Attracting nectar-feeding birds to your yard
It's not too early to plan for attracting nectar- feeding birds.
There are three species of colorful, nectar-feeding birds that spend the summer nesting season in our area: the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula) and the orchard oriole (Icterus spurius).
Ruby-throated hummingbirds are probably the most well-known of the three species.
Baltimore orioles are usually inconspicuous and are found high in leafy deciduous trees in open woodlands, forest edges, river banks and small groves. Because they forage in the treetops, Baltimore orioles are more often heard than seen.
Orchard orioles are the smallest of the orioles and are generally found in shrubby open woodlands along river or marsh edges, lakeshores and farms.
During spring migration and when first arriving in their nesting areas, nectar and ripe fruits compose most of the diet for all three birds. These sugary foods are readily converted into fat, which supplies energy.
In summer, while breeding and feeding their young, their diet shifts to one of insects. Hummingbirds catch insects in midair or pull them out of spider webs. Both oriole species eat a wide variety of insects, including many pest species: tent caterpillars, gypsy moth caterpillars, fall webworms, spiny elm caterpillars and the larvae within plant galls.Attract these birds to your yard by providing flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs, as well as nectar-producing flowers in the spring and summer.Native trees and shrubs, such as flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), red mulberry (Morus rubra), high bush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum) and high bush blueberry (Vaccinum corymbosum) provide a great landscape for nectar and fruit-eating birds like orioles.Creating a shrubby backyard with lots of leafy vegetation also can provide a buffet of insects and spiders for both orioles and hummingbirds during the summer nesting season.Plants with red or orange flowers, especially tubular flowers such as native trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), bee balm (Monarda didyma) and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) not only add color to your landscape but feed nectar-seeking hummingbirds and orioles.In return, orioles and hummingbirds can assist in pollination when they dip their head into the flower opening, picking up pollen along the way.While native plantings will offer the birds more natural foods including insects, supplementing their diet with feeders will help the birds find your yard. Feeders specially constructed to provide a sugar water “nectar” are readily available.Generally, hummingbird feeders have bright red plastic parts while those for orioles have bright orange parts. In either case, adding food coloring to the nectar is not necessary.
Orioles can also be easily attracted with oranges and grape jelly, and their appetite will keep you running to the store for more.Feeders specifically designed for offering oranges or grape jelly can be purchased; however, you can simply cut oranges in half and attach or hang them from trees and place grape jelly in a shallow dish.Keep your feeders clean and place them in a location where they are easy for birds to find but sheltered from strong winds. Make certain there are no places for predators to hide and ambush the feeding birds.If orioles are in your area, they may stay to nest.Help orioles build nests by cutting short lengths of colorful yarn and placing them on shrubs, fences, and other locations where they are obvious. Orioles will add them to their long, hanging nests (other birds may use them too) and in the fall, when the leaves have fallen, you might be able to see the nest woven with the colorful yarn bits.Plan for inviting these interesting bird species to your yard. Check for sales on hummingbird and oriole feeders and food. Assure your stored feeders are clean and in working order.Consider planting flowering native trees and shrubs that attract the nectar-feeders when replacing or adding specimens to your home landscape.Attracting nectar-feeding birds not only helps birds find food but provides you with a colorful landscape and birds to enjoy.Mary Alice Koeneke is a retired biologist who enjoys birdwatching and gardening. As a Penn State Extension Master Gardener Butler County (Class of 2016), she is especially interested in gardening for birds, pollinators and wildlife using native plants.
