There are many beautiful birds in the world, but the bright orange colour of the Oriole is one of America’s more beautiful summer time visitors. These birds love to sip nectar from flowers and other flowering plants. Besides flower nectar they also love grape jelly, and fruits. While you can observe them consuming their nectar straight from the garden flowers, you might enjoy seeing them at Oriole feeders as well.
Oriole feeders bear a resemblance to hummingbird feeders in that there are little wells that the Orioles can swig their nectar from. These specialized feeders allow the Orioles better access to the nectar. Their bright orange colouring can be detected by Orioles, even from a vast distance.
The best type of Oriole feeder will have equally a bee, and ant guard around it to keep these insects away. Should you leave your Oriole feeder untended then the bees will fight the Orioles for possession of the nectar stand. Therefore it’s wise to invest in a bee and ant protector for any Oriole feeders that you buy.
The Oriole feeder should have a built-in moat so that there is water between the ants and the nectar at all times. A nectar scale on your new Oriole feeders will help you to gauge how much nectar there is in the feeders. A feeder that has perches around the edge will provide you the opportunity to view the Orioles without any distractions. The most vital feature of the feeder is that it should be easy to clean. This is very important because an unclean feeder will allow mould to cultivate on, and in it.
The best time to clean your feeders is every 1 to 3 days. You’ll need to eradicate all of the left-over nectar and any fruits that are on the feeder. Then rinse out the feeder by washing it with warm water. Adding a handful of uncooked rice to the water and shaking the feeder tube will remove any surplus nectar stuck to the sides. Once your Oriole feeders are clean and you are sure that no mold is growing on them, you can refill the feeders with nectar.
Should you prefer you can put grape jelly into your feeders instead. However don’t put food colouring or other dyes, as these can be dangerous to the Orioles. A possible recipe for grape jelly follows. Use 1 part water and 1 part grape jelly. Mix them together until it resembles a thick juice. If you want you can use a blender to get the right consistency. Afterwards using a funnel pour the grape jelly juice into the Oriole feeders. Keep the rest of the mixture in the refrigerator.
Another good idea is to place an Orange halve on a twig, or try placing your Oriole feeders in a patch of bright-orange flowers as they’re attracted to orange more than any other color. These few simple steps along with your Oriole feeders are all that is required for attracting the bright Orioles to your garden.
