Keeping Common Birds Common

A male Baltimore Oriole forages amid crabapple (Malus sp.) flowers, probing buds and flowers for small insect larvae, and lapping up nectar with his tongue.

In full bloom the Cornell Botanic Gardens crabapple collection is not only stunningly beautiful but is also a magnet for some of our loveliest songbirds. Since the crabapple trees are not sprayed with insecticide, a healthy population of insects persists through spring and summer, providing a vital food source for birds. Cornell Botanic Gardens staff generally avoid the use of insecticides, instead pursuing a rigorous integrated pest management program and only using chemical responses to pest or pathogen pressure as a last resort.

The female Baltimore Oriole weaves a pendulous, basket-shaped nest, suspended from the twigs of a deciduous weeping willow tree. The nest material is typically grasses and plant fibers, sometimes man-made material.

This particular nest contains many goldenrod stem fibers that the female has gathered by stripping them from the previous year’s dead, decaying plants—a good reason to leave dead plant stems in place if possible.

Orioles often return to the same site to nest every year, although they build a new nest each time. This weeping willow tree has hosted nesting Baltimore Orioles for several consecutive years.