Baltimore Oriole

No, not a member of the baseball team. The real thing. Every year, I see at least one Baltimore Oriole but only once and only one day. Previously, they always seemed to be passing through our area heading north in the spring. I know they have to head south in the fall but I never see them at that time.

So, this year has been especially exciting. I've seen many Orioles and they've stayed around for days. Of course, the jokes around the office are that the baseball team in Baltimore is having such a bad year that the bird they are named after is leaving town. Not so funny if you're a Baltimore baseball fan.

There's an interesting story about how I got these pictures, though. In my usual style, I had chances to take pictures of these birds earlier but I kept missing them. Either I'd be too slow or the camera would be in the wrong mode and it wouldn't focus correctly. But the day before I took these pictures, a co-worker saw them around our parking lot. I rushed outside (quickly but quietly) to snap a picture but I missed them. But I did hear them calling. I'd never heard the call of the Baltimore Oriole in isolation before but now it was obvious that it was the orioles making that sound. So, I sadly went back in the office.

The next day (yesterday) when I went out for my lunch walk, I heard the call of the Baltimore Oriole. I hadn't seen them up in the trees but knowing they were there got me to stop and take a better look. Sure enough, they were flitting through the trees. I'd have missed them if I hadn't learned the call the day before during my "failed" picture taking session. I have to remember this in daily life. God teaches us lots of lessons during what we think are trials and mistakes. As our pastor said in his sermon a couple of weeks ago, when we are going through bad times, we need to pray to God and ask Him what he wants to teach us.