“The Oriole’s Secret”
To hear an oriole sing
May be a common thing,
Or only a divine.
It is not of the bird
Who sings the same, unheard,
As unto crowd.
The fashion of the ear
Attireth that it hear
In dun or fair.
So whether it be rune,
Or whether it be none,
Is of within;
The “tune is in the tree,”
The sceptic showeth me;
“No, sir! In thee!”
Emily Dickinson
On a warm summer afternoon a Baltimore Oriole came and dipped in the manor’s bird bath. A truly rare sight to see. Splishing and splashing. Dunk and drain, dunk and drain again. The oriole repeatedly went in and out of the bath enjoying with great delight.
An interesting note, when the oriole was dipping in the water, a secondary eyelid called a nictitating membrane is used to protect the eye.
Emily Carter ~ Nature as Art 
I’m guessing nature created that protective lens for flight too, but wow that coat! :O
Isn’t that orange and black coat amazing? Truly a striking bird, and their song is truly musical.
I’ll be looking up youtube videos of it now 🙂 ya it’s hard to not look at that amazing coat :O
Be interesting to see what you find. Can’t imagine there are too many videos of an oriole bathing.
oh no that’s your beautiful shot 🙂 I just wonder if i can find it singing 😀
just wow..!!
Awww..thank you so much. Nothing like being at the right place and the right time, ready to shoot. 🙂
What striking and beautiful colours!
I think this oriole is one of my favorites. It’s hard to pick as each one is special in its own right. Even the lowly brown sparrow.