Migration - All Year at Long Point

(I've updated this short piece that appeared originally at http://foreveryoungnews-com.factorepreview.ca/posts/2304-bob-s-blog-bird-of-the-month-baltimore-oriole)

I’ve heard it said that migration happens all year at Long Point. This is our first full summer year so we are still learning the patterns.

For example, for two months beginning in early May we had regular and frequent visits to our
backyard oriole feeders from Baltimore Orioles and Orchard Orioles. That stopped for a few weeks. Now, in August we are again having  frequent visits from male Baltimores.

That is because our "May to July" Orioles have left; gone south. What we are likely seeing now are migrating Orioles from farther north.

No complaints though.

The male Baltimore Oriole is arguably Southern Ontario’s most eye catching bird.

My old Peterson Field Guide describes it as “fiery orange and black.” It is smaller than a robin.
They were around enough this spring/summer that I began to recognize their whistling call. Cornell does a lot better job of the call than I do. Info on the Baltimore Oriole including its various calls can be found here http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/baltimore_oriole/id

 

Related to this I just looked back at a video son Graham did two years ago. The video does a bit of a comparison of birds seen in our old backyard in Burlington to the greater diversity and numbers down here in Long Point/Port Rowan.  You can find that video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY-gHnbIduk