Hooded Oriole!

This morning I got an exciting email from my neighbor Steven McDonald. He had just seen a pair of Hooded Orioles in his backyard and got 2 pictures of the male! This was a life bird for Steven, and bird #102 for his yard list. According to Eric Carpenter who compiles the local RBA, it is also the first photographic record of a Hooded Oriole in Austin. What a find! Hooded Orioles are migratory, but they usually don't make it this far north. So who knows, maybe this pair will stick around and breed. Keep your eyes open for these birds or their hanging woven nest!

The pictures Steven got are fuzzy but identifiable. You can see the white wing-bar, orange head, and dark tail. I hope I can find these birds tomorrow morning. But who knows what else might be out there after the front tonight!