Every spring the orioles show up at the ranch the first week of May. I make a point to hang out a sugar-water feeder the last day of April in anticipation of their arrival. In Northwest Colorado, we are frequented by one species of oriole- the Bullock's Oriole, which is similar in appearance and call to the Baltimore Oriole. The Bullock's is found mainly in the west, while the Baltimore is the oriole of the east and midwest. Because the two species sometimes hybridize where their ranges overlap, they were at one time lumped together as one species- the Northern Oriole. Then the powers-to-be of the ornithological world decided that they were actually two separate species, after all. The Bullock's Oriole is a stunner- the male is bright orange-gold in color with white wing-bars and a black throat.
The female is a paler orange and lacks the black on the throat.
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Once the first oriole appears at the feeder (always a male), I put out the whole oriole buffet. In addition to the nectar feeder, I provide orange halves in a suet feeder and grape jelly in a dish. The orioles are voracious eaters and will sit in the tree and chatter at me to replenish the buffet if it starts to run low.
I have had as many as 4 orioles waiting their turn at the buffet line. (Actually, they don't wait politely, they butt in line whenever they see an opportunity.) In addition to sugar-water, jelly, and oranges, the Bullock's Oriole consumes protein in the form of insects, which are plentiful everywhere on the ranch.
A short time after their arrival, the orioles begin building their incredible hanging pouch nests around the ranch. They usually place their nests in cottonwood trees at the end of a slender branch. They nests are well-hidden in the foliage, so that it isn't until fall (and long after the babies have fledged) that we are able to determine where they have nested.
From the time of their arrival, throughout the nesting season, until they depart at the end of the summer, they continue to frequent the oriole buffet and continue to dazzle us with their brilliant color.
While I love all the seasons on the ranch, mud season- the period of time between the closing of the ski mountain in mid-April and the arrival of summer in late May- is my favorite. The tourists have gone home, and many of the locals leave town for a few weeks for warmer climes. The weather varies dramatically from day-to-day - sunny, rainy, snowy, blowy. Flocks of birds migrate through the area, while other flocks stay and begin the breeding cycle.
As the snow melts, the ranch transforms itself practically overnight from white and brown to a dazzling green - so green it almost hurts your eyes. Green grass, green buds, green leaves, even green frogs cover the landscape in all directions. And shortly following the greening of the ranch, splashes of yellow begin to appear. Golden daffodils bloom in my front and back garden, sometimes poking through the white snow that has fallen overnight. The dull brown winter plumage of the American Goldfinch suddenly transforms to the bright
canary yellow that seems more typical of tropical species rather than North American birds. But my favorite yellow - a kind of yellow-orange - shows up in the form of a single Yellow-headed Blackbird that visits the ranch each spring. I know he has arrived when I hear his raucous call, reminding me of the sound of a rusty hinge. (Click hear to hear his song). He sports a brilliantly yellow head, neck, and chest, and flashes white wing patches when he flies. He joins the throngs of other blackbirds that frequent my feeders during mud season, but with his flashy yellow coloration and his unique call, he grabs the spotlight.
This morning we were visited by a small flock of Evening Grosbeaks comprised of 4 males and 1 female. While they are not uncommon in the Rocky Mountain area, their numbers have significantly declined in recent years throughout most of the lower 48 states. They are an irruptive species, which means they usually move south from their breeding grounds every other year or so during the winter. However, they tend to drop by my yard most commonly in spring and fall. I am always surprised when they show up since our ranch is slightly lower in elevation than their usual habitat. The bright yellow, black, grey, and white plumage of the male is stunning. Their large conical bills are perfect for cracking sunflower seeds, and they have been known to devour the entire contents of a sunflower feeder in a single visit. During their all-too-brief visit this morning, they spent their time nibbling the new buds on the chokecherry trees and ignored my sunflower feeders. With any luck, they will pop in again this spring, and perhaps, their "cousin"- the Black-headed Grosbeak, will show up for a visit as well.