

We got almost 30 minutes of sunshine today. Here's are photos of the birds (and a groundhog) that were out.

Male Oriole

 

 

 

 

The Baltimore Oriole family has been a source of entertainment this week.
I bet we have been entertaining them by putting out all sorts of jelly and oranges which they are ignoring. Here are a few photos of the male. Both the male and female have been singing so much that their beaks are open in many photos.

Mrs. Oriole building a nest

 

 

We are so honored that a pair of Baltimore Orioles has decided to make a nest in one of our trees. It has taken close to a week, but the nest is now taking shape. We got a much better view yesterday, but someone forget to put the memory back in the camera. I'm sure there will be many more opportunities.

Morning walk around Lake Nelson: Who needs Cape May?

We took our morning walk around Lake Nelson without the camera and binoculars. The day was so beautiful and the birds were all out, so we returned again with our birding gear to enjoy the migrating birds. There are many pairs of orioles, and we hope some will nest in the yard, perhaps enticed by the grape jelly Chris went out to get for them.

 
Cedar Waxwing

Baltimore Oriole 

 
Yellow-rumped warbler

 
Brown-headed Cowbird

Oriole Photos from Higbee WMA

 

 

 

Chris spotted an Orchard oriole in a tree at Higbee. Mike got some photos of the Orchard Oriole hidden among the leaves.

Female Oriole

Oriole

We've been catching glimpses of an Oriole for a week or two. We've also been hearing a new bird song. We finally saw a pair of Orioles long enough to get some acceptable photos today. Orioles like sitting among the leaves making them hard to spot. We are debating whether it is a Baltimore Oriole or an Orchard Oriole.

Next on our wish list is a green heron we've spotted flying twice. We are also hoping for night heron chicks since we learned that they only fish in the day and have a white "pony tail" during breeding season. Oh, and a male wood duck is back. Here's the back of his head just as he flew away from Mike's "rush and flush" photographic technique. At least he found the camera without waking Chris up.