Every Thursday, the Working for the Weekend segment highlights a project or job for Southeastern gardeners to tackle in the weekend ahead. Know of a project you’d like to see featured here, or a garden chore you’d like some help with? Make your suggestions in the comments section below.
Working for the Weekend:
Hang a Homemade Oriole Feeder
We’ve been talking a lot about orioles this past week or so on the Southeast page, so it only makes sense that this weekend’s project suggestion involves these charmers. There are plenty of oriole feeders available for purchase, but you can save a few dollars and construct a simple feeder of your own, saving your money for oranges and grape jelly instead!
Below are four project ideas – click the image for each one to learn how to make these feeders to place in your own yard.
This orange feeder from BirdsandBlooms.com is simple enough to make in an hour.
This simple orange feeder includes a perch - important because orioles don't hover like hummingbirds.
This feeder includes both oranges and grape jelly, along with a baffle to keep squirrels at bay.
This jelly feeder from a Garden Guides member is made using an old bird bath, which serves as an ant guard as well.
There are many more great ideas for homemade oriole feeders. How do you bring orioles to your yard? Drop a line in the comments and give us your oriole feeder suggestions!
More Information:
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post, the pictures and that awesome birdbath. We are just planting our native desert garden out of Tucson.
I am thinking about jelly and bees…. Your post make me think if it because my darn hummingbird feeders seem to be calling all the bees to come by.
Any ideas? Cheers!
Be happy to see a few bees. They are scarce in my part of the world.
Your are probably getting wasps too.
Enjoy your birds.
Nice ideas Jill. I love this series. Keep the ideas coming!
I find feeders with a roof over the seed area, hand made feeders. I’ve bought kitty food dishes, place the grape jelly in the dishes, place the dishes on the seed platform. The roof keeps the rain out and allows for more security for the orioles. I also place the orange halves in the same type of feeder. These feeders can be found in areas where craftsmen make other hand made items for the birds.
I put my feeder out about two weeks ago and had my first hummer today. What a joy!
It’s spring in northern Minnesoata and the trees are just starting to bloom yet there he was. The Baltimore Oriole sitting in a tree. I put my feeder out and didn’t see him for a few days. It really makes spring!
As I was sending you my note on the Baltimore Oriole in Minnesota when a humming bird flew right into the screen on my window and his beak was stuck. I jumped up to push his beak out but I heard him buzz and he was gone. I just love my birds! I use to live in the city and it was very loud from traffic. I never had birds but now am in the country and counted 14 different ducks, geese and birds in one day.
After trying to attract Baltimore Orioles for a few years, we have had a really nice population for about 3 years (Quad Cities, Illinois). We have noticed a couple of interesting facts that may or may not help other Oriole fans. 1. We have a feeder that accepts oranges and grape jelly. Our orioles have absolutely no interest in the oranges, but stand in line for the grape jelly. 2. Oddly enough, there is a small male and small female, which we interpret as being last years brood, that use the hummingbird feeder exclusively to sip sugar water, and totally ignore the jelly and orange feeder.
I live in Michigan,in the woods with open spaces,I have had the Bullock’s Oriole coming in for about a week,put out orange half’s for them,it’s 8:15 pm now and some or still eating. I have pictures of then but don’t see no way to post.They are truly beautiful!
We made the orange feeder with the roof last year and they love it. I sometimes put strawberries or watermelon on the top nails for variety. We also put out our hummingbird sugar water and oriole sugar water right in front of our windows and enjoy spotting both kinds whenever we are in the house. Our 3 yr. old granddaughter is learning to ” name ” the birds now because she sees them so frequently!!!
I mistakenly bought grape jam instead of grape jelly. I haven’t fed it yet—will the orioles eat it?
I did the same thing and when I put it out they didn’t skip a beat. Mine don’t touch the oranges we put out either!!
{ 1 trackback }