“There is nothing more musical than a sunset.” ​- Claude Debussy

Another bird has migrated back and added some colour to the landscape.  The Baltimore Orioles have been seen at the feeders and, of course enjoying some fresh-cut oranges.  They can often been heard singing in the nearby trees, too.

Here are some interesting facts about the Baltimore Oriole from The Cornell Labs website:

• Unlike robins and many other fruit-eating birds, Baltimore Orioles 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.
• The Baltimore Oriole hybridizes extensively with the Bullock's Oriole where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains. The two species were considered the same for a while and called the Northern Oriole, but in the 1990s, after genetic studies, they were separated again.
• Young male Baltimore Orioles do not molt into bright-orange adult plumage until the fall of their second year. Still, a few first-year males in drab, female-like plumage succeed in attracting a mate and raising young. Females become deeper orange with every molt; some older females are almost as bright orange as males.
• The orioles of the Americas were named after similar-looking birds in the Old World, but the two groups are not closely related. Orioles of the Old World are in the family Oriolidae, whereas American orioles are in the same family as blackbirds and meadowlarks. Both New and Old World orioles are brightly colored with red, yellow, and black; have long tails and long pointed bills; build hanging, woven nests; and prefer tall trees around open areas.
• Baltimore Orioles sometimes use their slender beaks to feed in an unusual way, called “gaping”: they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their brushy-tipped tongues.

You can learn more about the Baltimore Oriole and hear it's call at The Cornell Labs website.

This year's crop is in the field!  Corn is what has been planted this year.  It will be fun to watch and see how fast this will appear and grow.  Let's all hope that the weather cooperates and this is a bumper crop year for our farmers! 

Please, take care on the roads, too.  There are a lot of slow moving vehicles about as farmers are starting to prepare their fields and plant.  

The quote: 
“But even when the moon looks like it's waning...it's actually never changing shape. Don't ever forget that.”
(Ai Yazawa, Nana, Vol. 14,) perfectly suits the moon in the sky last night. 

We didn't need to use the telescopes to see and enjoy this fantastic site on the horizon.

The feeders were filled in anticipation of these colourful beauties would return and here they are!  It has been a lot of fun to watch them.  It is the first time that we have ever seen the male's mating ritual of flying back and forth like he's on a swing and the flaring of his red bib.  There is always something more to learn and see.

Here are some cool facts about the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds from The Cornell Labs:

• The Ruby-throated Hummingbird beats its wings about 53 times a second.
• The extremely short legs of the Ruby-throated Hummingbird prevent it from walking or hopping. The best it can do is shuffle along a perch. Nevertheless, it scratches its head and neck by raising its foot up and over its wing.
• Scientists place hummingbirds and swifts in the same taxonomic order, the Apodiformes. The name means “without feet,” which is certainly how these birds look most of the time.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds prefer to feed on red or orange flowers (though it's not necessary to color the sugar water you put in a hummingbird feeder). Like many birds, hummingbirds have good color vision and can see into the ultraviolet spectrum, which humans can’t see.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds normally place their nest on a branch of a deciduous or coniferous tree; however, these birds are accustomed to human habitation and have been known to nest on loops of chain, wire, and extension cords.
• Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. But in terms of area, this species occupies the largest breeding range of any North American hummingbird.
• Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don’t stick around long. Pairs are together long enough for courtship and mating – just a matter of days to weeks. Then he’s off on his own, and may begin migration by early August.

You can visit The Cornell Labs website to learn more and hear the Ruby-throated Hummingbird calls.