Baltimore Oriole Comeback

Suddenly grape jelly in style again...

No, not the baseball team. The birds!

Baltimore Orioles are showing up at my jelly feeder once more. This time with their babies. The youngsters hang out in the trees near the feeder. They cry like squeaky wheels and quiver their wings, begging their parents to deliver jelly into their open beaks.

Baby Baltimore Oriole begs for jelly from its father

Here is 23 seconds of a baby’s pleadings, which I recorded in a tree next to my house.

In southeast Iowa, Baltimore Orioles arrive in late April. When they first get here, they visit the jelly feeder like crazy. I also put out orange slices for them.

Baltimore Oriole gobbles grape jelly

Hey, where’s my orioles?

A few weeks later, the party’s over. No more orioles. I still see their bright orange color flashing through the trees and hear their piercing songs, so I know they’re still around, but it’s as if they forget they ever liked grape jelly.

How come?

When orioles start nesting, their diet changes, and they abandon the jelly feeder. When nesting, they feed their babies on spiders and insects, especially caterpillars. Such high-protein, high-fat food helps the babies grow fast.

While they’re raising young, the parents change their own diet too. Fruit and jelly lose their appeal.

Diet switch

On the nutritious diet of caterpillars and other insects, as well as spiders, the baby birds thrive. They’re as big as the adults before they leave the nest.

But by the time the babies are ready to fly, the whole family’s diet starts to include fruits. This synchronizes with the time that fruits such as mulberries and cherries are getting ripe.

Adult Baltimore Orioles: (A) male; (B) female. [Click a pic to enlarge.]

They’re baaack!

Suddenly Baltimore Orioles show up at my feeder, and I’m spooning grape jelly again.

Before winter, the orioles will migrate to more tropical regions such as Central America, where they’ll continue their largely-fruit diet.

Since I now know them as friends, I hope to see them at my feeders again next spring.

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