Bullock's Oriole, Kelowna.

Male Bullock's Oriole.  Photographed May 31, 2022

I discovered a wonderful hiking spot a few kilometers from my home which has a fair amount of wildlife in it.  Munson Pond Park is located just at the edge of the city of Kelowna and has farmland adjacent to it.  The 9.8 ha park (about 25 acres) sports a pond approximately 4 ha (10 acres) in size.  A trail surrounds the lake and provides modest shoreline access.  The trail itself is approximately 1 kilometer in length.

Bullock's oriole feeds on both insects and fruit, which is why they are only summer visitors.  They prefer deciduous trees, especially if they are of the fruit-bearing variety, although they may occasionally be found about conifers.  Some have been found feeding on nectar.  The birds may eat bees, being sure to remove the stinger before ingesting them, and have been seen skinning caterpillars as a means to facilitate ingestion.  

The birds visit the ground frequently in the search for food.  They both look after the young and will protect the nest from would-be predators.  The species has suffered about a 30% decline in its population since the 1960s, quite possibly due to the loss of aquatic habitat and insecticides used to control pests.  Unless more effort is put into habitat protection and finding non-chemical ways to protect crops, the future does not look good for this colourful species.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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