Unpave
the Way for Orioles
When Your Habitat is Complete, Put
Your Site on the Map!
Three
Ways YOU Can Help Orioles
- Set
Out Oriole Feeders
- Set
Out Nesting Materials
- Plant
Oriole-Friendly Trees
- Make
Your Yard Safe for All
Set
Out Oriole Feeders
Migrating takes a LOT of energy! When birds flap their wings for many
hours during the night, they are burning enormous numbers of calories,
and need food as soon as they come down in the morning. Orioles are particular
about the habitat where they nest, but not about where they come down
after a long night's flight. They recognize the color orange from afar,
probably because both their own plumage and many of their favorite foods
are orange, and if one is passing over and spies the bright orange color
of an oriole feeder, it usually drops down to investigate, often even
in a big city or schoolyard!
Prepare
to Track Spring Oriole Migration
Plan ahead so you'll to have your nectar feeder ready and waiting
when the orioles return from their tropical winter vacation. Imagine the
fun when an oriole lands outside your window after its long trip from
Central America--and you report its arrival.
Where
to find an oriole feeder
Check your local bird feeding store, feed store, or science museum. Or
contact Perky Pet directly:
Perky-Pet Products Co.
2201 S. Wabash Street
Denver, CO 80231
Phone: (303)751-9000
Fax: (303) 368-9616
|
Lunar
Landing
The feeder this oriole is perched on looks a little like Nasa's
lunar lander from the Apollo mission. It is specially recommended
by Julie Brophy at Journey North, guaranteed (well, almost) to attact
any oriole visiting your neighborhood within hours.
|
"Would
You Please Pass The Jelly?"
Orioles LOVE grape jelly. You can attract them to your school or backyard
with this tasty treat, and report your first oriole next spring! In fact,
hanging a grape jelly feeder like the brand pictured above, is a pretty
sure way of attracting orioles to your feeding station. Once they find it,
the orioles can't seem to get enough. Even into the fall when you might
spot their young at the feeders too!
Julie's Recipe
- Use one
part water to one part grape jelly.
- Mix the
grape jelly with the water so that it becomes the consistancy of thick
juice. Use a blender.
- Pour it
into the feeder (use a funnel if you can)
- Store
the remainder in the refrigerator.
IMPORTANT:
To keep the orioles healthy and coming back for more, be sure to keep
your feeder clean. Rinse it with hot water every few days and then refill
your feeder with fresh juice. This is especially important in warm weather,
when it can spoil quickly.
Other
Oriole Treats
- Orioles
are also attracted to grape jelly right out of the jar, which you can
put out in a shallow dish. (As an extra protein treat, sprinkle meal
worms on top too!)
- Orioles
also enjoy oranges. Simply cut them in half and set outside.
Bee Careful!
The nectar feeder we recommend has "bee guards". If you
put out plain grape jelly or orange halves, please be careful about
bees that may be attracted. If bees are coming to your feeder, try rubbing
a small amount of vegetable oil near the small feeder holes to discourage
the bees.
Set
Out Nesting Materials If
you live in an area where orioles nest, you can both encourage and help
them to choose your yard by supplying them with nesting materials. All these
materials can help orioles build a safe, comfortable nest:
- Dog or
cat fur (pull clumps off the brush after brushing your pet!)
- Natural
fiber yarn in neutral, natural colors, cut in lengths no longer than
6 inches
- Binder
twine or dull-colored string cut in lengths no longer than 6 inches
- Milkweed
silk (start saving it this summer to use next spring!)
You can set
an assortment of nesting materials in a cage-type suet feeder, or hang
it from tree-bark in a place where you can watch birds investigate! Make
sure you don't set out ANY strings or yarns longer than 6 inches--parents
or babies can get tangled or even strangled. And NEVER set out dryer lint
for birds! It feels soft and wonderful to us and to birds, but doesn't
hold up after a rain. Try this experiment: Take a clump of dryer lint.
Get it thoroughly wet and let it dry. Does it crumble or hold together?
Does it still feel soft?
Plant
Oriole-Friendly Trees
Orioles build their pouch-like nests at the tip of a long, slender branch,
where it's hard for crows, jays, squirrels, or raccoons to get a toe-hold.
Their favorite nesting tree is the American Elm, but this tree has had
LOTS of problems because of Dutch
Elm Disease.
- Contact
local nurseries to see if you can get one of the new, disease-resistant
varieties of American Elm to grow on your schoolgrounds or in teacher
or student yards. Find out what what other trees are "Oriole-friendly".
This won't help orioles this year, or next, but it's one way we can
ensure a long future for this beautiful bird.
- "What
Tree is That?"
These inexpensive tree identification booklets (around $3.00) from the
National Arbor Day Foundation
provide the opportunity to identify many of the popular trees in the
United States. These fully-illustrated booklets use observation and
classification skills to guide the user from general leaf characteristics
to a specific tree's name. You can order the eastern/central
version (72 pages) or the western
version (84 pages)
Make
Your Yard Safe for All
Everyone can create healthy habitats by making kinder choices. To find out
how to use more native plants, less lawn, and less pesticides, download
Audubon's Guide, which features "10 Commandments for a Healthy Yard."
:
Back to Unpave the Way Home Page
|