Few Michigan arrivals are as anticipated as the first Baltimore Oriole of May. Males are blazing orange and black with white wing bars; females run from yellow-orange to soft amber. Their rich, flute-like whistles ring from big shade trees — the same elms, maples, and cottonwoods where they'll weave their remarkable hanging pouch nests.
Orioles are here for a short, intense season: they arrive in late April and early May, breed through midsummer, and most are gone south by early September. A well-timed offering of orange halves and grape jelly can make a backyard part of their itinerary.
Insects — especially caterpillars, including hairy ones most birds refuse — plus nectar and ripe fruit. At feeders they're famous for orange halves, grape jelly, and sugar water; in fall they shift heavily to fruit for migration.
The last days of April into mid-May, with remarkable consistency. Have oranges and jelly out by April 25 in southern Michigan — the first migrants find feeders fast, before natural food ramps up.
They didn't leave — they're nesting and switching to protein-rich insects for their young. Many return with fledglings in July. Offer small amounts of jelly and keep it fresh in the heat.
A gray, woven hanging pouch suspended from the tip of a high branch, often over open ground or a road. It's easiest to spot after leaf-fall — look up in big maples and cottonwoods in November.
First arrivals show up in March, numbers peak from May through July, and the last birds clear out during November. Outside that window Michigan has none.
First-year males are yellow-orange with a variable black bib and face, brighter than a female but well short of the adult male's deep orange and solid black hood. They sing and often breed in that plumage, which causes plenty of confusion in May.
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