Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Baltimore Oriole at Old Cedar

Another colorful bird that I found near the Old Cedar Ave Bridge in the Minnesota Valley NWR is the Baltimore oriole. There are nine different types of orioles typically found in North America.
All the North American orioles are colorful, with some combination of orange and black or yellow and black feathers. These orioles where named for similar looking birds from Europe however they are actually part of the Icteridae family which includes blackbirds, grackles, and meadowlarks.
When researching Baltimore orioles I found that they are supposed to prefer open areas with many tall trees for habitat. However I found this oriole in the same area as where the redstarts were nesting. The area is not very open and has a lot of brush beneath the trees. I also have seen quite a few at Wood Lake Nature Center in heavily wooded areas. So I am not sure how much open area that they actually need or prefer. It has been my observation that they do like to spend a good bit of their time at the tops of the trees, which makes them more difficult to photograph.

1 comment:

Shelley said...

I can always hear and catch glimpses of the Oriole - but I agree w/ you that they are always in the tops of trees. What great photos you captured of them out in the open!