The Coat of Arms above is for the Barons of Baltimore in England. The colours in the Coat of Arms are said to have been behind the naming of the attractive bird we know as the Baltimore Oriole, in Maryland in the USA, a few hundred years ago. The art version above is modern but presumably is a bona fide likeness of the original. The Coat of Arms pictured here is by Glasshouse using elements by Sodacan - Bolton's American Armory. I have always thought Baltimore Orioles were orange and black plus a bit of white. Some renderings (art or photos) show the orioles as yellow and black, plus white. Some think the males are orange and the females are more the yellow ones. Females and first year birds are described in most guides as being slightly paler orange in parts and dusky orange in other parts. Before I confuse myself and perhaps you also, dear reader, I'll just say that I am an ardent admirer of the species and love having them at the nectar feeders in the backyard. They don't nest on our property because neighbouring yards have taller deciduous trees with great drooping boughs which the orioles prefer for nesting. Below are three photos I took today of a female Baltimore Oriole at one of the feeders.
Photos by BarrytheBirder
This female had her eye on me (top) as soon as she landed at the feeder. In the second photo (middle) she decides the situation is safe and in the third photo she partakes of the nectar. Shy, timid, timorous, wary, all describe quite well this easily alarmed charmer.
Please comment if you wish.
BtheB
No comments:
Post a Comment