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Spotting

Habitat:

Rural scrub desert bordering riparian

Notes:

This bird showed up at my oriole feeders a couple of years ago. We are in the summer range for Bullock's Orioles and far outside the normal range for Baltimore Orioles but I do get a vagrant Baltimore every few years. I think it's a Baltimore x Bullock's Hybrid, but I've never been entirely sure. I'm hoping you all can help i.d. it. The third and fourth photos show a Bullock's on the left and the bird in question on the right. The fifth shows the bird in question on the left and a Scott's Oriole on the right.

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21 Comments

HeatherMiller
HeatherMiller 12 years ago

It has been very dry here too. I have taken my flower pot bottoms, removed the pots, and fill them with water so the critters can get to some water. It's either evaporating, getting drunk by critters, or a combo of the two. I've even flipped a few pots over and they hold the bottoms at different heights. I have some in shade and some in full sun. I can't keep up with feeding them, , but I try, and I do try to put out water out for them.

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

Thanks florida33girl, it's on my wish list now!

florida33girl
florida33girl 12 years ago

The Sibley Guide: http://amzn.com/0679451226
Worth every penny for bird lovers!

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

Sean, agreed! ;o) After I replied to you I clicked thru and looked at your spottings. Gorgeous pictures!

SeanWeekly
SeanWeekly 12 years ago

only the best people are called Sean/Shawn :)

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

Sean, thanks for the compliment! (Great name! :o)

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

Heather, the bird on the right in the 5th picture is a Scott's Oriole. They migrate through here in the spring. My oriole feeders are pretty crowded in the spring. A couple of years ago I counted 90 Bullock's and Scott's at one time. My trees all looked like orange trees. It was wonderful and kind of horrible at the same time. There were 9-10 orioles lined up at every feeder all the time. At the time I think I only had 6 oriole feeders. So many hungry birds! That's when I started putting out orange halves and grape jelly for them. The ongoing drought here is really hard on the critters.

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

Birdlady6000, thank you!

SeanWeekly
SeanWeekly 12 years ago

Beautiful picture Shawn, Great spotting! Gorgeous looking bird! :)

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

floridagirl33, I guess I'm going to have to get a Sibley Guide! The one I have has only a couple of photos and very basic information. Thanks so much for your feedback!

HeatherMiller
HeatherMiller 12 years ago

Is the 5th picture a 3rd bird? It's head is all black. Beautiful colors in all the birds.

birdlady6000
birdlady6000 12 years ago

Thanks for these excellent comparison photos. Great!

florida33girl
florida33girl 12 years ago

When in doubt, go to the Sibley Guide! In my copy, on page 519, I can clearly see the tail differences you described. I agree that this bird has the tail markings of a Baltimore and the head markings of a Bullock's, giving you what is most likely a hybrid. Thanks for sharing this with us, and providing the extra pictures to help us see the differences!

Sa
Sa 12 years ago

You're welcome :-)

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

Thank you, Sa C.! :o)

Sa
Sa 12 years ago

Another great spot from you Shawn, love it!

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

florida33girl, I was just reading again through the allaboutbirds descriptions (love that site!) about the tail feathers. Pic 5 (above) shows the bird's tail feathers clearly.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bullo...
Bullock's says, "Middle tail feather black, the rest yellow, tipped with dusky or black."
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Balti...
Baltimore says, "Black tail tipped with orange."
This bird doesn't seem to match either of these descriptions exactly.

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

I found 2 other pics so far. #4 shows Bullock's on the left, the bird in question on the right. #5 shows the bird in question on the left and a Scott's Oriole on the right. Thank you for your comments! I really appreciate the input!

ShawnLaBrier
ShawnLaBrier 12 years ago

If you look at the 3rd picture, the bird in question has black shading on its cheeks, a significantly wider eye stripe, and an orange V above the white wing bars. I get many Bullock's Orioles per season and I've never seen one that looks like this. Maybe a sport? I'll try to find and post other pics that show this bird with Bullock's for comparison.

Aarongunnar
Aarongunnar 12 years ago

yeah, i see nothing to suggest anything other than bullock's.

florida33girl
florida33girl 12 years ago

I'm wondering what about this bird leads you to believe it's not just a male Bullock's Oriole. It seems to match the markings shown on AllAboutBirds.org perfectly - is there something I'm missing?
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/bullo...

ShawnLaBrier
Spotted by
ShawnLaBrier

New Mexico, USA

Spotted on Apr 29, 2009
Submitted on Aug 31, 2011

Spotted for Mission

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