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Bird of the Month As this column catches up with all the new birds sighted this spring at Four Seasons, this month we'll review Bullock's Oriole. Bullock's Orioles are medium-sized songbirds related to the Baltimore Oriole of the East and both were formerly considered one species. Adult male Bullock's Orioles are orange with a black back and white wing patch. Females and immatures are duller. Bullock's Oriole songs are about three seconds long, composed of rich whistled notes interspersed with rattles. Bullock's Orioles eat insects that they glean from leaves, branches, and trunks, and they also eat fruit and nectar. Bullock's Orioles breed in riparian and open woodlands, including urban parks, in western North America from northernmost Mexico to southernmost Canada. Bullock's Orioles winter in central and southern Mexico, where they use similar woodland habitats. Bullock's Orioles may one day breed in Four Seasons maturing riparian habitats, but the adult male observed in Four Seasons on March 24 in a landscaped green space was in migration, perhaps to a local nesting site or perhaps to southern Canada. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB During May, our breeding species were fledgling young and pass- through migrants that made appearances during their northward and upslope journeys. A Yellow-breasted Chat heard May 10-11 in riparian growth between Trails A and B is a species that had been seen only once before at Four Seasons (in April 2016), and hopefully will breed in the future in our maturing riparian habitat. On May 14, Sandra Butler- Roberts found the mud nest of Cliff Swallows under her neighbor's eave on Big Horn. This is the species that returns to Mission San Juan Capistrano (and Four Seasons!) every April. Observations of pass- through migrants in May included Wilson's Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Wood-peewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Rufous Hummingbird and, last but not least, on May 13 a Swainson's Thrush, a first record and Four Seasons bird species #121! This bird was in a landscaped greenspace off of Clark Creek. Our morning group bird walk on June 4 yielded lots of fun conversation along with a total of 20 species. Highlights included a female Mallard with ducklings at the Windmill Pond, an Anna's Hummingbird whose disheveled feathers indicate it had just left the nest, and a Cooper's hawk sitting on its nest. Later in the day, Gerrie Karczynski, Barbara Wasco and I spotted three additional species, bringing the day's species total to 23. ~ Steve Edelman, steve.h.edelman@gmail.com FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2022 39 We have two great events coming up so save the dates: On July 23 at 10 am in the RCN, our speaker will talk about growing vegetables from seeds either in the ground or in a patio garden for a fall harvest. On Sept. 2 at 6 pm, we are in full planning to bring you a summer picnic in collaboration with the Bistro. This event will be held outside at The Lodge with fresh vegetable recipes, entertainment and great raffle prizes. Tickets will go on sale on Aug. 8 in the lobby. Look for more details in the Activities Report as we get closer. For info or suggestions for future topics, please contact pwayne1@outlook.com. ~ Pat Wayne Community Garden Club Female Mallard with ducklings at the Windmill Pond on June 4. Photo by Club member Gerrie Karczynski Adult male Bullock's Oriole. Photo by Kevin Cole Male California Quail keeping lookout while his family scurries through the underbrush. Photo by Club member Linda Miller

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