orioles and oranges
Ray
remember. To encourage him to hang around I put out an orange slice.
He came back for it, and has been a regular since. Today there were
two hanging around.
How long should I leave a piece of orange out before replacing it? The
orioles don't seem to eat much of it before it gets dried out and ant-
covered -- usually after about half a day. Do orioles mind that, or
should I replace it more often? Do they normally leave a lot behind?
Is it better to use slices or chunks? I'm thinking chunks wouldn't dry
out so fast, but last week when I was at a big birding spot people were
putting out slices.
One of the two today was trying to get at the hummer feeder without
success. As soon as he left I removed the bee guards and two of the
fake flowers. He's been back to it a couple times since. I've only
once seen a hummer on it in the several years I've been putting it out,
so if the orioles want it, they're more than welcome. Should I use the
same 4:1 mix for orioles as for hummers?
--
Ray
(remove the Xs to reply)
Laurence Sheldon
> A few days ago I saw a Baltimore oriole in my yard, the first I can
> remember. To encourage him to hang around I put out an orange slice.
> He came back for it, and has been a regular since. Today there were
> two hanging around.
We have more orioles and they are coming closer to the house than ever
before. (I've seen them in the trees in the yard, but rarely near the
house.)
> How long should I leave a piece of orange out before replacing it? The
> orioles don't seem to eat much of it before it gets dried out and ant-
> covered -- usually after about half a day.
Sounds like a half a day is the answer.
Do orioles mind that, or
> should I replace it more often? Do they normally leave a lot behind?
> Is it better to use slices or chunks?
When I put them out (and I quit trying several years ago), I did both.
I'm thinking chunks wouldn't dry
> out so fast, but last week when I was at a big birding spot people were
> putting out slices.
I'd say negotiate with local birds, see which they prefer.
> One of the two today was trying to get at the hummer feeder without
> success. As soon as he left I removed the bee guards and two of the
> fake flowers. He's been back to it a couple times since. I've only
> once seen a hummer on it in the several years I've been putting it out,
> so if the orioles want it, they're more than welcome. Should I use the
> same 4:1 mix for orioles as for hummers?
4:1 is what I use, and I gave up on the bee-ant-squirrel wars years ago.
The most popular with the ruby-throats, orioles and the occasional
chickadee is a bottle with a flat disc with holes straight down in the
top of the disc.
Orioles also like niger or chopped oil sunflower (I have both in the
mix) in a mesh bag that little tomatoes came in.
--
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of System Administrators:
Ex turpi causa non oritur actio Infallibility, and the ability to
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Eppure si rinfresca
rossr...@forteinc.com
wrote:
Hi Ray,
We also have a few orioles around the place and usually have at least
two pairs nest on the property every year.
Right now, they are going through an orange every couple of days.
We put out half an orange and use a little custard cup for support. I
mount plastic pail lids under our sunflower seed feeders to catch the
seeds the birds spill and I just set the custard cups on the lids.
http://i25.tinypic.com/24eqcnt.jpg
The orioles pretty well empty all the flesh before we change it. Yes,
sometimes the ants discover it but, it doesn't seem to deter the
orioles. They may even eat some of the ants.
They also use our Hummzinger hummingbird feeders and don't seem to
have any trouble getting the nectar.
The 4:1 water/sugar mix is just fine for orioles as well as hummers.
Ross
Southern Ontario, Canada.
43º 17' 26.75" North
80º 13' 29.46" West
To email, remove the "obvious" from my address.
Ray
> We also have a few orioles around the place and usually have at
> least two pairs nest on the property every year.
> Right now, they are going through an orange every couple of days.
> We put out half an orange and use a little custard cup for
> support. I mount plastic pail lids under our sunflower seed
> feeders to catch the seeds the birds spill and I just set the
> custard cups on the lids. http://i25.tinypic.com/24eqcnt.jpg
> The orioles pretty well empty all the flesh before we change it.
> Yes, sometimes the ants discover it but, it doesn't seem to deter
> the orioles. They may even eat some of the ants.
