Come Rain or Shine

Went to San's for a barbecue over the weekend, and the weather definitely didn't cooperate but the birds did.

Baltimore Oriole

San had all her feeders brimming with seed, and many birds were delighted to say the least.  As always, the Black capped Chickadees seem to have no fear and don't mind being close to humans.  We saw quite a few birds, but the best treat was seeing a male Baltimore Oriole.


With its brilliant orange and black plumage, the Baltimore Oriole's arrival is eagerly awaited by birders each spring migration. Its preference for open areas with tall trees has made it a common inhabitant of parks and suburban areas. San's neighbor has a fruit bearing tree that attracted the Oriole.  The "orioles" of the Americas were named after similarly-appearing birds in the Old World. The American orioles are not closely related to the true orioles in the family Oriolidae. They are more closely related to blackbirds and meadowlarks. Both New and Old world orioles are brightly colored with red, yellow, and black; have long tails and long pointed bills; build hanging, woven nests; and prefer tall trees around open areas.   At one time, this species and the Bullock's Oriole, Icterus bullockii, were considered to be a single species, the Northern Oriole.

This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colors resemble those on the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore. The Lord was an English coloniser who was the first proprietor of the Maryland Colony in the 1600's. He governed Maryland for 42 years and that my friends is how the Baltimore Oriole became the state bird of Maryland.