Orchard Oriole

On Monday, May 7th I was startled to see an adult male Orchard Oriole at the oriole feeder. I have not seen it since. However I did manage one shot of it and it's certainly not the best pose but at least it's a record shot.

The remarkable fact of the sighting is that Orchard Orioles rarely are seen anywhere but very close to Lake Erie. I know Ron Kingswood always has half a dozen or so at his feeders but to see one within the city limits is very unusual.

The rarity of finding it so far from the lake is born out in the species account of page 219 of Birds of Elgin County. The last colour plate on page 92 shows the bird in a typical nesting situation, the nest being located in a fir tree on Ron's property.

Bill Rayner