I have three hummingbird feeders out this year. Two are in the yard and one is a window feeder. The hummingbirds were late this year, but we have had between 4 and 6 around the feeders for the last month.
In addition, a new bird showed up. I had never seen it before. This bird is without question an adult female Orchard Oriole. It routinely lands on two of the feeders. While its beak is quite thin, it isn't as long as that of a hummingbird. Nevertheless, it has been able to get to the hummer food.
But here's what is so interesting. The hummingbird feeders have ports through the red base of the feeder (4 on the yard feeder, 2 on the window feeder). In each of these ports there is a yellow flower insert with a hole through which the hummers can reach the nectar. The Oriole has popped out both flower inserts on the window feeder on several occasions. I now leave one of the inserts out and the Oriole seems to be happy.
I watched for some time as the Oriole tried to pop out the flower inserts from the yard feeder. She wasn't successful and had to settle for what nectar could be reached through the small hole.
The window feeder is now a different matter. It is now the go-to source for a meal. The Oriole is a messy eater. The window on the side of the removed flower is splashed with sticky sugar.
But there is a happy Orchard Oriole that allows her picture to be taken from about 3 feet. Of course, I'm inside the window while she is outside. She looks right at me and isn't bothered.
Turns out that I was wrong. She isn't an Orchard Oriole. She is a Baltimore Oriole. A second female showed up. Both are much brighter than the pictures of Baltimore Orioles indicate. I compared my photos with bird books and on line photos and concluded that these are Orchard Orioles. Then the two males showed up. They aren't Orchard Orioles. They are Baltimore Orioles. So now there are 4 of them raiding my hummingbird feeders.
One web site actually mentioned that Baltimore Orioles tend to feed on insects, fruit, and flowers at the tops of trees, where you are more likely to hear them than see them. But they are common around dark fruit and berries (we have a bush that grows purple berries that mockingbirds love -and now it seems, so do Baltimore Orioles) and around hummingbird feeders.
It's quite entertaining to watch the hummingbirds dive at the Orioles, trying to drive them away from the feeders. The Orioles don't buy it.
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