Ponder this:

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Unexpected guest at the orange buffet

Northern flickers like oranges too.
Who knew?

I loaded up the trees with orange halves yesterday morning and waited until oriole supper time, and nobody showed up. Fortunately, it appears that the buffet will not be going to waste. This flicker decided to taste, and then hunkered down and feasted for quite a few minutes. 
Must be a nice change from its usual fare of ants and beetles.
Dessert, maybe.


Editing to add: It isn't a flicker; it's a redbellied woodpecker. Not that I care. I'm just glad s/he's there.  

30 comments:

Autumn Mist said...

So lovely June. It fascinates me to see how different your bird life is from ours, such fabulous colours.

Friko said...

Autumn Mist spoke for me: we all have a completely different bird lifein our various parts of the globe. The guests coming to my tables are mostly drab, lbj, in other words 'little brown jobs'.

threecollie said...

Great photo! I love it. Our orioles aren't coming in now either. They just suddenly stopped.

June said...

We have lots and lots of LBJs too, Friko and Autumn Mist. I only try to photograph the colorful ones because when they come out blurry, as they usually do, at least you can identify the head or something from the blotch of color.

threecollie, do you think maybe the wind made the orioles leave? Gee, it wouldn't have blown their nests loose, would it?

rachel said...

I'd never seen anyone feeding oranges to birds. Do British birds like them, I wonder?

Carolynn Anctil said...

How festive your tree looks with all those bright orange 'flowers'.

June said...

Raaaachel? Do English people like oranges? Perhaps if Brit birds don't like oranges, you could hang out strings of white raspberries?
Or kumquats. :-P

Grandmother Mary said...

Fruit for dessert- very Italian.

kt said...

Wow, I'd forgotten your blog from Vt--a neighbor almost as I recall. How do you have those oranges attached to the cherry tree? Also, don't you get alot of wasps around them, too?
Though my Mom was a wasp whisperer--she would talk them over to the door and out when they got caught indoors--I have never developed the same affection for them. I think she just wanted to brag that these nasty creatures liked her! LOl

Blipfillypicklepoo said...

June - I was delighted by your post for two reasons - first, I have had oranges out and actually got some orioles and second, I have had a very polite visitor at one of my other feeders and didn't know what it was until I saw your post this morning. A northern flicker - very cool. Hope you enjoy your holiday weekend.

Hildred said...

I have some oriole jam in the curly willows, but alas, no orioles. There were so many when we were on the farm, - the nests hung like pendants from the willow trees, but we are out of their range now, I guess.

georgia little pea said...

I love your little orange halves sitting on the tree. Can't say I've ever seen such ingenuity here :p

Though it's not what you were hoping for, that bird is rather pretty. I can see some colour on the head.

p.s. Thank you for your recommendation. I googled and read an excerpt and saw some pictures. I'm going to guess it had a sad ending.

Have a lovely week. It's raining here. Again! xox

Jacqueline Donnelly said...

Hmm . . . . Do you suppose the Flicker was eating ants that were attracted to the sweet oranges? Love the photo!

Olga said...

The woodpeckers in our yard will go to the sunflower seeds, then the suet, then the goldfinch feeder, then the hummingbird feeder. I believe they have given up on hammering at the trees for bugs. I am not in the least surprised that a woodpecker would sample your oranges.
BTW, we were often amused by the squirrels in Florida making off with whole oranges from the tree.

Tracy said...

June,
that is cool...gosh, I'll have to try that!

Judibut said...

June, I'm enjoying your blog and your pictures are lovely. It's fun to see the orioles feeding on the oranges! FYI, I believe your new visitor was a red-bellied woodpecker rather than a flicker. I thought it was a flicker, too, when I saw my first one a couple of years ago. Both are beautiful if not as flashy as the oriole!

Barb said...

I must smile to think of your "orange tree." I bet visitors do a double-take when they see it. (But, the birds do seem to enjoy the citrus banquet.) PS Glad to hear you'll soon have vacation!

June said...

You know, Judibut, I wondered which it was. We've had redbellied w'peckers at the oranges before, but I remembered them differently. We're loaded with flickers, too, but I believe you're right....that one isn't a flicker.
Oh well, who cares. It's a pretty bird.
:-P

John M said...

I tried putting a sliced half orange near one of my bird feeders to see if I could attract an oriole. All I attracted were ants. Maybe the woodpecker was eating the ants and not the orange. Just a thought.

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