When should you stop feeding orioles grape jelly?
In late spring and summer, I caution against letting individual birds visit jelly feeders more than a few times a day. And if adults bring their young to feed on jelly more than once or twice a day, I suggest removing the feeders: Growing chicks and adults facing their end-of-summer molt need protein more than carbs.
Stop feeding jelly if a particular bird is monopolizing your jelly dish to the point they no longer seek out other sources of nutrition. Surprisingly, this can be a sign of a bird's sugar addiction. This is unhealthy as it keeps them from getting other vital nutrients in their diet.
"they were here every day eating our oranges and grape jelly and now they're gone". The cause for their sudden disappearance is that while they are nesting and feeding young, the diet changes to add protein so that the young birds grow healthy.
Put oriole feeders out in late March or early April to attract the first spring migrants, and keep feeders out late into the fall for birds moving down from the north.
There is no reason to take your feeders down to encourage birds to migrate. They will also be a welcome resource for birds arriving from the North like these Evening Grosbeak. Photo by Linda Goodman via Birdshare. Keeping your feeders up has no influence on whether a bird will start its journey south.
Jelly feeders: Grape jelly is an all-time oriole favorite, and jelly feeders feature glass or plastic dishes or depressions that hold the jelly. Of course, squirrels also enjoy jelly, so consider locating the feeder where they can't access it or purchasing an anti-squirrel baffle to keep them away.
Stop feeding birds when spring migration is over
You can stop feeding birds as soon as the cold and snowy winter weather is over. Many people stop at this time. But I suggest waiting until May or even June to take down your feeders.
In fact, hanging a grape jelly feeder like the brand pictured above, is a pretty sure way of attracting orioles to your feeding station. Once they find it, the orioles can't seem to get enough. Even into the fall when you might spot their young at the feeders too! Use one part water to one part grape jelly.
Medium- to long-distance migrant. Baltimore Orioles spend summer and winter in entirely different ranges. From early April to late May, flocks arrive in eastern and central North America to breed from Louisiana through central Canada.
Orioles love grape jelly. Folks have also had good luck with other types of jelly as well but grape seems to be most popular with them. If you can it's best to use homemade grape jelly or try to find one such as Birdberry Grape jelly created specifically for wild birds that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.
Why do orioles leave so early?
During July, most baby orioles are leaving the nest and becoming independent. Once that occurs and breeding season is over, the parents start molting their body and flight feathers in anticipation of their migration south. Believe it or not, some orioles leave Michigan as early as July!
Use bee guards: Some oriole feeders come with removable bee guards. Simply slip the guard over the base of the feeding port to prevent bees from reaching the nectar.
Feed Orioles Mealworms in Summer
You can begin feeding orioles mealworms as an alternative in your own backyard, presented in an open dish. EXPERT TIP: Use your oriole feeder's grape jelly dish to offer mealworms once nesting season begins.
On the other hand, you may put an orange out at the beginning of May and have birds visiting within 24 hours.
Their breeding seasons extend from April to July, though their nests can usually be seen well into fall. Male orioles might assist in the gathering of materials, but the craft of weaving the pouch-like nests is usually completed by the females.
They hang out with their families and start associating with other orioles in small flocks. Experienced birds head off to the yummiest fruit trees, and the younger ones follow. During the night, young orioles mostly sleep. But sometimes they sit wide awake on their branches, looking at the sky.
Replace the nectar once every three to four days and clean the feeder thoroughly. Unused nectar can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.
After feeding the birds throughout the winter, many people take down their feeders in the spring. Some people take them down in early summer. Others don't take them down at all and continue feeding year-round. There is no prescribed proper time for taking down feeders.
One thing you can do is to rub a small amount of vegetable oil or Vaseline around the openings of the nectar feeders making the area slippery and unattractive to the wasps.
Feeders for Hummingbirds and Orioles
Since hummingbirds and orioles will sip the same nectar, they will visit the same feeders.
Do orioles like peanut butter?
Flowers and flower pieces, such as buds. Fruits, particularly oranges, apples, peaches, berries, and bananas. Bread and other kitchen scraps (as very rare treats) Suet mixed with bits of fruit, berries, or peanut butter.
You simply just cut an orange in half to give the birds easy access to the juicy inner parts of an orange, not the orange peel. Leave the peel on and stick half of the soft wedges side up on anything that will hold it up straight in an area—like a bird table—where birds can easily find it—as an occasional treat.
Hummingbirds do like to eat jelly. It's basically bird candy. Like us, they are sugar-fiends who will love the boost a high-energy food like sweet fruit jelly or jam gives them.
When placing the oriole feeder in your yard, think like a bird. Instead of hiding the feeder under an awning or tree, put it out in the open so the birds can see it while flying overhead. Hang your feeder near a birdbath. If your birdbath has a bubbler, even better.
That being said, the food that is considered to have the highest appeal to wintering Baltimore orioles is grape jelly. In fact, most people that feed the birds jelly insist you must use Welch's grape jelly. It is a popular belief that this is because less expensive grape jellies don't contain as much fruit as Welch's.
(From left) Gray Catbirds, American Robins, House Finches, and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers are some examples of birds that enjoy grape jelly besides orioles.
The hummingbirds and orioles don't seem to bother each other and coexist quite nicely. Usually, if there is only one feeder, the hummingbirds will leave until the oriole is done and then come right back. Although there are usually one or two that are brave enough to be near such a big bird.
After hatching, the young are fed by their parents for about two weeks, until they leave the nest. Baltimore orioles can live up to 11 years in the wild and even longer in captivity.
The Baltimore orioles have a strong homing instinct and often return year after year to nest in the same yard and even the same tree. Other common backyard birds returning around the first of May are the house wren, ruby-throated hummingbird and the rose-breasted grosbeak.
Nest Placement
Baltimore Orioles often nest in American elms, but will build in other trees, especially maples and cottonwoods. The distinctive nest usually hangs below a branch, but is sometimes anchored along a vertical tree trunk.
Do orioles stop eating grape jelly?
Orioles love sweet sugary treats in spring, as they finish their long migrations. Grape jelly and fruit are high-energy foods that give them the boost they need to sustain their travels. When feeding orioles, most backyard birders swear by offering grape jelly.
Orioles love grape jelly. Folks have also had good luck with other types of jelly as well but grape seems to be most popular with them. If you can it's best to use homemade grape jelly or try to find one such as Birdberry Grape jelly created specifically for wild birds that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.
In fact, hanging a grape jelly feeder like the brand pictured above, is a pretty sure way of attracting orioles to your feeding station. Once they find it, the orioles can't seem to get enough. Even into the fall when you might spot their young at the feeders too! Use one part water to one part grape jelly.
One thing you can do is to rub a small amount of vegetable oil or Vaseline around the openings of the nectar feeders making the area slippery and unattractive to the wasps.
Best Jelly Feeders for Orioles
The best way to set out jelly is in a tray or dish about 1 inch deep and 3 to 4 inches wide. Wild bird feed supply stores offer different types of jelly feeders. One popular oriole feeder features a small glass dish. You can also hang a jelly feeder on a pole for extra protection.