| Orioles decline
but still visit the Piney Woods Neotropical species often seen migrating in Mississippi Valley, Eastern Seaboard aresa By
Jay V. Huner D. D. Lacour lives up the road from us on the east side of Cotile Lake. He noticed my bird reports in The Piney Woods Journal and asked me the other day what had happened to the Baltimore Orioles he remembered when he grew up along the Red River in Central Louisiana. D. D. recalled the pendant nests that this species of oriole constructs in the branches of deciduous trees, most often cottonwoods along the Red River, and the striking black head and shoulders and brilliant, flaming orange body of the males. These were the colors of Lord Baltimore who established one of our country's original colonies - Maryland. Once very common, the neotropical Baltimore Orioles are declining in numbers throughout their range that includes the Mississippi River Valley and the eastern seaboard into southern Canada. Females and first year male Baltimore Orioles are much duller than the mature males having orange-yellow breasts and throats and dull-brown backs and wings. Louisiana is no exception to the general decline in numbers. So, D. D. wasn't imagining the decline in numbers of Louisiana's breeding Baltimore Orioles. I regularly find Baltimore Orioles in migration especially along the coast where they either arrive in the spring from the neotropics or depart for their wintering grounds there. They are in the habit of migrating in flocks so if you find one, you'll usually find several to many orioles foraging in the short trees along the coastal cheniers. It should come as no surprise that young males and females are hard to find because they are not very colorful but even the colorful males blend so well with the foliage that they are hard to find unless they pop out on a dead branch [birder lingo = snag]. The key is to listen for a dry chatter that, interestingly enough, sounds like a blackbird chattering. And, this give you a hint as to the group of birds that orioles belong to - THE BLACKBIRDS! Later in the spring, after migration, I occasionally hear the melodic song of the Baltimore Oriole which is described as a series of sweet, musical whistles that vary a lot. Most recently, I found breeding Baltimore Orioles near the boat ramp at the Boyce Recreational Area and the Alexandria Recreational Area Boat Launch, both on the Red River. In fact, the Boyce birds are very close to the home of Gene Rhodes, one of D. D.'s friends who, prompted by D. D. wondered about the orioles as well! A picture is worth a thousand words but I have no pictures of Baltimore Orioles so you'll have to use your search engine of your computer or check a bird guide to see what they look like if you don't already know. But, I did find some really great images of our COMMON oriole, the Orchard Oriole, that Jim Johnson took. Somewhat smaller than the Baltimore Oriole, the mature male Orchard Oriole is also a very striking bird. These birds have the black head and back of the Baltimore Oriole but their breasts are brick red. First year males and females, however, are light yellow below and brownish above. The males have small black "bibs". I have yet to bird anywhere in what we call the piney woods and not find Orchard Orioles. But, like Baltimore Orioles, they are found in the lower areas around creeks and bottoms rather than in the piney woods around those wet areas. I just cannot find bird nests while the birds are nesting. But, once the first frost/freeze of the fall comes, I can find the exposed nests as the leaves fall away. There are plenty of Orchard Oriole nests here and there in favored nesting habitat. They are pendulant like the nests of their cousin's the Baltimore Orioles but very shallow. I've never seen the deep nests of a Baltimore Oriole that D.D. and Mr. Gene have seen and recall from childhoods along the Red River. Heck, we have a pair of Orchard Orioles that nest in our yard and two or three pairs that nest in our neighborhood off LA 1200. Baltimore Orioles DO nest around Cotile Lake. But, for every Baltimore Oriole nest, I suspect that there are 10-20 Orchard Oriole nests. When you check your bird field guide OR the internet, you will see that all orioles have narrow, pointed bills. These birds are meat eaters and gobble insects including caterpillars but they also make holes in throated flowers to drink nectar. If you have orioles around your home, you can put grape jelly feeders around your bird feeding area to attract them. Baltimore Orioles do like to peck on oranges so put out cut halves of oranges around your feeders and bird baths. If orioles don't live around your home, you might have to do this several years in a row but all of a sudden an oriole may show up during spring or fall migration! Okay, there are around 10 orioles that COULD show up in your yard but if you learn Baltimore and Orchard Orioles chances are that if you see something different, you'll get the LSU museum folks at your place the next day! Jay V. Huner |