Inquisitve Oriole
by Bruce Bley
Title
Inquisitve Oriole
Artist
Bruce Bley
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
This photograph of a male oriole was taken this spring. This oriole was feeding on some grape jelly I had put out on my front deck. It seems that the orioles are attracted to the scent and sweetness of the jelly. This is the 2nd year that the orioles have returned. We have had seven that have been here for the last few days. They are a beautiful bird.
The Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) is a small icterid blackbird that commonly occurs in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. This bird received its name from the fact that the male's colors resemble those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. Like all icterids called "orioles", it is named after an unrelated, physically similar family found in the Old World: the Oriolidae. At one time, this species and the Bullock's Oriole, Icterus bullockii, were considered to be a single species called the Northern Oriole.
This medium-sized passerine measures 17�22 cm (6.7�8.7 in) in length and spans 23�32 cm (9.1�12.6 in) across the wings. Their build is typical of icterids, as they have a sturdy body, a longish tail, fairly long legs and a thick, pointed bill. The body weight averages 33.8 g (1.19 oz), with a range of weights from 22.3 to 42 g (0.79 to 1.48 oz).[2] The male oriole is slightly larger than the female, although the size dimorphism is minimal by icterid standards.[3][4][5] Adults always have white bars on the wings. The adult male is orange on the underparts shoulder patch and rump, with some birds appearing a very deep flaming orange and others appearing yellowish-orange. All of the rest of the male's plumage is black. The adult female is yellow-brown on the upper parts with darker wings, and dull orange-yellow on the breast and belly. The juvenile oriole is similar-looking to the female, with males taking until the fall of their second year to reach adult plumage.
I hope you have enjoyed this photograph and will share it with others. You can see more of my work on my homepage in the various galleries I have created. Thank you for visiting and please come back.
Uploaded
May 8th, 2014
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Viewed 588 Times - Last Visitor from Cupertino, CA on 04/19/2024 at 7:41 AM
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Comments (18)
Dianne Cowen
Brilliant capture-love the pose. l/f/shared
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the kind and gracious compliment, Diane. I truly appreciate it and thank you for sharing.
Mary Lou Chmura
Bruce, Stunning oriole, awesome capture. v/f
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the kind and gracious comment, Mary Lou. I also want to thank you for the v. I truly appreciate it.
Andrea Lazar
Just a beautiful shot! Thank you for sharing the grape jelly story - I would never have thought of that! v.
Bruce Bley replied:
Thank you for the nice comment, Andrea. We still have the orioles eating our jelly. Thank you for the v.
Bruce Bley
Shawn, I sincerely appreciate the feature in the group "Wonders of Nature Photography". Thank you for your continued support of my work.
Bruce Bley
jrr, Thank you for the feature in the group "Loving the Color ORANGE". I appreciate the honor.
Bruce Bley
Nadine and Bob, I want to thank you for the feature in the group "Artist News". I truly appreciate it.
Bruce Bley
Sylvia, I want to thank you for the feature in the group "3 A Day Greeting Cards for All Occasions". I sincerely appreciate the honor.
Bruce Bley
Brad, I am very grateful for the feature in the group "FAA Elite". I appreciate the honor.
Skip Willits
Well done Bruce. I'll have to try the jelly on my commuter who shows up for a few days and heads on north. It is unbelievable how colorful they are and that shows with your work here.
Bruce Bley replied:
I di not see any orioles today, so maybe they have moved on. They certainly were beautiful to see. Thank you for your kind comment. I really appreciate it.
Bruce Bley
Thank you again for the feature in the group "Beauty", James. I sincerely appreciate the honor.