We have an oriole at our feeder!!!!

[mark]

Cool! Mrs. Mark takes care of feeding the birds. WTG reports that they have been instructed to take their feeders down due to an outbreak of avian flu in the area. That's pretty close to us. Apparently they found 200 dead birds in a small lake near her house.

[89th]

That is awesome Mik. Get a bird cam! We took ours down recently due to the avian flu and recommendations from local bird nerds.

[LuFins Dad]

We had an Oriole at a feeder once.

Cal Ripken came to a Cub Scout banquet…

[brenda]

That's great fun, Mik!

I'm wondering if I should have hummingbird feeders out right now due to avian flu. Gotta read up on that.

[brenda]

RE: hummingbirds and avian flu

https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/avian-flu-and-bird-feeders-can-you-still-feed-hummingbirds.html

https://ask2.extension.org/kb/faq.php?id=787504

https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/7089.pdf

https://earthsky.org/earth/help-birds-take-feeders-baths-down-virus/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/avian-influenza-outbreak-should-you-take-down-your-bird-feeders/

The consensus is that songbirds and hummingbirds are at very low risk of avian flu. You can continue to feed the hummers as long as you do not have other at-risk birds on your property or nearby, such as chickens, turkeys, and waterfowl.

[Mik]

Just got another sighting!

[Mik]

And a female. Hope they stick around and populate.

[Catseye3]

@Mik Bird perv.

[Mik]

@Catseye3 Spread those wings for me, baby.

[brenda]

Congrats, Mik! Had our first oriole today. I have not had luck with oriole feeders. They leak and attract ants. What kind do you use?

[Mik]

They are a lot like hummingbird feeders except they have perches and places for fruit and grape jelly.

[brenda]

@Mik said in We have an oriole at our feeder!!!!:

They are a lot like hummingbird feeders except they have perches and places for fruit and grape jelly.

I've tried some like that, too.

How long do your orioles stick around?

[Mik]

No idea. This is the first year we’ve had them.

[Mik]

Very exciting year. We are getting more Orioles and I just saw a Scarlet Tanager. A first!

[mark]

@Mik We put out oranges sliced in half, and stuck to a pole. The orioles love it.

[Mik]

That’s what we do, plus grape jelly.

[mark]

@Mik Took this photo in May 2020:

[brenda]

Beautiful birds, Mik and Mark!

[Mik]

The orioles seem to be gone, as well as the grosbeaks. Oh well. We had them and they will remember next year. Not sure how they do that, but they do.