Pennsylvania Bullock's Oriole

A Bullock's Oriole showed up this week in Barto, Pennsylvania--about 40 minutes from my home. So this morning before my appointments I drove over to see if it was still around. It was and here are some of the better shots I was able to get through my 7x42 Zeiss binocular (these are stills from video shot with a Canon Power Shot SD780).

Not professional quality (see Howard Eskin's photos of this bird here), but not too bad for handheld point and shoot and binocular (first photo actually shot through an old Bausch & Lomb Discover scope).

Anyway, here's the layout of the place for those who are going to search for the bird. Please follow the directions on where to park at this home from the original post on PA Birds.

While I was there for about 45 minutes this morning, the oriole spent a lot of time perched high in the trees along the creek. It flew in a couple of times as if it wanted to get to the apple trees, but a Northern Mockingbird flew out and chased it off. The oriole did manage to get to the suet and other feeders a few times, but the mockingbird occasionally chased it away from there as well. From the patio you can scope out the trees and see the bird when it comes in to the apple trees or the feeders. At one point it went out to the front of the house as well, but I didn't see what it was doing over there, and it came back shortly.

So, a few happy birders there today. Hopefully the bird will stick around for more happy birders in the days ahead. Many thanks to those who are hosting the bird, as well as those who reported it.

Postscript (1/8/2011): The Bullock's Oriole was seen for three days at this location but has now moved on or disappeared.