Oriole Constructing a Nest

Last week, on one of the days that I walked around my patch, I happened to see an oriole that was scolding and carrying nesting material in its bill. I stood still and watched it, and the bird eventually approached its nest site. After scolding a bit more, it flew down to the branch above its nest and placed the material into the nest.

Unlike birds that build cup nests, orioles prefer hanging nests. The top of the nest is connected to a branch, often at a fork, and usually on the outer tip. The rest hangs below like a basket, wider at the bottom than at the top. This bird is a female oriole, and usually female orioles build their nests without help from the males.