Red-eyed Vireo

Life is good when meals literally fly into your mouth. This Red-eyed Vireo was having a picnic on hundreds of tiny flies buzzing around his head.

A bit of a balancing act was needed to stay upright... nothing too challenging.

The flies just kept coming.

(click any picture to enlarge)

When a banquet of flies begins to bore you, fly away and look for something more substantial.

Hovering requires more work, but it's worth it for the chance of finding a caterpillar.

Red-eyed Vireos are born with brown eyes. They turn a deep brick red only after the first year.

They are all-day-long singers, too. Listen to their sweet song at the following link:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-eyed_Vireo/sounds

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, AllAboutBirds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Baltimore Oriole

A female Baltimore Oriole looks to have struck the mother load of nesting material... a cassette tape. It would appear to be a good nesting material for the unique pouch-shaped nest... long and strong. However, it could entangle her in the process.

In that case, it's unlikely the male Baltimore Oriole could be of any help to her. Orioles, as other bird species, know only natural nest building materials...not audio tape.

There is no reason to think she met a bad ending with this material, but strange outcomes can happen.

Last summer I saw a female Baltimore Oriole weaving her nest with discarded fishing line. She was having difficulty threading long lengths of line and got entangled in the process.

She eventually won this battle and built a strong nest with it.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

Be grateful if you get Baltimore Orioles or any orioles for that matter. They are beautiful to see and melodious to hear.

They will visit your feeder for orange halves, but are particularly fond of grape jelly.

There is little harm in feeding the birds, but they don't need yarn, string or plastic. Let them find their own 'natural' nest building material.

The Baltimore Orioles are in Wisconsin for a short time now... enjoy them.

Watch for Orchard Orioles at the same time. They'll all start to leave in July.

In other parts of the US look for:
Hooded Oriole
Altamira Oriole
Spot-breasted Oriole
Audubon's Oriole
Scott's Oriole
Black-vented Oriole
Streak-backed Oriole
Bullock's Oriole

Allan

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Elegant Trogon

Some guys get all the attention.

There are hundreds to thousands of people looking for this bird.

The lure of the Elegant Trogon is amazing.

People come 'birding' for the Elegant Trogon with all sorts of binoculars, guidebooks, and photographic equipment.

Although some do come with nothing at all, I suspect the 'nothing at all' people are the spouses.

This is Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains of the Coronado National Forest, Arizona.  You're about 50 miles north of the Mexico border.

This bird 'holds court' every day for his subjects, but not always on the same spot on the mountain. Everyone must guess where and when he'll show up on any given day.

He is not shy about revealing his presence though. He barks out his bizarre song and it travels up and down the canyon, mostly in the early mornings.

Here is an audio link to an Elegant Trogon 'barking'... it's strange.

Cornell University:  https://ebird.org/species/eletro

Men and women, boys and girls string out along the creek with guidebooks and 'binos' hoping today is the day they'll get to see this rare bird.

The Coronado National Forest is south of Tucson. It's a 10 mile drive up to the end of the canyon. That's where you'll start looking for this colorful bird.

Because Elegant Trogons barely make it into the United States from Mexico and Central America, this bird's uniqueness feeds the local economy with purchases of gas, food and lodging.

All this attention certainly is wasted on the Elegant Trogon though. All he is interested in is fruit and insects to eat and a place to call home.

He has that here, along with exposure to a lot of people to which he's blissfully unconcerned.

Allan

Credits: 
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds