A few days ago I saw a Baltimore oriole in my yard, the first I can
remember. To encourage him to hang around I put out an orange slice.
He came back for it, and has been a regular since. Today there were
two hanging around.

How long should I leave a piece of orange out before replacing it? The
orioles don't seem to eat much of it before it gets dried out and ant-
covered -- usually after about half a day.

should I replace it more often? Do they normally leave a lot behind?
Is it better to use slices or chunks?

out so fast, but last week when I was at a big birding spot people were
putting out slices.

One of the two today was trying to get at the hummer feeder without
success. As soon as he left I removed the bee guards and two of the
fake flowers. He's been back to it a couple times since. I've only
once seen a hummer on it in the several years I've been putting it out,
so if the orioles want it, they're more than welcome. Should I use the
same 4:1 mix for orioles as for hummers?

A few days ago I saw a Baltimore oriole in my yard, the first I can
remember. To encourage him to hang around I put out an orange slice.
He came back for it, and has been a regular since. Today there were
two hanging around.

How long should I leave a piece of orange out before replacing it? The
orioles don't seem to eat much of it before it gets dried out and ant-
covered -- usually after about half a day. Do orioles mind that, or
should I replace it more often? Do they normally leave a lot behind?
Is it better to use slices or chunks? I'm thinking chunks wouldn't dry
out so fast, but last week when I was at a big birding spot people were
putting out slices.

One of the two today was trying to get at the hummer feeder without
success. As soon as he left I removed the bee guards and two of the
fake flowers. He's been back to it a couple times since. I've only
once seen a hummer on it in the several years I've been putting it out,
so if the orioles want it, they're more than welcome. Should I use the
same 4:1 mix for orioles as for hummers?

We also have a few orioles around the place and usually have at
least two pairs nest on the property every year.
Right now, they are going through an orange every couple of days.
We put out half an orange and use a little custard cup for
support. I mount plastic pail lids under our sunflower seed
feeders to catch the seeds the birds spill and I just set the
custard cups on the lids. http://i25.tinypic.com/24eqcnt.jpg
The orioles pretty well empty all the flesh before we change it.
Yes, sometimes the ants discover it but, it doesn't seem to deter
the orioles. They may even eat some of the ants.

They also use our Hummzinger hummingbird feeders and don't seem to
have any trouble getting the nectar.
The 4:1 water/sugar mix is just fine for orioles as well as
hummers.

rossr35253 at (no spam) forteinc.com wrote:

We also have a few orioles around the place and usually have at
least two pairs nest on the property every year.
Right now, they are going through an orange every couple of days.
We put out half an orange and use a little custard cup for
support. I mount plastic pail lids under our sunflower seed
feeders to catch the seeds the birds spill and I just set the
custard cups on the lids. http://i25.tinypic.com/24eqcnt.jpg
The orioles pretty well empty all the flesh before we change it.
Yes, sometimes the ants discover it but, it doesn't seem to deter
the orioles. They may even eat some of the ants.

I was wondering if they might eat the ants. Good protein, yum!

They also use our Hummzinger hummingbird feeders and don't seem to
have any trouble getting the nectar.
The 4:1 water/sugar mix is just fine for orioles as well as
hummers.

Thanks for the input, Ross and Laurence. I'll try putting out half an
orange and see how it goes. But they like the sugar water so well I
may forego the oranges, now that they know where to find the sugar.
It's funny that they never came around the hummer feeder until I put
out an orange to lure them into the yard. Apparently the sugar water
isn't attractive enough by itself.

As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon, an
oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually hangs, then
went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the sugar water.

--
Ray
(remove the Xs to reply)

"Ray" <vortren-newsx at (no spam) yaxhoo.com> wrote:
As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon,
an oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually
hangs, then went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the
sugar water.

Maybe the sugar water doesn't have a smell that would attract them
close enough to find whatever you had put out.

Do birds see in color?

"Robert Miles" <robertmiles at (no spam) bellsouthNOSPAM.net> wrote:

"Ray" <vortren-newsx at (no spam) yaxhoo.com> wrote:
As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon,
an oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually
hangs, then went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the
sugar water.

Maybe the sugar water doesn't have a smell that would attract them
close enough to find whatever you had put out.

Quite possibly. Or maybe it's the bright color of the orange that
attracts them. The hummer feeder is a fairly dull red. Do birds see
in color?

--
Ray
(remove the Xs to reply)

A few days ago I saw a Baltimore oriole in my yard, the first I can
remember. To encourage him to hang around I put out an orange slice.
He came back for it, and has been a regular since. Today there were
two hanging around.

How long should I leave a piece of orange out before replacing it? The
orioles don't seem to eat much of it before it gets dried out and ant-
covered -- usually after about half a day. Do orioles mind that, or
should I replace it more often? Do they normally leave a lot behind?
Is it better to use slices or chunks? I'm thinking chunks wouldn't dry
out so fast, but last week when I was at a big birding spot people were
putting out slices.

One of the two today was trying to get at the hummer feeder without
success. As soon as he left I removed the bee guards and two of the
fake flowers. He's been back to it a couple times since. I've only
once seen a hummer on it in the several years I've been putting it out,
so if the orioles want it, they're more than welcome. Should I use the
same 4:1 mix for orioles as for hummers?

I am just putting out Grape Jelly I can hardly keep it stocked they eat

"Robert Miles" <robertmiles at (no spam) bellsouthNOSPAM.net> wrote:

"Ray" <vortren-newsx at (no spam) yaxhoo.com> wrote:
As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon,
an oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually
hangs, then went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the
sugar water.

Maybe the sugar water doesn't have a smell that would attract them
close enough to find whatever you had put out.

Quite possibly. Or maybe it's the bright color of the orange that
attracts them. The hummer feeder is a fairly dull red. Do birds see
in color?

Orioles are attracted to orange color.

Orioles are attracted to orange color.

I am just putting out Grape Jelly I can hardly keep it stocked
they eat it so fast--I do not mess around with oranges--maybe
later.

"Robert Miles" <robertmiles at (no spam) bellsouthNOSPAM.net> wrote:

"Ray" <vortren-newsx at (no spam) yaxhoo.com> wrote:
As I was cleaning and refilling the hummer feeder this afternoon,
an oriole hung around a while near where the feeder usually
hangs, then went for the orange. So I guess they prefer the
sugar water.

Maybe the sugar water doesn't have a smell that would attract them
close enough to find whatever you had put out.

Quite possibly. Or maybe it's the bright color of the orange that
attracts them. The hummer feeder is a fairly dull red. Do birds see
in color?

--
Ray
(remove the Xs to reply)