On The Road – Albatrossity – Flyover Country Summer 2023

First up are the orioles. We’ve already had looks at female Baltimore Orioles (Icterus galbula) in previous posts this summer, but the males are also quite stunning. This is a male is his second summer on the planet, but he as showing all the cheeky attitude of an elder! Click here for larger image.

Our other common oriole, the Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) seems to be more abundant than usual this summer. I’ve had numerous opportunities to spend some quality time with them, including the time I spent with this adult male, He was guarding a patch that contained a large wild grape vine, and I suspect that he knows how valuable that real estate will be later in the summer. Click here for larger image.

Orchard Oriole females, like this one, are colorful but do not have that chestnut-and-black color scheme that characterizes the males. As they age, however, many female birds begin to show hints of male plumage characters, and this female has some reddish feathers on the chest and head, regions which would be solid yellow in a younger female. This is attributed to age-dependent changes in the estrogen/testosterone ratio; similar changes occur in human females and can cause them to be more male-like (mustache growth, hair loss, etc.) as they age. Click here for larger image.

Another species that seems to be quite abundant here this year is the Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea). These are quite vocal, often heard well before they are seen, but clearly an effort to see this gorgeous bird will be well worth it. Click here for larger image.

Female Blue Grosbeaks share that honking big bill with the male of the species, but otherwise are pretty plain-looking. And since they are generally silent, they can be much harder to find and admire. Click here for larger image.

Another bird with a honking big bill, Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) males come in two different flavors, depending on their age. Males two years old and older are solid read. This is a male in his second summer, mostly yellow but with patches of red seemingly randomly located on the head and body. No two second-year Summer Tanager males are alike; those red feathers can be few or extensive, and can be just about anywhere on the bird. Click here for larger image.

Here, for example, is another second-year male Summer Tanager, with lots of red and very little yellow plumage. As you might expect, this is a bird that can be very confusing to novice birders. Click here for larger image.

Yellow-breasted Chats (Icteria virens) are well-named; I heard this guy long before I located bum at the top of a small tree. He was also cooperative enough to let me shoot some video. He was in a location where I had not found this species in the past, and I hoped that he would find a mate and settle in there for the summer. But later in the summer he was nowhere to be found; I hope he found love and fulfillment wherever he ended up. Click here for larger image.

Summer would be incomplete without hummingbirds, and even though Flyover Country has only one species of hummingbird that breeds here, they are welcome summer guests. This male Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) was kind enough to turn his head and allow his aptly-named ruby throat feathering to catch the morning sun. Click here for larger image.

And the final bird this week is another iconic summer resident of Flyover Country, the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus). These are a challenge to photograph in flight; those long tail feathers are often out of the frame. I’m still looking for baby scissortails this summer, but if I find some you can be sure I will include them in a future post! Click here for larger image.