I have a marvelous magic fence outside of my bathroom window. Well, it used to be more magical a few years ago. There was a lovely ragged bushy tree that stood next to it then. Why did that make my fence magical, you ask?

The bushy tree offered cover for many birds. My bird feeder is on that fence and birds need close cover to feel safe enough to linger around feeders. A new neighbor claimed and cut down that tree. Yes, I really did cry.

I will plant a bush on my side of the fence this year. It will take several seasons before it becomes a gathering place though. So what you see in these photos are fruits of my former bathroom safaris. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear my husband pounding on the door asking,”What the heck is taking you so long in there?”

The Baltimore Oriole is a strikingly beautiful bird. It also has a sweet happy song. You’ll find them in flowering fruit trees. How they love nectar!

A wonderful way to encourage them to visit your yard is to place cut oranges out. A dollop of grape jelly on a cut orange is irresistible to Orioles. The males are very brightly colored and the females look like a faded dusty version of the males, minus the black hood.

By the way, I am a fan of Gray Catbirds too and they are not shy when oranges are on the menu. I’ll showcase them separately soon. Yes, many more miracles from my magic fence. (My high school English teacher would be pleased with that alliteration.)

When your fruit trees bloom this season, do watch and listen for Baltimore Orioles.