Orioles at Avalon!

This is one of those amazing things that happen 

in my life ~ little things that let me know I am

taking the right path.

Each summer I decide on a theme for the season,

things like the Summer of Pie or the Summer of Fun.

This year I am calling the Summer of Home.

Our kids will be home this summer, BB will be arrive

next weekend and KK leaves for Spain next week but 

will come home to spend the summer with us in June.

KK starts her Senior year next year and BB plans to 

be studying abroad so this may be the last summer

 we will all be together at home before they head out

to their own apartments and beyond.

The past two summers have flown by, I have done 

nothing but work and though it has all been very

exciting, I need a bit more balance in my life.  I want

to enjoy my home and my gardens and have time to

watch the birds in my yard.

Mr. Wonderful was headed out to the home improvement

store this afternoon and I asked him to pick up a few 

thistle feeders because we love our finches.  I then said

we should think about getting an Oriole feeder this year

because I'd love to be able to attract Orioles, which we 

have never seen in our yard in the 20 years we have

lived here.

I went up to the kitchen to get a photo of the

Irish Tea Bread I made today.

I spotted a Cardinal at the platform feeder in the

crab apple tree and had to take a picture.

As I was looking through the view finder of

the camera I saw a flash of orange and thought 

it must be a Robin.  Then I looked out into the 

back of the yard and saw the brilliant flash of

orange that belongs to a Baltimore Oriole.

At first I thought I was going a bit nuts since I

had just had the Oriole feeder conversation within

the last hour.  But no, it really was a Baltimore 

Oriole ~ in my yard!

The only other time I have ever seen an Oriole was

back in June of 1996.  I wrote it down in my birding 

book.  We had friends that lived about 30 minutes 

from us and Orioles spent the summer on their 

acreage.

Mr. Oriole was thirsty and stopped for a 

drink in the birdbath by the lilac.

Someone is saying stop hogging the feeder

Mr. Cardinal!

There were five Baltimore Orioles all together

though I could only get three of them in the

picture at one time.

I called my sister and she could see them from 

her deck, after they flew into the woods, my sister

got her bird song book and we kept playing the

call for the Oriole and they would answer back.

It was so much fun!

I have definitely taken this as a sign that this 

Summer is perfect for the Summer of Home...