#16 Postcard Trivia 2.27.18
Spring is on the way! On a rare sunny day a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a blue jay and woodpecker having a great time in our live oak tree. The Scott's Oriole in this 1957 postcard, however, won't make it to my backyard in Northeast Texas. Its lives in the dry, southwestern region of the United States and Mexico. The thorny branches in the picture are from a yucca plant. This bird picks through rough terrain to get nesting materials and food. I checked several websites looking for interesting information about the Scott's Oriole. What was interesting was the lack of information - just the same few facts in each source. In general, this variety of oriole doesn't cause much of a fuss. It eats insects and flower nectar, takes care of its family (both mom and dad share parent responsibilities), doesn't make a mess, and stays in its area. Sounds like a good neighbor! Its only annoying features are that it sings all day and starts early in the morning (not good if it perches by your bedroom at 5:00 am) and it will drink from hummingbird feeders - which is good if you want to enjoy its beautiful colors and song, but not good if it makes your hummingbirds mad! Below are images of the male and female Scott's Oriole. Click here to listen to an audio recording of its song (on the website, click on Listen near the photo of the bird). It's a nice reminder of the spring days ahead of us!
According to a Rare Birds Alert, a male Scott's Oriole was spotted outside its normal territory range near which Texas city in January, 2017?
A. Houston area B. Waco area C. Austin area
Hover cursor over image above or touch image to reveal answer.
