Bright orange oriole

Male Bullock's Orioles, they species found here in the west, have such brilliant orange plumage, but it only shows up when you can get a pic in good light. That can be a trick since this species spends a lot of time under the canopy of large trees where their mates are nesting.

These male orioles are good dads in my experience. I see them bring food first to the female when she is in the nest then to the nestlings and finally to fledglings. They seem to do their share of parenting including protecting nest sites with their loud calls, removing fecal sacks from the nest (according to Birds of North America online and accompanying some fledglings after they leave the nest (presumably to show them how to find their own food, etc). SeEtta

Oriole completes his feeding job

When the Bullock's Oriole finished feeding the nestlings yesterday, he stood back up on the nest and looked around briefly so I got this pic. All but a tidbit of bug is gone from his beak so he managed this time to feed the nestlings (you may have to double-click on the pic to enlarge it in order to see the little bit of bug that is still in his beak).

Just a note about all the photos I took of this oriole--I use a 12X digital camera which is the equivalent of about 430 mm on a 35 mm camera. Plus I crop my photos to enlarge them further. So I am able to get these photos standing far enough from the nest so as not to be intrusive. This is very important when taking photos of nesting birds in order to not interfere with successful nesting.
SeEtta

Male oriole bringing food to young in nest

Today I watched this male Bullock's Oriole in the Canon City area bringing food (looks like a fat worm-like insect) to the nest in an attempt to feed his offspring. The first time he brought food, it appeared that he was having trouble accomplishing the task as he would raise back up out of the nest with the insect still in his beak.

He tried two more times then flew off. A minute later a female Bullock's Oriole flew out of this nest. Then a few minutes later the male returned and resumed his attempt to feed the nestlings. Apparently he was successful this time he came back up with no food in his beak.

Double-click on the pics to enlarge them and see the bird's plumage and features up close. In the third pic the bird's thigh's are visible as are much of it's underparts (actually, this is not an uncommon view in the field since oriole's tend to be above us in trees).

SeEtta

Oriole Nests, the hanging cribs

Aw, yes, another absense--I had an Audubon Colo board meeting on the west slope and didn't have internet access. But, I'm back. On my drive over to the west slope of Colorado, I birded a little. At one location in Western Fremont Co where I stopped, I parked inadvertantly under this oriole nest.

This is nest of a Bullock's Oriole, the common oriole throughout almost all of the western U.S. plus part of Mexico. However, other orioles of North America such as Baltimore, Hooded and Orchard all make similar nests (thought the nest of the Orchard Oriole is not as pendulous). Both pics are of the same nest, but the top pic is an enlargement. It is amazing just how strong these nests are, surviving swinging in strong winds.
SeEtta