NATURE CLICKS #579 - ORCHARD ORIOLES

May 14, 2024

Here is the other oriole we are lucky enough to have in our woods this year again, the Orchard Oriole. They are a bit smaller than the Baltimore Orioles and the males are very easy to identify. The females not so much, there are sometimes similarities to other birds, like warblers or immature Baltimore Orioles. They are not so noisy as the Baltimore Orioles and the male often surprises me when it suddenly shows up right in front of my lens.

All photos: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, Westscott FJ80 II speed light, Westscott Magnetic diffusion dome

SUMMER BIRDS ARE HERE

May 5, 2018

This is the most exiting time of the year in our woods here on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa River Valley. One bird species after another who breed here during the summer arrived within the last 96 hours. The day starts early with the chatter of the House Wrens. The Hummingbirds take possession of the feeders hanging from the porch and defend them against their fellow hummers. Several male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks visit our sunflower seed feeders and at least five Baltimore Orioles recover from the long journey of spring migration. One of the highlights this morning were three Indigo Buntings who joined the numerous American Goldfinches that hang out in the trees and come to the house for sunflower seeds. The king in my books was that male Orchard Oriole I show you today. The red color tells that it is an adult bird but I wonder if that is the same male who was here last spring, at that time still wearing the plumage of a juvenile bird. While the Baltimore Orioles come here every spring since we moved in our house in 2004, the Orchard Orioles are not so common and have been seen only a few times during migration.

2017 RETROSPECT / 5

January 17, 2018

Male Orchard Oriole, 1st summer, near Durango, Iowa ----------

May has been all about bird photography ones more for me in 2017. I don’t even have to go too far, things happen right here in our woods north of Dubuque, Iowa.

We usually see a large number of Baltimore Orioles stopping briefly on their long journey and eating from oranges we provide. Some of them stay here during the summer and raise their offspring. Not a daily event is the sighting of an Orchard Oriole. Last year we had more than ever before and it was fun to see both species at the same time. This male oriole was in its first summer and didn’t have the dark chestnut-orange color of its body yet as the adult males.

THE TWO ASPECTS

May 15, 2017

I have mentioned many times before how important the story telling aspect is for me in my wildlife photography. I prefer the environmental picture of an animal over the close up view. There is nothing wrong with a close up view, it is just not my personal preference. How the female Orchard Oriole gleans little insects from underneath the fresh leaves in the light of the morning sun is such an example. The photo is pretty much straight out of camera, no crop, just a slight correction of the white balance. The fall off from the lens around the edges works for this image, so I left it as it is.

On the other hand I love when a photo has an artistic appeal. To be honest, I didn’t realize when I pressed the shutter button for the second photo that the shape of the oriole’s head is perfectly framed by the fork of the cedar branch. To pronounce this effect even more I cropped the picture on top and left hand side and removed a story telling element in the lower right corner. Yes, there was an orange half and the story was actually about how the orioles approach this source of food at our feeders. My final version of this photo the more artistic approach doesn’t need the orange. It works perfectly without it.

In a perfect world both sides, the story telling and the esthetic aspects come together. These are the rare moments because nature isn’t always predictable, but aiming for them will stay on my agenda.

NATURE CLICKS #375 - ORCHARD ORIOLES

May 11, 2017

It was an incredible day. We never have seen so many orioles in our yard and the surrounding woods like today. And the best thing was, it wasn’t just one species. I counted in the morning up to ten Baltimore Orioles and in addition we saw at least five Orchard Orioles of different ages and gender.

My photography friend Kevin joined me this evening for some “porch shooting”, means we placed the tripods on our front porch and waited for the birds to come. During idle times we had good conversation about all kinds of photography questions and had a blast shooting away when the birds came close. I was happy for Kevin when even a male Scarlet Tanager showed up and he was able to make some good clicks. This wasn’t all for today. Another rare visitor showed up, but this is for another blog post, so please stay tuned…

EASY CLICK

May 10, 2017

Back from another road trip we enjoyed sitting on the porch and watched the birds here in our woods after the rain this evening. Joan saw an Orchard Oriole, which was only the second time in all the years that this bird made an appearance. A little later we watched a Nashville Warbler foraging by gleaning food from the leaves. Unfortunately it was too dark already for making any pictures.

A couple days ago two male Northern Cardinals tried everything to impress a female and seemed to forget my presence in the yard completely. All what I had to do was to press the shutter button when this red guy landed on a branch just in front of me.