Enough Orioles to Make A Team

Who gets the girl?

Even in rain, spring has a sweetness. Put out jam, and the orioles will come. A flock was making its way up the Mississippi to even cooler North. A few, though, had to drop nest makings to imbibe the sugar. Arriving with them, another indigo bunting who came to a feeder but quickly fled, a hermit thrush hopping along on the ground for some time, a kinglet who could be heard much better than seen, the very audible and very visible red-bellied woodpecker, and high in the canopy the unmistakeable scarlet tanager winged in black. Already present for several weeks--swifts over the water and goldfinches by the feeders--and hummingbirds seeking the first blossoms.
In the brush, a male jay courted a female with cries, clicks, and head-bobbing. She seemed unimpressed yet lingered. Then they disappeared for a private moment.

Who you lookin' at?

Coming soon: the serious side of rain on the Southern Mississippi and the potential impact of floods on animals; and the seedy side of horse racing. . .