Joann Merritt's Essays

Goings-On At The Grape Jelly Feeding Station
September, 2000

Until this summer I didn’t realize a jar of Welch’s Grape Jelly could furnish so many hours of entertainment. The secret is not in eating the jelly but in feeding it to your avian friends and watching them enjoy it.

The birds had paid scant attention to the grape jelly, orange halves or nectar at our feeding station until our mulberry trees were devoid of fruit. Then the fun began. Bullock’s Orioles and House Finches as well as an occasional Orchard Oriole kept me busy replenishing the feeding station. I soon learned to use the empty orange halves as containers for grape jelly and at the peak of this year’s oriole population I still had to refill them during the day. Luckily the grocery store where I shop had the 32 oz. size of Welch’s on sale for several weeks and I cannot tell you how many 99 cent jars of jelly I purchased. We later learned that any brand would be acceptable to the birds as long as it was grape flavored.

I noticed the male Bullock’s Oriole constantly taking a bite of jelly then flying away with it. After wondering about this behavior for a couple of days I observed him flying to a nearby tree where his newly fledged young were chattering to be fed. He, like many Americans, was taking advantage of the convenience of fast food places. Gradually the half dozen fledglings got braver and came to the tree to be fed. When they began alighting on the feeder the male would eat but would not feed them no matter how pitifully they begged. Even birds practice tough love and the youngsters soon got the message.

One morning I emptied the jelly jar and didn’t get to the grocery store that day. What a terrible fussing and chucking there was the next morning as the orioles frantically searched for their jelly. I tried to appease them with strawberry jelly, which the finches readily accepted, but the orioles would have none of that kind, thank you! After I had my coffee I quickly fetched some grape jelly for them and didn’t let that happen again, as I wanted them to stay.

The highlight came at the end of summer when for several days three species of orioles fed on jelly and drank nectar. Two male Bullock’s Orioles plus half a dozen or so of them in assorted plumages, two female Orchard Orioles and - serendipity! - first an immature then a mature male Baltimore Oriole in full plumage.

Doublemint gum is not the only product that will “double your pleasure, double your fun” and next year I’m going to Sam’s Wholesale Club to purchase the largest container of grape jelly that they have on their shelves.

I haven’t seen any orioles since September 23rd, they evidently flew south with the cold front that passed through here that evening. I hope that they will remember the Merritts' Grape Jelly Feeding Station when they return north next spring.