Birds and Celebrations
Mary Whitcomb of Duxbury, Vermont, has been enjoying a blast of springtime at her feeders the past five days: an immature Baltimore Oriole. Feeding on clementines, the wayward oriole is here just in time to be tallied during the Christmas Bird Count season. (I’ll be counting on foot here in Montpelier tomorrow.)
We often never know the fate of these lingering birds. Some might move on; others might not make through the winter. Such is evolution by means of natural selection.
Meanwhile, if you want to watch birds and celebrate on Saturday, check out my pal Rollin Tebbetts’ wildlife photos at the Cabot Holiday Festival and Outdoor Market, starting at 2 PM, brought to you in part by Harry’s Hardware. A fine photographer, with a knack for being in the right place around birds, Rollin’s photos show up here on the blog from time to time. I’m proud to have them. Here are a few more from Saturday’s exhibit. Stay warm, everyone!
Hi Sally, Thank you for writing these helpful tips of what the Baltimore Oriole likes to eat. I’m so sorry your bird was killed by the hawk. That’s like losing a pet.
Happy holidays to you Bryan! Stay warm out there. Thanks for the pictures.
So enjoyable to read your emails as usual.
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Wonderful pictures, thanks. Please let Mary Whitcomb that she can also put out a small dish of grape jelly for the oriole, blueberries, or even ground up sunflower hearts. I did all that for one stray oriole from Nov. to February one cold winter in MA. All was going well until a sharp shinned hawk got
the oriole as she came to feed early one morning. “Feeding the birds” took on a new meaning after that.