Guess what else Baltimore Orioles eat.

I was surprised today when I saw a Baltimore Oriole on my suet feeder. The feeder has pure suet in it. The Oriole returned to the feeder several times. When I told DH, he said his brother has Orioles in his platform feeder which only has black oil sunflower seed. I guess his Orioles eat the scraps like doves and (groan) cowbirds.

I bought some of the orange flavor at the store to try. I will try about anything!

Should read orange flavored suet!

This message was edited May 3, 2008 5:41 AM

I used to add a drop of orange flavoring to the Oriole sugar water, but they drink it just as well without. They don't seem to appreciate gourmet cooking!

I have red Bellied Wood Peckers drinking from the Oriole feeder. These birds don't seem very picky. DH says they are just after high energy food and are opportunists just getting it wherever they can.

I agree with your DH! Our red-bellied woodpeckers are absolute nuisances. They eat EVERYTHING! One all but destroyed one of my mealworm feeders when he couldn't get into it. And they clean out the feeders, not eating but HOARDING seed. But it's hard to pick and choose the birds we feed, isn't it? sigh

Red-bellieds rock!!! (just my opinion :-) )

My nuisances are Grackles and Europeans Starlings. The Grackles are the hoarders at my place. Sit at a feeder all day long eating and won't let anyone else on.

Sorry to hear about your mealworm feeder though.

That same red-bellied w.p. kept us entertained last summer, tho'. A pipe is helping to hold up a rose arbor. All summer, the bird deposited his seed in the pipe. We kept checking to see if it were filled yet! Hope he didn't try to peck any seeds out during the winter. ow-ee (With the price of sunflower seed this year, I think I'd better plug the pipe!)

I could hear a Piliated WP drumming this afternoon, but could not spot it. Hope he is clearing out lots of insects.

I had to buy seed today and man everything was up in price...ouch!

I know the bird store where I get my best seed said the prices rose TWICE during the last month!!

Hey! I saw my first orioles of the season this evening at my nearby nature preserve. There were two males and a female flitting about high in some poplar trees. From the looks and sound of it, they were trying to decide who gets the gal. Very beautiful birds.

Yeah!! I love the color of the females, so striking!

My mom said she had one at her hummingbird feeder yesterday... I told her they'd tear the snot out of a hummingbird feeder and told her she should get an oriole feeder.... which is kind of odd, since squirrels can't tell the difference in "squirrel proof" or not, I doubt an oriole would land on a hummingbird feeder and say "holy crud. I'm not supposed to be here. Where's the oriole feeder?"
That said, any of you Gwinnett area feeders have any luck attracting orioles? I'm going to put out orange halves, etc., but haven't seen any here.

If Orioles are anything like Hummingbirds, those that survive til the next year will remember what a feeder is. If our feeders aren't up when the hummers arrive, we will see one of them flying up and down where the chain and feeder had been the previous year. They may have bird brains, but they have great memories!

I just meant that they can't tell a hummer feeder from one that came from a box that says "oriiole" feeder... it's all sugar water to them!

My Orioles used the hummer feeders for several days before they started drinking out of the feeders I thought I HAD to have for them. The hummers drink out of the O's feeders too! Like Judy said "Its all sugar water to them!"

Before I got the feeder that has special cups for the jelly, I just used the orange halves they emptied for me. And they got strawberry jam, since somebody else said they were eating peach jelly and it was all I had on hand/ :-)

This message was edited May 9, 2008 8:41 PM

OH MY GOD I JUST HAD MY FIRST ORIOLE VISITOR EVER, AND I'VE BEEN PUTTING OUT ORANGES AND JELLY FOR THREE YEARS.

Sorry if I sound like I'm yelling because I am so excited. I've never seen one so close before. It was a female, and she was tasting the grape jelly that has liquified because of the rain water. She didn't touch the orange halves.

I heard her distinctive song first, and that's what made me look outside into my blossoming golden delicious apple tree near the feeders. And then, she swooped down to the jelly.

Congratulations OP!!!!!

OP...You sound as excited as I was the first time they showed up! They sure let you know they are there don't they!?! Have fun with your new birds!

Yeah. My heart was pounding. Also, I had forgotten to share. The three I observed on the 8th up in the tree tops seemed to be gleaning insects from leaves and stems. Does that sound accurate?

According to my field guide all the Orioles eat insects so that sounds accurate to me. I have not observed that but haven't really paid that much attention as I've been busy trying to keep out the jelly and fresh oranges!! LOL!! Have fun OP!!

Definitely. Birds get protien by eating insects. Lovely pic Rose!

Wow rose! Great photo. This may sound obvious, but since flamingos get their color from the shrimp they eat (if that's true), I'll bet orioles get that amazing color from the oranges they eat???!!!

OP..that is an interesting theory...now I'm wondering too! I always wonder who figured out they like oranges and jelly?!!

Gosh, I wish you guys had started a new Oriole thread! Maybe I will.........