Last summer I watched the Baltimore Orioles build this nest and then feed their young until they fledged. It was hard to see with all of the leaves on the tree, but you could see the parents flying in and out. (Click on blog link for other photo.)
I still look up when I walk by, remembering last summer. But now the leaves are gone and you can see the nest so well, way up in the tree farthest to the right. I can’t believe it has withstood all of the crazy winds we’ve had this winter. It is just amazing that the Baltimore Orioles can build a nest that is still intact way up high in the tree!
I wonder if they ever come back and use the same nest? They’ll be here pretty soon. A lot of birds are already starting to come early!
Engineer and crafts-female! 🙂
“It’s absolutely fascinating to sit and watch them weave,” says Nancy Flood, a Thompson Rivers University biologist who’s studied orioles for 40 years. “You see the female poking one end of the string through, and then pulling her head back to weave it out, just like when you crochet or knit a bag. They can spend half an hour doing that, then go away to get another long piece of grass and do more.”
https://www.audubon.org/news/how-orioles-build-those-incredible-hanging-nests
When I see the Baltimore Orioles come back, I put out long strands of sisal twine for them to use to build their nests. It’s exciting to watch them pick the twine off of the ground and use it to weave their nests. I also cut shorter pieces which the other birds like to use in their nests.