Make your own homemade Oriole bird food to attract more Orioles.
Most Orioles spend their winters in Florida, the Caribbean, central Mexico, Central America and the northern part of South America. While there, they enjoy a steady diet of fruit, caterpillars, insects, spiders and nectar.
They return to the United States in the spring for their summer breeding season. When they arrive, they are looking for their favorite foods. While it may be difficult to attract them with caterpillars and insects, you can certainly attract orioles with nectar, nuts, suet, and fruits such as oranges, cherries, apples, pears or bananas and even grape jelly.
Platform or tray feeders often work best when offering foods such as nuts, oranges, cherries, apples, pears or bananas to orioles. But they should be hung from a tree branch or placed on your deck rail instead of on the ground.
Try using a variety of foods until you determine which food works best.
I usually set the food out as if it were on a plate:Half of a grapefruit
Apple slices
Cherries
Small dish of grape jelly
Obviously you will need to keep an eye on the food to make sure that it doesn't go bad. Most birds feed in the morning and in the evening, so there is no reason to leave it out during the heat of the day. You should change the fruits often to keep them fresh.
There are oriole feeders on the market that dispense nectar (see recipe below). They are very similar to hummingbird feeders. They are usually orange instead of red. Since orioles don't hover while they eat, the oriole feeders are sturdier and should have a perch.
If you are going to use an oriole feeder, consider making your own homemade Oriole bird food.
Here is an easy recipe:
Homemade Oriole bird food Recipe
1 part sugar/6 parts water
Bring the water to a boil and then add the sugar. Boil until the sugar has dissolved. 1 part sugar to 6 parts water means that if you boil 2 cups of water you will need 1/3 cup of sugar.
Let the mix cool before filling your feeder. Store any excess food in your refrigerator until ready to use. There is no need to add food coloring.
It is thought that Orioles are attracted to the color orange (the color of many types of fruit). Try tying orange cloth or ribbon on the feeder to catch their attention. NEVER use honey (which ferments), or artificial sweetener to this homemade oriole bird food recipe.
You can encourage a breeding pair of orioles to build their nest nearby by making some nest building materials available. Hang a suet basket, near your feeding station, filled with cat or dog fur, dryer lint, or short pieces (3-4 inches) of natural fiber twine and yarn.
