Scott Orioles at San Diego
Scott Orioles at San Diego
In front of our sitting-room window and six feet distant are severe1 aloes of a small species, bearing panicles of tubular orange flowers on stems about three feet high. In the latter part of April a male Scott oriole (Icterus parisorum) alighted many times on these stems, most frequently mornings. He would thrust his bill deeply into the blossoms and appeared to suck the nectar. He was very deliberate, sampling nearly all the the nectar. When the blossoms began to wither the Oriole would pick off each blossom and press blossoms at each visit. I got the impression that he did not gather any insects, simply drinking the base of the tube as if extracting the residue. I saw the female at the aloe blossoms but once. The pair were frequent visitors to a group of “wild tobacco” trees at the back of the house.
KATE STEPHENS
San Diego, California
