In order to prevent ants from getting to the orange slices and perhaps poisoning the orioles, it is crucial that they be kept off the ground at all times.
To attract orioles, hang orange halves or slices on a nearby tree branch. This will make the fruit available to a wider variety of birds without requiring you to dismantle your feeder. You can secure orange slices in a suet cake bird feeder, or you can skewer an orange on an oriole feeder spike.
You are reading: How To Feed Oranges To Birds
Don’t skip out on the chance to attract orioles to your yard just because you don’t have a feeder on hand, because you may easily do it by securing orange slices to a tree branch.
If you don’t have access to a tree limb, don’t worry; any shrub or plant will do, and there’s always the possibility of impaling orange slices on the very end of a bird feeder pole.
Since orioles tend to congregate around bird feeder poles, we know that they will have no trouble locating the orange slices we put out for them and the few other birds that will eat them.
Orioles are attracted to your yard because of the nectar-filled oriole feeders and the grape jelly you offer in terracotta dishes, both of which are favorites of the orioles.
Oranges, which are a great energy food for orioles, are often overlooked.
Oriole feeders designed to carry nectar or jelly now commonly feature two orange slice spikes, demonstrating that manufacturers are on top of the fad.
This means you may either provide nectar or grape jelly alongside orange slices or halves, or you can prioritize an orange half only oriole feeder to hang from a tree limb or unused bird feeder pole bracket.
Since orioles can perch vertically but are less likely to cling at an angle, a simple perching spot should be provided wherever orange slices, wedges, or half are placed in your yard.
Oranges can be protected against the more typical backyard fruit-stealing birds by being enclosed in a suet cage.
For this reason, a hanging suet cake bird feeder – will not be stabilized, so can make it difficult for orioles to use; a suet cake bird feeder that is leaning or put on its side is preferable.
Stab orange on branch
Putting out oranges for orioles typically entails impaling a half or slices of orange somewhere in the wild.
You can expect to see orioles in the trees on your property because that’s where they often graze in the wild. To that end, I propose nailing an orange slice to a sturdy limb where orioles can rest.
You should choose a sturdy branch and utilize a nearby branch on the fully mature branch to impale the orange, if that makes any sense.
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Of course, other birds that enjoy munching on oranges can be spotted snacking on them in the wild, so feel free to help yourself to a few slices—or a glass of orange juice—whenever you see them.
When feeding oranges to orioles, it’s best to suspend them from a tree branch rather from the feeder itself.
While it’s nearly hard to keep ants away of nectar-filled oriole feeders, hanging oranges in nature ensures that neither our specialized orange feeders nor an oriole feeder with orange spikes will attract the pests.
Impale on Oriole feeder bar
Some oriole feeders, which you might not have known about until now, feature a spike designed to hold a half an orange or orange slices in place.
The best oriole feeders call for two halves of an orange, which you may now use with this spike.
Oriole safety requires only that you halve an orange and stick it into the steel spike, making the latter look like a thick metal bar.
One option is a nectar-filled oriole feeder, which allows you to attract orange-slice-loving birds by impaling orange slices on a bar that hangs from the bird feeder pole. Even though it wasn’t designed for the purpose, this spike can be used to keep an orange in place.
Second, the same nectar oriole feeder will include a pair of spikes, with the oranges perched on the feeder body close to the port wells for dispensing nectar.
Alternatively, you can get a feeder designed specifically for orioles, and fill it with both orange slices and grape jelly.
If you want to avoid the hassle of feeding orioles jelly or nectar and instead focus on providing them with solely oranges, you may do so with the help of a dedicated orange feeder.
Because a small spike can cause harm, the spikes on any oriole feeder will seem like a steel bar in thickness.
Wedge oranges on bird feeder pole
Oriole feeders are typically hung from bird feeder poles, but you can continue to use yours as usual and pierce an orange through one of the many holes instead.
To ensure that everyone can see the oranges, you might impale or, if you prefer, wedge them between the cross section of the pole supporting the bird feeder or the Shepherd’s Hook.
You have to be careful about where you put orange slices for orioles to eat, as they can go unnoticed if you don’t put them near the feeders that contain nectar.
The orange portion is used to pierce the top of the bird feeder pole and insert it onto a spike that points skyward.
Narrow spikes are typically offered to fasten an orange slice without generating a sticky mess that could be caused by a wider spike.
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Typically, an orange hung for birds would be impaled on the pole of an oriole feeder that was suspended directly below it, so the birds would only need to perch on top of the feeder pole above to get to the fruit.
For tidiness’s sake, and to prevent the juice from dripping down the pole, orange slices can be wedged in various parts of a bird feeder, albeit you’ll need to use orange halves because the thicker cut will fit more snugly.
Orange slices in Suet bird feeder
Putting orange slices, which are technically not suet, in a feeder designed for fatty suet cakes is an unorthodox but potentially interesting idea.
Given that many birds will flock to the feeder in search of orange juice or flesh, it’s prudent to keep the slices safely enclosed in a cage. This will prevent other birds from stealing the oranges.
Oranges can be easily prepared for storage in the suet cage bird feeder by being halved or, why not, sliced into three or four pieces.
This suet bird feeder with orange slices in it can be hung on a tree branch or from the bird feeder pole. The suet cake bird feeder placed on a surface will attract more orioles because they are less sticky at feeders.
If the suet cage is too heavy to hang, lean it against the tree trunk; otherwise, set it securely on top of the bird feeder pole.
Since all birds of prey are fruit eaters, it’s possible that birds like woodpeckers, mockingbirds, brown thrashers, tanagers, and others would consume an orange.
To summarize
My recommendation is to hang the oranges from a branch in a relatively open area of a tree in your yard, where the orioles will be able to find them easily.
Avoid giving uncut oranges to orioles or any other bird. The orange needs to be halved, or alternatively sliced into several pieces. There is a methodical way to offering an orange to a flock of orioles.
The only reason to cut an orange in half is so that you can impale each half on a spike fastened to a nectar-filled oriole feeder.
The orange can be safely cut in half only if its thickness is used as a guide.
Similarly, you can cut the orange into several thick slices and then use the available spike atop the bird feeder or Shepherd’s Hook pole to impale the orange slices [similar to the image above].
Use a feeder designed for suet cakes to keep the birds from stealing the orange slices.
Most common fruit-eating birds also prefer suet, so storing orange wedges in a suet cake bird feeder is a great option. If they can’t, then they might as well put the suet cage full of orange slices down on the ground.
If you want to feed orioles without ruining their feeders with sticky orange juice, you can either use a branch outside or buy a feeder that has spikes specifically for oranges.
Source: https://petstutorial.com
Category: Birds
