I Can See You

by Bruce Bley

Title

I Can See You

Artist

Bruce Bley

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

This photograph of a male oriole was taken this past 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

December 24th, 2015

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