Southbound With the Butterflies: Orioles Take Off for the Tropics By Julie Brophy Photo Chandler Robbins My orioles take off early every September with the first strong cold front. Like clockwork, this year was no exception. All last week, I watched the Orioles and the weather carefully for signs that they might be getting ready to leave. But strong winds blew from the south, and their behavior was routine all week...until Monday. Monday morning's weather report said the winds from the south would change in the afternoon with an approaching cold front, bringing in winds from the northwest and cooler temperatures too. With the coming weather change, the Orioles’ behavior changed too. Normally, there are about six Orioles that feed together (one male, one or two females, and several young), and they come for mealworms in the morning, and then at night too. They usally do not come too often during the day. But on Monday, they were coming all day long, feeding continuously. As soon as I put out one ration of mealworms on my deck, they'd eat them up. I’d fill them again, and they’d eat those too, and so on...all day long. I watched for the winds to shift by watching the waves on a nearby pond. All morning, the waves had been coming from the southwest. But in the early afternoon the wind and the waves shifted and the waves began to roll from the northwest, and they grew to whitecaps too. The cold front was pushing through! This morning, Tuesday, only one Oriole--a male--came to my deck for mealworms. The others seem to have headed south with the cold front and northwest winds, their bellies full of mealworms to fuel their flight. I wonder who has my orioles in their backyard today? Contributed September 3, 2002 Copyright 2002 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form