There are many birds in our gardens. Most are a variation of brown or grey. The few that are more brightly colored are exciting to have as regular visitors to our homes. The strong sunlight of Arizona shines through leaves making bright yellow and greenish-yellow patterns which alternate with the dark shapes of shadows in the trees and bushes. This natural pattern is perfect cover for our local oriole, the Scott's Oriole, lcterus parisorum. Scott's Oriole is a medium-sized bird of about seven or eight inches. The male is the most brightly colored with its' body a very brilliant lemon yellow. The head, back, and chest are a deep rich shiny black. Most of the rest of its body is a very brilliant lemon yellow. Each time I see it I am surprised again at how brilliant it is. The female has a similar pattern of color but is not so dark black and has a green tinge to her yellow feathers. Her chin and neck are yellow. The immature male is also of a muted color scheme but the beginnings of his black bib can be noticed. Males have one white wing bar and females have two.

In my back yard the male was the first to discover the hummingbird feeders. He seemed to get only a taste of nectar as he unsuccessfully tried to hover like a hummingbird. In the process he set the feeder swinging violently, emptied it, and drew bees and wasps. I found a bush in the yard that had several horizontal strong branches and hung a feeder there so that the oriole could perch and drink. The bird understood and was soon trying for the nectar. Unfortunately I had used a feeder that had small, round holes with flower shaped bee guards. The holes were the wrong shape for the oriole's beak. Worried that the bird might give up on my yard, I quickly replaced that feeder with one that has slits as feeding ports. The oriole was gone for the day and the hummingbirds had their evening drinks. The next day I was rewarded with a flash of bright yellow. The male oriole sat and drank for quite a while. He pushed the feeder to the side to get a better drink but didn't spill any of the sugar water. Later that day he brought the female. He sat and made a chucking noise until she came. Her response was a softer whistling chirp. They took turns at the feeder. One drank while the other kept watch in the tree above.

The diet of Scott's Oriole includes insects, nectar, and all types of fruit including cacti fruits. It breeds in yucca, palms, sycamores, and cottonwoods as well as in the dry scrub and desert mountains. Some of my neighbors find this bird to be a nuisance and cover their fruit trees and change style of hummingbird feeders. It seems, though, that it is smart enough to use only one easily managed feeder in my yard, and I will soon need to buy some netting to save a few strawberries for dessert.