June 10, 2026

I am a Baltimore Oriole

Ripe, dark colored fruit is what I demand

Deep purple is my favorite color of grapes

And is also my favorite rock band.

Location: Pearson Metro Park, Oregon, OH

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/overview

https://youtu.be/UAKCR7kQMTQ?si=ka3AfqVVFiXuEAYQ

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

March 2, 2025

I am a male Baltimore Oriole,

You might recognize me from baseball caps

The oldest Baltimore Oriole lived to 12 years old

Which beats even Cal Ripken's stats.

Location: Soda Cinchona, Alajuela Province, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/overview

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cal_Ripken_Jr.

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

March 1, 2025

I am a female Baltimore Oriole,
I'm not as brightly colored as my baseball-famed mate

Although my color gets bolder

As I get older

I might be orange someday at this rate.

Location: Soda Cinchona, Alajuela Province, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/overview

Photo and text © 2025 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

July 9, 2024

I am a Baltimore Oriole

I prefer to eat dark, ripened fruit

I eat it by "gaping"

Which is my way of breaking

Open berries to release the sweet juice.

(To quote the linked article, Baltimore Orioles "...use their slender beaks to feed in an unusual way, called “gaping”: they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their brushy-tipped tongues.")

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/overview

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.