How about them Orioles?

For three summers in a row, Bullock’s orioles have nested in the low droopy branches of one of pair of huge, isolated Doug fir tree in Orchard Park.


The trees are near the basket of the fourth hole of the disc golf course.


The nests from the last two years can still be seen to the left of the current nest.



While playing a quick round on Friday, I watched the female enter the nest to feed her loud nestlings.



Two years ago, Sarah and I were walking through the park and she noticed material in the tree. She suggested that it was the beginning of an oriole nest, but I, being the bird expert that I am, dismissed it as debris that had blown up there on its own. Besides, I said, orioles don’t even nest in western Oregon. A couple weeks later I made her day by telling her that I had seen the adults feeding nestlings in what had become a nice hanging nest.


Each nest has blue plastic tarp fibers worked into the material. It seems that adding a little color to the nest would create unwanted advertisement about the contents. Then again, orioles are all about advertising with colors, so maybe they want to apply the practice to their nests as well.