Our Baltimore Orioles are Back

Our Baltimore Orioles are back in Wisconsin. The orioles migrate back for breeding purposes. Lately, I have seen the wonderful mating courtship between the male and female in the treetops.

Pictured is a male Baltimore Oriole

What Baltimore Orioles Sound Like

Baltimore Orioles Singing in a Tree:

Another Male Oriole

Scoping out Baltimore Oriole Nests

The end of May and through June, is the perfect time to start looking for the young orioles in the nest in Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin, the earliest I have seen chicks is the end of May. Normally, the month of June is when the majority are born.

By August, the orioles are migrating back to warmer weather. Generally, Mexico and South America.

Attracting Baltimore Orioles 

Feeding Them
If you want to attract orioles to your backyard you can hang oranges in your trees, provide grape jelly at your feeders, or purchase oriole feeders that you can fill with sugar water supplement.

I recommend cleaning out your jelly feeders every other day to keep bacteria from harboring in the jelly. Use 1 part bleach to nine parts water to disinfect the feeders. Allowing the container to dry completely before refilling.

Bright Colors
The birds are attracted to bright colors.  Plant bright-colored fruits and nectar-bearing flowers; like crab apple trees, raspberries, and trumpet vines.

If you do not want to purchase a feeder and want to keep things natural in your backyard, try making the fruit bowl feeder. Replace the peanut butter with grape jelly or just hang half the oranges from tree branches

You can attract Baltimore Orioles to your backyard and watch them eat from your Oriole feeder during the spring and summer months. They are beautiful flickering through the trees.