Hi Tweets -
Today, from about 11:50 - 12:20, I enjoyed great views of the HOODED
ORIOLE that has been previously reported in the Magnolia neighborhood
of Seattle. Today, while I was there, the oriole spent its time
perched up on the tops of a number of trees around the intersection
of Magnolia and Montfort. This is about 1 block south of where it was
last reported by Michael Hobbs. In all 3 cases I know of, the bird
has been found around the noon hour. Though hard to find, the bird
has been in the neighborhood now for at least 1 1/2 months. It did
give a few chattering calls today, but mostly was silent. In all [and
quite unlike the Marymoor Baltimore Oriole], I think it would be hard
to pick out the few sounds the bird made from amongst the constant
chatter of House Sparrows that are present.

It took well over a dozen visits over the past month to finally cross
paths with this striking bird -- I kept thinking I'd give it one last
shot, and then always found another excuse to make another outing.
Today, I was so pessimistic I almost didn't even raise my binocs when
I caught sight of a new bird flying in to one of the tree tops....
Glad I looked.... Sometimes, obsessive persistence is rewarded after
all!

If today's behavior was at all typical, then one option would be to
just camp out on the benches on the south side of Magnolia Blvd.
rather than wandering the neighborhood as I have been doing.

I've included Michael Hobbs' message from 6/1 for reference.

Good birding,

Matt Bartels
Seattle, WA
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June 1 Tweeters message from M.Hobbs:
Tweets - today, at about noon, I found a male HOODED ORIOLE in the
Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, just off W. Magnolia Blvd. It was
sitting atop the house at 4314 W Montfort Place. It then flew to a
bush at the SE corner of Montfort and 43rd Ave, then to the house at
the NE corner of that intersection, then to a tree to the NW, then
back to the original house. It did not stay anywhere very long, but
I did get an excellent face-on view from the tree and an excellent
side-on view atop the house. It then flew off to the northwest and I
could not relocate it.

This is an adult male bird, and it is a glowing yellow-orange all
over (including the lower belly), except for blackish wings with a
very bold triangular wing bar, a black tail, and a black patch
encompassing the eyes and extending down to the upper breast. The
entire cheek, nape, and crown are glowing yellow-orange. The bird
was much more of a yellow-orange than the dark, rich orange of a
Bullock's Oriole, and it appeared somewhat smaller than a BUOR too.

We had a report in early May from a nearby homeowner of a possible
Hooded Oriole. I had a glimpse of the bird at the exact same
location on May 8th (3 glimpses, actually, but none long enough for a
definitive ID - enough only to be pretty sure), so this bird appears
to be hanging around.

It also appears to be very shy. Both May 8th and today, as soon as I
saw the bird, it shifted from one perch to another to another before
leaving the area.

Please be respectful of the neighborhood if you go to try to find this bird!

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