Wilton resident Brian Kesselman took a picture of this Oriole this week and sent it to us with the following description of what he found incredible about the shot.
I frequently gaze out our dining room window in the morning to catch a glimpse of the awakening morning. Just in front of our house is a hickory tree that has suffered the wrath of snow storms and woodpeckers alike. Despite my joy at getting opportunities to use my chainsaw to clear the driveway, I usually lament it’s Charlie Brown Christmas Tree likeness. However, for about two weeks out of the year, the tree blooms these beautiful white blossoms that give it a cotton ball coat (which will give me an opportunity to use my leaf blower later). During this short-lived metamorphosis from bare skeleton to leafy scarecrow, the tree has enough volume to attract a number of small birds.
I’m not so fond of the machine gun rat-a-tat-tat of the yellow bellied woodpeckers who leave lines of neat little holes perforating limbs and bringing the tree ever closer to its demise. The finches and cardinals are regular and welcome visitors who join the squirrels in games I imagine are wildlife tag, or maybe hide-and-go-seek. I have even seen the occasional red-tail or skinny-legged hawk perch for a few minutes to admire the cracks in my driveway or my beautiful new roof.
But today I received a real treat. A pair of Baltimore Orioles. They traveled up and down the limbs, pecking into the flowers, hopefully stripping the tree of its insects. They stood on the smallest of branches, and even hung upside down as they foraged for their breakfast. I grabbed my camera and my wife (both gently) and pointed out the window at the flashes of bright orange and yellow darting around. I took about 20 pictures, most of which came out blurry or blocked by the tree’s foliage. I like this one best, as it looks to me almost like the oriole is framed in a heart. Auspicious start to the day, I hope.
