Newspaper Page Text
Page 6C
May 11, 2022
Reporter
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Little orchard orioles delight the ears and the eyes
Deriving their name from often nesting in orchards, orchard
orioles also like to build their little basket nests in areas
with large scattered trees, including yards. (Photo courtesy
of Missouri Dept, of Conservation)
M y favorite ori
ole is the or
chard oriole.
This might
come as a surprise since it
is North Americas small
est oriole. It
is also not as
flamboyantly
colored as
the much
larger and
better-
known Balti
more oriole.
However, I
find the or
chard oriole
is beautiful,
too. The male sports a
chestnut body, black head,
throat back, wings and tail.
In addition, I like the fact
that it annually nests in my
yard providing me with
limitless opportunities to
see and hear this impres
sive bird.
Each April, I look
forward to that special
morning when I hear the
first orchard oriole of the
year. This year I heard my
first April 11. The orchard
orioles song, which is sung
by both the male and fe
male, is difficult to put into
words. Perhaps it is best de
scribed as a rambling song
that features high notes at
the beginning and ends
in lower tones. However,
since during the nesting
season orchard orioles sing
continuously from dawn
to dust, I have learned to
recognize it.
Unfortunately, the
orchard oriole spends the
majority of its life living
in its wintering grounds
that extend from southern
Mexico through Central
America south
ward to Colum
bia and Venezu
ela. We Monroe
Countians only
get to enjoy the
bird from April
into August.
However,
orchard orioles
cease calling
when the nesting
season ends, usu
ally by mid-June.
The orchard oriole was
named because it often
nests in orchards. However,
they also like to nest close
to hardwood trees rimming
grassy fields, reservoirs,
rivers, as well as in areas
featuring large scattered
trees, such as parks and
yards.
While they often nest
alone, from time to time
they will nest in small
groups. For reasons that
are not fully understood,
orchard orioles frequently
nest in close proximity to
eastern kingbirds’ nests.
Some ornithologists theo
rize the orioles nest in these
locations because kingbirds
aggressively defend their
nesting territories from
would-be predators.
The fact that some studies
have shown that there is
a direct correlation be
tween eastern kingbird and
orchard oriole population
fluctuations seem to cor
roborate this theory. When
kingbird populations are
high, so are populations of
orchard orioles and vice
versa.
The orchard oriole nest
is something to behold.
The birds pendulous nest
measures 3.4-4 inches in
diameter and is 2.25-3
inches deep. It can be best
described as a thin-walled
basket. This amazing struc
ture is built by the female
using blades of grass. She
lines her nest with plant
down and cotton. The nest
is placed in the fork of a
small branch anywhere
from 4-70 feet above the
ground.
Common grackles are
known to routinely raid
nests and eat the birds’ eggs
and young. If that isn’t bad
enough, their nests are
frequently parasitized by
brown-headed cowbirds.
Studies have found that
oriole nests where cowbirds
have laid left their eggs
fledge only half as many
young as nests without
cowbird eggs.
The orchard oriole has a
varied diet. When the birds
first arrive in the spring
they often dine on flowers
and the blossoms adorning
fruit trees. However, most
of their diet includes lots of
creepy, crawly animals like
spiders, wasps, caterpil
lars and beetles. They also
consume berries and fruits.
On several occasions I
have seen then dining on
Cherokee plums. They
are also known to dine on
blueberries.
This small oriole also
eats nectar produced by
trumpet creeper flowers.
Since the trumpet creeper
has such long funnel-
shaped flowers, orchard
orioles have a difficult time
reaching the nectar at the
bottom of the blooms. The
orchard oriole has solved
this problem by cutting a
slit along trumpet creeper
blooms just above the base
of the flowers. This enables
the bird to stick its bill
through the slit and dine
on the sugary nectar found
at the base of the flower.
I have watched this odd
feeding behavior in my
yard and it is something to
see.
The orchard oriole is
not what you would call
a feeder bird—a bird that
routinely feeds at feeders-
-however, it will visit feed
ers. They most often dine
at hummingbird feeders
equipped with perches. In
addition, they avoid feeders
that feature narrow slits
that serve as feeding portals
If you want them to use
such a feeder you must
enlarge the slits. It is best
to enlarge them enough to
allow the orioles to insert
their bills.
Although I have never
observed an orchard oriole
at one of my hummingbird
feeders, I have seen them
dine on suet. Like other
birds, they seem to prefer
suet laced with peanut
butter.
Most of the orioles that I
see at my bird feeding/wa
tering stations have visited
mybirdbath. Orchard
orioles use mybirdbaths
from spring until they leave
in summer.
As I am writing this
column, orchard oriole
songs are floating through
a window located near my
computer. Being able to
see and listen to orchard
orioles makes me realize
how lucky I am to have one
or more pairs of orchard
orioles living nearby. It is
my hope that you get to en
joy orchard orioles around
your home,too.
Terry Johnson of Forsyth
is retired Program Manager
of the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife
Program. He has written the
informative column Monroe
Outdoors for the Reporter
for many years. His book,
A Journey to Discovery,” is
available at The Reporter.
Email him at tjwoodduck@
bellsouth.net.
