Balt and Mary

In 1998 we had a lonely Baltimore Oriole. He lived at our windows - pecking, flapping, whistling for attention... or for a mate. (Our red-cheeked, yellow-bodied Cockatiel shrieked back from his cage.)

This was back in the days before digital cameras and when you got free doubles when printing.  So, we ended up with lots of spare photos. Some turned into homemade greeting cards.

A card sporting our oriole friend at a bedroom window

For years I have taken on the job of feeding these brilliantly colored friends. (The ruby-throated hummingbirds love it too!) 

Male oriole enjoying some sugar-water

My favorite part about Baltimore Orioles is how very sociable they are. Each spring I listen for the unmistakable, clear, pure tones of their voices. Many years ago I learned that if I mimic their whistle (just the simplest of their various tones), they will come to a nearby branch for a "chat."

And then there is the comical, deep "rattle" of disgust, aggression, or warning.  "Stay away from my food!" "Look out! Cat in sight!"

It seemed that for several years we had the same oriole pair coming back to use their hanging sack of a nest in the big cottonwood outside my bedroom window. We named them Balt and Mary since the city of Baltimore is in the state of Maryland. Every year we heard the same songs and had the same conversations.

But this winter, the nest blew down. I wish I had gotten a picture of it - so intricately and densely woven of just as much plastic fiber as grass or hair.

And this spring a new pair arrived. How can I know that, you ask? Because Balt has a new song! The extra high note thrown into this little bird's joyful call is so new and funny - it keeps making us smile! In fact as I sit here typing near open windows, his is the primary voice I hear among our hundreds of resident birds.

Balt standing guard over the feeder

It has also been special to watch this young Balt and Mary build a new nest. Did one of them grow up here, we wonder? They chose the very same tree - maybe even the same branch in which to build! 

Oh, the antics of that orange couple...

- Long strings dangle and fall from the tree as they weave. I tried to help by cutting up an unwieldy vinyl strand they had found which was 15 feet long.

- The grapevine wreath which hangs on our front porch is also fair game, and they rough it up trying to take away some twigs.

- When Mary is taking a turn at the weaving and other birds try to harass her (maybe those naughty Common Starlings trying to steal the nest), Balt swoops in scolding violently and chases them off.  Good for you, Balt!

Such an amazing little part of God's creation!