Orioles migrate annually so in most of the United States, they are gone for most of the winter months. The oriole migration is both good and bad if you are an oriole lover. The good part is that each spring when the orioles return, you have the chance to attract them to your yard! The bad part is that each spring you are not guaranteed orioles will come to your yard!
Of course one of the best ways to do that is with an oriole bird feeder.
Orioles spend much of the summer in the northern states, but it’s important to have your feeder set up and ready to attract birds when they arrive. They often arrive a week or so after the hummingbirds come to your area. Which can be as late as the first week of May in Northern states.
If you live in an area where orioles nest, you can both encourage and help them to choose your yard by supplying them with nesting materials. All these materials can help orioles build a safe, comfortable nest:
Dog or cat fur (pull clumps off the brush after brushing your pet!)
You can set an assortment of nesting materials in a cage-type suet feeder, or hang it from tree-bark in a place where you can watch birds investigate! Make sure you don’t set out ANY strings or yarns longer than 6 inches–parents or babies can get tangled or even strangled. Never set out dryer lint for birds! It feels soft and wonderful to us and to birds, but doesn’t hold up after a rain.
Orioles love Popcorn…. yes, we said popcorn. Try setting out a tub of popcorn as soon as the orioles arrive. They seem so starved when the arrive. Many orioles fill up with popcorn for a couple weeks before they start building their homes.
