SCOTT SHALAWAY Baltimore orioles enjoy nectar, too

The cool, rainy weather we've had this spring has probably attracted more early season hummingbirds than usual to your nectar feeders. Unseasonably cool, wet weather makes a dependable food supply invaluable to hummers. Hummingbirds, though, are just one of a number of birds you might see at nectar feeders. A reader, for example, writes, "Last week we had a Baltimore oriole come to the feeder. I couldn't believe my eyes. It flew onto the feeder and tipped it up so the sugar water came out the holes. Is this unusual?"
No, it isn't. The vividly-colored orange, black and white Baltimore orioles eat fruit and nectar, as well as a variety of insects and spiders. So do orchard orioles, which are a bit smaller and less conspicuous than their more gaudy kin. Male orchard orioles have rich chestnut rumps and underparts; the rest of the bird is black. Females of both species are much duller olive-yellow.
Seek out feeders
Both Baltimore and orchard orioles often seek out hummingbird feeders. However, the acrobatic balancing act that's required to use most nectar feeders makes getting a free meal a frustrating experience.
To attract orioles to the neighborhood, consider buying a specially designed oriole feeder. The "Oriole Feeder" by Aspects, Inc. (www.aspectsinc.com) comes equipped with over-sized feeding ports, large perches, and a built-in ant guard, and carries a lifetime warranty. Aspects also recommends a variation on traditional hummingbird nectar for orioles. Bring to a boil a mixture of one cup grape jelly, one-half cup table sugar, and one cup water. Then add one-half teaspoon pure orange extract. Simmer for three minutes, while stirring occasionally. Then cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Don't be surprised to see a parade of other visitors use nectar feeders. More than 50 species of birds have been observed sipping nectar. Among the nectar-drinkers to look for -- woodpeckers, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches, thrushes, warblers, tanagers, and house finches.
If you're not convinced that orioles deserve a special feeder, consider the other things they eat. Among their favorite insect foods are hairy caterpillars, such as fall webworms and tent caterpillars. More important, though, orioles eat gypsy moth caterpillars. Any natural enemy of these pests, which destroy thousands of acres of deciduous forests annually, deserves our encouragement.
Other attractive foods
Orioles can also be attracted with a variety of other foods. A dish of mealworms is irresistible to most insectivorous birds. Nail orange halves to platform feeders and dead branches; orioles love both the pulp and juice. And give grape jelly a try. Just a spoonful in a small dish on a tray feeder will attract orioles, catbirds, and Carolina wrens.
A final favor we can do for orioles is to provide nesting material for their expertly woven, pouch-like nests. Fill a suet basket with strands of string, yarn, used dental floss, horse hair, or even human hair. Make the pieces six to ten inches long -- long enough to weave, but not so long that they might entangle or strangle the birds. Before long, you'll have a variety of nesting birds in your debt.
Female orioles take four to eight days to weave the nest, which they suspends from the fine outer branches of tall elms, sycamores, and poplars. This delicate location makes it difficult for larger predators to reach the nest. Though the female builds a new nest each year, she often builds it in the same tree or even the same part of the tree as she did the year before.
Four or five eggs
When the nest is complete, it cradles a clutch of four or five eggs. The female incubates the eggs for about two weeks and then both parents share the duties of raising the brood. The young leave the nest when they're about two weeks old. Unlike many local birds, orioles raise only a single brood each year.
By being a bit more generous with nectar feeders, backyard birders can help make each brood count.
(Here's the basic oriole/hummingbird nectar recipe: Mix one part table sugar with four parts boiling water; cool; refrigerate. Do not use honey.)
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