BY SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
COLOMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will conduct an annual winter survey in Baltimore Oriole, February 12-15, in conjunction with the Great Backyard Bird Count. The state agency for natural resources is interested in the status and distribution of these colorful songbirds that are wintering in the state of Palmetto.
Survey participants count and record the largest number of Baltimore orioles that they can see at the same time, in one, two, three or all four days of the survey period. Even if you are unable to participate during the counting period, SCDNR would still like to record your oriole numbers during the winter. You can participate in the survey by requesting a SCDNR survey form or, if you are a Great Backyard Bird Count participant, you can report your numbers via an eBird submission.
For more information and to receive research materials for oriole research, contact Lex Glover at [email protected]. For more information on the Great Backyard Bird Count and to count all bird species, visit http://gbbc.birdcount.org/.
This will be the sixth annual survey, and South Carolina continues to report the largest number of winter orioles in Baltimore in the country. Typically, these birds spend the winter in South Florida, the Caribbean, South and Central America. However, over the past few decades, they have wintered along the east and southeast coast in greater abundance. The results of last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count were sighted along the east coast from New Hampshire to Florida, and across the states from the Gulf Coast to Texas. There was even an account of one in Newfoundland. Most of the birds reported were from Virginia to Florida.
In the 2020 survey, data from the Baltimore Oriole winter survey in South Carolina combined with data from the Great Backyard Bird Count had South Carolina with the largest number of parrots in the country. The state of Palmetto had 88 reports, the second largest number of reports in the country (29 percent of the total number of reports) and 401 computed orioles (41 percent of the total number of orioles reported in the country). South Carolina’s highest count to date was 463, reported in 2016.
Most South Carolina orioles spend the winter along the coastal plain from Myrtle Beach to Hilton Head Island. The hot spot is the Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties area, where 67% of the state’s orioles have been recorded. Some good numbers extend inland to Lexington County, and Upstate continues to report some. It will be interesting to see if this becomes a trend. The first time in the survey was reports from Anderson and Greenwood counties.
Although SCDNR does not know why these birds began to hibernate in the state, they respond well to the popularity of backyard bird feeding. Orioles are more attracted to feeders where the home owner is already feeding birds in general. Orioles are attracted by the activity of other birds in the feeders. If conditions are right for them, they are likely to frequent the feeders, where they can find food, water and shelter. They eat a variety of foods and seeds – tallow and tallow products, some mixtures of seeds, nuts and fruits – but their favorite food is, by far, grape jelly. As these birds have become more common, you can find a variety of feeders that cater to them and their food, especially in stores specializing in bird feeding.
The research will allow scientists to learn about the distribution and abundance of Baltimore orioles during the winter in South Carolina. The information from the survey and the Great Backyard Bird Count can provide a “big picture” of what is happening with orioles populations. of Baltimore and other species of birds. SCDNR appreciates the public’s support and efforts in helping to collect valuable information in this research.