April News from The Webster Arboretum

Welcome back to the Hummingbirds and Orioles!

In New York State, we can expect to see hummingbirds, specifically ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Baltimore Orioles arriving from late April to early May.  Join us at The Webster Arboretum on Thursday, April 24 at 7 PM for a presentation by Liz Magnanti, the owner of The Bird House in Pittsford, NY. Learn all about these beautiful birds and how to attract them to your backyard!  Preregistration is requested at thewebsterarboretum.org.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the queen and king of the garden in the spring and summer months and are most commonly seen in rural or suburban settings. They arrive in our section of New York in early May and depart in September. The hummingbird spends its winters in southwestern Mexico, and then travels to the Yucatan Peninsula, and across the Gulf of Mexico to the United States. This is a remarkable endeavor as this tiny creature has to deal with strong headwinds and heavy rain when it encounters a cold front in the Gulf of Mexico. Its summer breeding range is from Florida to southern Canada and from the Atlantic Coast west to the Mississippi River. Males typically return in spring before the females and then depart before the females and young begin to migrate South for the winter.

Get your hummingbird mixture ready by late April to early May to catch their attention. To keep them all summer, consider adding native, brightly colored tubular plants to your garden.  These include trumpet vine, coral honeysuckle, cardinal flower, and bee balm. Native plants are the best offering as they produce more nectar than other plants and they also attract the insects that hummingbirds eat. (Insects are the other major part of their diet) Many hummingbirds return to the same feeders and gardens each year, as they have a strong memory for food sources and can find their way back to the same spots, even after migrating thousands of miles.  Hummingbirds prefer to feed in the early morning and in the evening before settling in for the night.

The Baltimore Oriole got its name from their bright orange-and-black plumage. They wear the same colors as the heraldic crest of England’s Baltimore family, who also gave their name to Maryland’s largest city. Baltimore Orioles are medium-sized, sturdy-bodied songbirds with thick necks and long legs. Look for their long, thick based, pointed bills, a hallmark of the blackbird family they belong to. The peak of their migration occurs from mid-April through mid-May. May is the peak month for nest-building. Orioles will come to backyard feeders that offer one or more of their favorite foods such as grape or Birdberry jelly, oranges, nectar, or mealworms. (BirdBerry Jelly is an all-natural blend of grapes and blackberries specially formulated to attract orioles, catbirds and other fruit-loving birds.) The Baltimore Oriole has an unusual way to eat, called “gaping”.  They stab their thin beaks into soft fruits, then open their mouths to drink the juice with their brushy-tipped tongues.

Baltimore Orioles seek out ripe fruit. Cut oranges in half and hang them from trees to invite Orioles into your yard. Unlike robins and many other fruit-eating birds, they seem to prefer only ripe, dark-colored fruit. Orioles seek out the darkest mulberries, the reddest cherries, and the deepest purple grapes, and will ignore green grapes and yellow cherries even if they are ripe. Planting bright fruits and nectar-bearing flowers, such as raspberries, crab apples, and trumpet vines, can attract Baltimore Orioles year after year.