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[rosehill]

I know this should be on the Garden Forum, but I thought I would find you here faster.

This is a wild bird question: I live in NE Ohio, about 60 miles south west of Cleveland which is on Lake Erie. I just saw a Baltimore Oriole for the first time in my life, and I am 62, so I am excited. Are these birds just migrating through Ohio now? From the little I had time to research it online today, they are probably traveling south for the winter. Should I go out to buy an Oriole feeder? I have seen them in Tractor Supply. Do you think if I put one out, it would be used, or is this just a rare sighting?

He (or she) was perched on a small hummingbird feeder which is attached to my sliding doors. It was trying to drink from the small holes and was pecking the feeder trying to get to the nectar. He sat there while my grand daughter and I watched, for about 2-3 minutes, trying to figure out how to get to the food.

[mousiegirl]

Rosehill, I googled them.  I They eat what the hummers eat, so that explains why it was on your feeder.  

[Susan Louise]

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@rosehill wrote:

I know this should be on the Garden Forum, but I thought I would find you here faster.

This is a wild bird question: I live in NE Ohio, about 60 miles south west of Cleveland which is on Lake Erie. I just saw a Baltimore Oriole for the first time in my life, and I am 62, so I am excited. Are these birds just migrating through Ohio now? From the little I had time to research it online today, they are probably traveling south for the winter. Should I go out to buy an Oriole feeder? I have seen them in Tractor Supply. Do you think if I put one out, it would be used, or is this just a rare sighting?

He (or she) was perched on a small hummingbird feeder which is attached to my sliding doors. It was trying to drink from the small holes and was pecking the feeder trying to get to the nectar. He sat there while my grand daughter and I watched, for about 2-3 minutes, trying to figure out how to get to the food.

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@rosehill  They are one of the 1st migrating birds around our area...starting in mid-August and through September. We get Orchard and Baltimore Orioles here. They will still migrate through for about another month, but frequency depends on your area. You can always get the feeder and put them near your hummingbird feeder so if an Oriole passes by and tries to use the hummingbird feeder and has no luck getting the juice (sugar water), it will hop onto the Oriole feeder it can feed from (if it's a smart Oriole...lol). 

Yes, and the Orioles will try and feed from the hummingbird feeders. There are 2 types of Oriole feeders we put out in August for them which look similar to hummingbird feeders, but have wider openings for the Orioles beaks.

HERE is a link to many feeders...

[mousiegirl]

rosehill, I just discovered that they come to CA also.   

[Susan Louise]

@rosehill  Here's a pic of our feeders...also showing the set up we have for the Orioles every Spring...

Just like the hummingbirds, they also love our honeysuckle garden too!

[Susan Louise]

@rosehill  Here are some pics of some of the Orioles enjoying the honeysuckle in our garden...

[Susan Louise]

@rosehill

[rosehill]

Thank you, Susan, for the lovely photos. It sounds to me like this one is just passing through, and if I thought it  would be here for a week or so, I would buy an oriole feeder. Seems like the time to put one out is the spring. I am going to try to find out if Orioles summer here. 

Mousiegirl, thank you. Seems like they are nectar feeders too. That and grape jelly, according to people online who have posted about it.