06/04/2026
Got orioles? This lovely pair of Hooded Orioles has become regular at our sugar water and grape jelly feeding station in Seaside, California. I hear them chattering as I type this. They're so showy and active right now that our neighbors have asked about them (with delight and interest, of course).
Hooded Orioles will happily nest in our residential and suburban if they find the right palm trees. Our local pair is nesting in a palm across the street.
According to Roberson (1985): "The nesting of Hooded Orioles in northern California is a relatively new phenomenon. The breeding range, once restricted to southern California deserts, expanded north and coastward following the planting and maturing of palms. Monterey's first record was 13 Apr 1947 Corral de Tierra (L. Williams), and the first recorded nesting pairs were in Monterey (1952), Salinas (1955), and Pacific Grove (1959). New sites continued to be tenanted over following decades, with previously unknown pairs located in Carmel Valley in 1987, at many Salinas Valley towns during the Atlas (1988-1992), in Peachtree Valley in 1993, in Carmel in 1994, and in Pine Canyon near King City as recently as 1998."
- Bill