I was wondering if they might eat the ants. Good protein, yum!
> They also use our Hummzinger hummingbird feeders and don't seem to
> have any trouble getting the nectar.
> The 4:1 water/sugar mix is just fine for orioles as well as
> hummers.
Thanks for the input, Ross and Laurence. I'll try putting out half an
orange and see how it goes. But they like the sugar water so well I
may forego the oranges, now that they know where to find the sugar.
It's funny that they never came around the hummer feeder until I put
out an orange to lure them into the yard. Apparently the sugar water
isn't attractive enough by itself.
As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon, an
oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually hangs, then
went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the sugar water.
Robert Miles
"Ray" <vortre...@yaxhoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9AA1AC2F...@207.115.33.102...
Maybe the sugar water doesn't have a smell that would attract them
close enough to find whatever you had put out.
Ray
> "Ray" <vortre...@yaxhoo.com> wrote:
>> As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon,
>> an oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually
>> hangs, then went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the
>> sugar water.
> Maybe the sugar water doesn't have a smell that would attract them
> close enough to find whatever you had put out.
Quite possibly. Or maybe it's the bright color of the orange that
attracts them. The hummer feeder is a fairly dull red. Do birds see
in color?
Ray
> Do birds see in color?
As I clicked the "send" button it occurred to me that if birds didn't
see in color, there wouldn't be much point in their being so brightly
colored.
Robert Miles
I don't know, but red flowers tend to attract hummingbirds.
Rick
it so fast--I do not mess around with oranges--maybe later. :)
--
Rick
Fargo, ND
N 46°53'251"
W 096°48'279"
Remember the USS Liberty
http://www.ussliberty.org/
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Laurence Sheldon
> Orioles are attracted to orange color.
Not disputing that, but the locals seem to like the faded red of our
"hummingbird" feeders just fine.
They also like the redbud trees and the fruit trees.
Ray
> I am just putting out Grape Jelly I can hardly keep it stocked
> they eat it so fast--I do not mess around with oranges--maybe
> later. :)
Next time I go grocery shopping I plan to get some jelly to try. They
seem to strongly prefer the sugar water to oranges, so I'll stick with
that; it's a lot cheaper than oranges. They emptied the feeder in
about a day. It only holds 10 or 12 ounces, but that seems pretty fast
for only two birds (at once, anyway). I wonder how much gets spilled.
Every time they take off, they shake the feeder and a few drops fall
out.
JDoe
colorful world than we do." (http://www.bellmuseum.org/eyes.html ) Ever see
a flower in ultraviolet light? Notice how most flowers have as a center a
target of sorts as seen in ultraviolet light, most likely to attract bees
and birds. Ever see birds in ultraviolet light? Very high coloration.
Here's what wiki has to say:
"Some animals, including birds, reptiles, and insects such as bees, can see
into the near ultraviolet. Many fruits, flowers, and seeds stand out more
strongly from the background in ultraviolet wavelengths as compared to human
color vision. Scorpions glow or take on a yellow to green color under UV
illumination. Many birds have patterns in their plumage that are invisible
at usual wavelengths but observable in ultraviolet, and the urine and other
secretions of some animals, including dogs, cats, and human beings, is much
easier to spot with ultraviolet."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet
And, here's what Bell Museum ornithologists have to say about birds and
ultraviolet light:
"Knowing that birds can see UV light, Bell Museum ornithologists Muir Eaton
and Scott Lanyon (Director of the Bell Museum and Eaton's advisor) are
looking to see how much various bird feathers reflect UV. Maybe there are
important color patterns in bird plumage that the birds can see but we
cannot. For all the time people have spent looking at birds, we've been
unaware that birds see a much more colorful world than we do. Compared to
birds, all humans are partially color blind. Eaton and Lanyon have found
that there certainly are areas on many birds which reflect UV. It remains to
be seen what the birds make of this, but it's a good guess that it's
significant to them." http://www.bellmuseum.org/eyes.html
Regards.
"Ray" <vortre...@yaxhoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9AA2A20B...@207.115.33.102...