As anyone that has followed this blog knows, this winter a number of Baltimore orioles were reported wintering in the Peach State. One of these birds wintered in my backyard.
Although the numbers of Baltimore orioles that winter in United States seems to be going up, there is scant information as to what foods wintering orioles are eating. Most of those that hosted orioles this past winter wrote that the birds ate grape jelly. The most unusual report I received was from a couple in Macon that said they watched an oriole eating the petals off sasanquas.
The bird that wintered in my backyard shunned grape jelly, preferring instead to dine on sugar water offered in a hummingbird feeder. Last week, the bird expanded his diet by dining on shelled peanuts extracted from a peanut feeder.
If you witnessed a Baltimore oriole eating anything else, please let me know. Your input will help us better understand the feeding habits of this unusual winter visitor.
I watched my male Baltimore Oriole today (June 11, 2018) come to the feeder with a spider in his mouth. He added some grape jelly then left. He later came back with both a caterpillar and a grub in his mouth, added some grape jelly and left. I asked the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology about this behavior and they responded that he probably was gathering food to take back to the nest to feed his young. I live in Michigan but this behavior is likely also exhibited by your Peach State orioles.