TERRY W. JOHNSON
Tickets now on sale for Forsyth-MC Hall of Fame
Phil Walker was inducted into the Forsyth-Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
Tickets are now on
sale for the fifth annual
Forsyth-Monroe County
Sports Hall of Fame induc
tion banquet on Saturday,
June 18 at the Monroe
County Conference Center.
Tickets are $40 in ad
vance and are available for
sale online at wwwforsyth-
monroecountysport-
shalloffame.com and will
be available in a printed
version in the coming days
at numerous locations in
Forsyth. These include:
United Bank, Persons
Bank, the Monroe County
Reporter office, the Forsyth
Convention and Visitors
Bureau office, Haygood,
Lynch, Harris, Melton &
Watson, LLP law office,
Steve Coleman & Associ
ates, Inc., office, Connie
Ham Middle Georgia Re
alty office and the Forsyth-
Monroe County Chamber
of Commerce office.
This year’s ticket is a
tribute to the 1963 Mary
Persons football team,
which finished with an
8-2 record in what was a
breakout season for fifth-
year head coach Dan Pitts.
One of this year’s inductees,
Lee McGee, is the fourth
member of the 1963 team
to be enshrined into the
Forsyth-Monroe County
Sports Hall of Fame, join
ing past inductees Danny
Adams, Phil Walker and
Rodney Walker. The full
1963 MP football team will
be recognized at this year’s
banquet.
This year’s event will
feature the enshrinement
of eight new Hall of Fame
members. This year’s Hall
of Fame class includes: Bill
Bazemore, a former Mary
Persons football standout
who was later president of
the MP Touchdown Club;
Shawn Bostick, a former
four-sport start at Monroe
Academy who went on
to be a national champi
onship-winning college
football assistant coach;
April Willingham Cassell,
a former four-sport star
at Monroe Academy who
went on to become a state
championship-winning
high school cross country
and track coach; Cyrus
Davis, a former Hubbard
High and Lane College
football standout who went
on to become a successful
high school football coach
in Los Angeles; Benson
Ham, a former football
star at Mary Persons and
Auburn who eventually be
came the chairman of the
Monroe County Board of
Education; Alvin Jefferson,
a former Mary Persons and
Auburn basketball stand
out who later played pro
fessionally for the Harlem
Globetrotters; Reggie Mays,
a famed defensive back and
return man on MP’s lone
state championship football
team in 1980 who eventu
ally won a college football
national championship
at Carson-Newman; and
Lee McGee, a star quarter
back on the Mary Persons
football team who went on
to play college football at
Georgia Tech.
In addition, longtime
Mary Persons athletic
supporters, Steve and
Debbie Coleman, will be
the co-recipients of the
Dan & Mary Lynda Pitts
Extra Mile Award for their
work in the community to
support local sports. Also,
two current Mary Persons
senior athletes, Tripp Ship-
man and Campbell Brown,
will be recognized as
co-recipients of the Marcus
Whitehead Scholar-Athlete
Award.
Sponsors are still needed
for this year’s banquet. A
gold sponsorship of $1,000
includes: eight banquet
tickets, a full-page ad in
the banquet program and
signage at the banquet. A
silver sponsorship of $500
includes: four banquet
tickets, a half-page ad in
the banquet program and
signage at the banquet.
A bronze sponsorship of
$250 includes: two banquet
tickets, a quarter-page ad
in the banquet program
and signage at the banquet.
Also, a patron who donates
$100 will receive name
recognition in the banquet
program.
For more information
about buying tickets or
sponsoring the event,
please contact a member
of the Forsyth-Monroe
County Sports Hall of
Fame board. Members
include: K.B. Ayer, Mary
Frances Chambliss, Steve
Coleman, Richard Dumas,
Herbert Gantt, Jim Hardin
(vice chairman), Bob Har
ris, Nolen Howard, Bobby
Melton (chairman), Penny
Mitchell (secretary/trea
surer), and Ralph Moore.
Family with Forsyth roots places
fourth in Fla. sailfish tournament
A family with Forsyth
roots placed 4th in the
Marathon Premier Sailfish
Tournament in Marathon,
Fla. on April 21-22.
Clark and Jennifer Bow-
cock and their daughters
Alexis (19) and Lyndsey
(18), who now live in Los
Gatos, Calif., entered their
first family offshore fishing
tournament in the Florida
Keys on April 21-22. The
tournament included 89
(mostly) professional and
amateur fisherman. Over
the course of two days, the
weather was terrible with
rain and winds up to 30
mph. Tournament pro
ceeds went to non-profit,
Mission Fishin, a Florida-
based charity that helps
special needs children
and their families get on
the water and learn about
fishing.
Along with taking 4th
place, Alexis earned Top
Female Angler of the tour
nament, by catching two
sailfish. Overall, 17 sailfish
were caught and safely
released over the course of
two days.
Alexis Bowcock graduat
ed from Archbishop Mitty
Highschool (Mitty) in San
Jose, CA and is attending
the University of Alabama
studying Communica
tions. Lyndsey Bowcock is
graduating from Mitty this
year and will be attending
the University of South
Carolina, also studying
Communications.
Clark is the son of the late
Jack Bowcock, stepson of
Ann Rose Bowcock of For
syth, and brother of Blair
Hickman of Forsyth.