Having the windows open when a cool breeze is blowing is always a treat in the summer but that also means you can hear the screaming kids outside. And this week, the crying kids are the baby Baltimore Orioles who sit near the sugar water feeder and screams until one of the parents tanks up on the juice and delivers it to the screaming kid. Grape jelly is another way to feed the screaming babies.
Baltimore Orioles prefer darkest colored berries, ignoring green and yellow berries even if ripe. And when they find dark berries, they will stab the berry with a closed bill and then open their mouth to cut a juicy swath to drink the juices.
The young males do not molt into the bright orange plumage until the fall of their second year but sometimes the drab first-year young males will attract a mate and raise a family. The females become deeper orange each time they molt and some older females can be almost as bright orange as a male.
Baltimore Oriole Eating Jelly
