The orioles showed up in the gardens last week.

For those of you that do not see them, but would like to, it is very easy.  Cut an orange in half (I use the Navel oranges) and place it up off the ground atop a fence post or such.

If you remember my blog post about feeding wood peckers under my pergola, I have nails with the heads removed hammered into the top of the pergola.  I slam the orange half on top of the nail to hold it in place.  This is in view from inside where I can look down and see these colorful birds when they come to feed.  The orioles are also visible and audible in the tree tops from time to time.

Our Eastern species of orioles winter in Central America and the top of South America.  Seeing and hearing them is like having a piece of the tropics in your backyard for the summer!

For those of you in the West, I would imagine that the Bullocks Oriole would feed on oranges as well as our Baltimore and Orchard orioles do.

I also screw a six inch plastic jar lid to the same area atop the pergola.  In this I place tablespoons of grape jelly or grape jam.  They feed on this as well.  Oranges seem to be the most popular and the jelly washes away in the rain.  The orange halves are there until they are empty.

The oranges were in place this year prior to the oriole’s arrival.  I noticed the week before they came that the Cat Birds were here – and feeding on the orange halves!  If only I could get the Catbirds to stick with the oranges and leave the blueberries to me.