Vince_Condella's Blog

The orioles are back!  Woo-hoo.  It's May 1 and this is a sure sign of spring.  Well, okay, I'll admit it - they come back this time every year.  But hey, so what.  It's great to see these colorful birds.  Technically its the Northern Oriole and they have been wintering in the warmer climes of Central and South America.

The photo above is of a male northern oriole.  The female is duller in color but equally exciting to see.  And the best way to lure orioles to your backyard is to put out oranges.  Slice an orange in two and put both halves face up.  The birds love the energy they get from eating the oranges.  As you can imagine, they've depleted much of their energy during the long migration north.  Plus, the oranges will also attract other birds like the house finch, a small reddish bird (male) that is very common around here all year long.  Photos of a house finch are below.

The male (left) and female house finch.

Another bird that has been sighted in our corner of the state today is the rose-breasted grosbeak (see photo below).  This is another bird that has migrated from Central and South America where it spends the winter.

The male rose-breasted grosbeak.

The male grosbeak is very distinctive in its coloration.

It is stunning to think the distances these tiny birds travel each year.  No wide leather seat, no in-flight meal (expect the kind they can catch in mid-flight), no baggage check-in, and no long lines at the security checkpoint.  Our feathered friends go a long way to survive the cold of winter.  Which makes it even more amazing to think that some birds don't migrate at all, like the cardinal and the black-capped chickadee.  They hunker down and tolerate our coldest days.  Well, at least they have the advantage of not having to deal with potholes!

Welcome back, birds of spring.