I knew immediately by the shape of the nest that it was an oriole nest, and my suspicion was that the Orchard Orioles we had been hearing and seeing had built the nest. Orchard Orioles usually nest in trees in riparian areas, but they are also known to nest on farms and in parks.
Today, I caught the female in the nest. You'll probably need to click the photo below to see her in the nest.
I have some concerns about the location of this nest, as the branches to which it is attached blow around quite a bit in the wind. I'll keep an eye on the nest, and hopefully I'll have the chance to post photos of young Orchard Orioles soon.
3 comments:
Nice Scott... I also saw a first season male orchard oriole in the field earlier this spring. At the time it really stumped me. Hopefully this nest is successful!
Neat! We have northerns, but I've never seen an orchard. I've also never found one of their nests. Great shots!
Thanks Tom. Yes, the first year males look totally different from adults. Amazing that they're the same bird!
Thanks Beth. We have Northerns (or Baltimores) too. I believe that they nest high up above our pond. We're lucky that this Orchard Oriole nest is so low that we can easily watch it.
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