Hi All,
Yesterday was a good day for birds in our yard, and for the first time we had a
bright, male Baltimore Oriole on a feeder with a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
The 5 or 6 Grosbeaks that have been coming to the feeders for a week or more
were still here, and a male Baltimore Oriole investigated the platform seed
feeder before going to the orange halves we put out for them. I got a not great
photo of the two of them on the same feeder. If the Oriole had stayed another 5
seconds on the seed feeder there would have been an Indigo Bunting, a Baltimore
Oriole and a Grosbeak on the feeder at the same time. Imagine all that color.
Shortly after the male Baltimore came a female came in to feed on the oranges.
While working in the yard I heard the distinctive call of Yellow-billed Cuckoo
almost on top of me. It flew into a walnut tree where it caught a large
caterpillar and gulped it down.
A female Orchard Oriole came into the stream to drink, and so did a male Indigo
Bunting and a male Yellow Warbler. They really seemed to enjoy the water. Also
visiting the stream were an American Redstart and a male Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Photos of some of the birds mentioned can be seen at
http://www.pbase.com/mayhorn/compton_mt_5_6_08
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
Buchanan County