July 24, 2010 Storm Behind the Feeder

There was a nice storm just north of the apartment and it was kicking up the wind which made for great antics and hummingbirds tried to catch a blowing feeder.  The storm also provided a dramatic back drop to the video.  The first video is 34 minutes at the feeder boiled down to a still long 9 and a half minutes.  Stay through at least the first 2 as a pair of Hooded Orioles come for a drink and their golden rod covering is illuminated by the Sun.  Of course, I could watch the whole thing over and over for hours and probably will.

The first video was shot with my FlipUltra in 640×480 resolution.  The second video (pending) was shot with my FlipUltra HD.  1280×720 resolution.  Enjoy!

Hooded Orioles at the Hummingbird Feeder – July 2, 2010

Female Hooded Oriole

The Hooded Orioles just arrived back on the scene after their Winter stay in Mexico. The males are beautiful. The females, well less so. The Hooded Orioles are very skiddish when they are at the feeder.

Hooded Oriole Returns!

This is a picture taken May 30th of last year.  The Hooded Oriole has to be one of the coolest looking birds I have ever seen.  Last year they had a nest nearby.  I know this because Junior followed Dad to the deck when Dad came for a sip of sugar water.

I saw my first Hooded Oriole of this Spring just a couple of days ago.  It’s not the Dad either.  I’m wondering if it’s Junior all grown up coming back to his hatch place to start his own family.  It’s funny how you can recognize individual birds over time.

The Hooded Oriole spends the Winter in Mexico and the Summer in parts of New Mexico, Arizona and up the California Coast.  They like nectar, so if you have a hummingbird feeder you may see these beautiful birds up close.  They are pretty shy though.  The pictures I have are either through the sliding glass door, or frozen video from a Flip that I leave outside recording.

I’m looking forward to seeing some fledgling Hooded Orioles later this year?  I’ll let you know.

Return of the Hooded Oriole

This has to be one of the best looking birds I have ever seen.  I first saw him over a year ago and then he quit coming around.  Recently he has returned to satisfy his sweet tooth, er, sweet beak.

Today, I caught him on “tape” (flash drive on the Flip Ultra HD, actually):

These are captured video frames that were then to created to create the pretty pictures below. Enjoy!

Hooded Oriole

I was noticing a beautiful golden bird visiting the hummingbird feeder, but everytime I tried to snap a picture, it would fly off.  Finally, I succeeded!  But I had no idea what kind of bird it was.  I posted a picture on my personal web site and got a reply.  It’s a Hooded Oriole.  I still see him around from time to time.  I’ll try to get some video.  If I do, you know I’ll post it.