Baltimore Orioles are one of the more-recognized eastern birds, even among non-birders. This is hardly surprising, given their bright orange and black coloring, and their relatively large size, at least as compared to most warblers. They are stunning songbirds, and relatively common throughout the eastern and central United States.
They are also – in my experience – very loud singers, skittish around people, and tricky to photograph well. Many of my encounters with Baltimore Orioles start with recognizing their song and end with a fleeting glimpse of orange in a distant treetop as they flit away.
On this particular morning, however, I did manage to capture a decent photo of an individual, who cared more about his performance than he did my presence. The light wasn’t great; the sun hadn’t emerged from behind the hill yet, and some clouds that I thought were clearing decided to linger. Still, a morning with an oriole photo is a win.
I continued my walk, and found several other birds that morning – including the one above, who was new to me. In fact, I had a bit of trouble identifying it later, at home, as I searched through the warbler section of my field guides. Turns out I was looking in the wrong place – my mystery bird is a male Orchard Oriole, and a new addition to my life list!
This individual, at least, is a bit smaller than his Baltimore cousin, and his coloration is significantly more red than orange, to the point of being almost rust colored. He was surprisingly tolerant of me, and let me observe him from relatively close range (by birding standards) for several minutes, during which I was able to capture several decent photos.