Muskegon SP Memorial Weekend 2014

Baltimore Orioles got their name from their bold orange-and-black plumage: they sport the same colors as the heraldic crest of England’s Baltimore family (who also gave their name to Maryland’s largest city). Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Baltimore Orioles build remarkable, sock-like hanging nests, woven together from slender fibers. The female weaves the nest, usually 3 to 4 inches deep, with a small opening, 2 to 3 inches wide, on top and a bulging bottom chamber, 3 to 4 inches across, where her eggs will rest. Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

She anchors her nest high in a tree, first hanging long fibers over a small branch, then poking and darting her bill in and out to tangle the hank. While no knots are deliberately tied, soon the random poking has made knots and tangles, and the fe male brings more fibers to extend, close, and finally line the nest. Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Construction materials can include grass, strips of grapevine bark, wool, and horsehair, as well as artificial fibers such as cellophane, twine, or fishing line. Females often recycle fibers from an old nest to build a new one.Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Males occasionally bring nesting material, but don’t help with the weaving. Building the nest takes about a week, but windy or rainy weather may push this as long as 15 days. The nest is built in three stages: first, the female weaves an outer bowl of flexible fibers to provide support. Next, springy fibers are woven into an inner bowl, which maintains the bag-like shape of the nest. Finally, she adds a soft lining of downy fibers and feathers to cushion the eggs and young.Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Baltimore Orioles sometimes use their slender beaks to feed in an unusual way, called “gaping”: they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their brush-covered tongues. Fond of fruit and nectar as well as insects, Baltimore Orioles are easily lured to backyard (and campsite) feeders.Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Unlike robins and many other fruit-eating birds, Baltimore Orioles seem to prefer only ripe, dark-colored fruit. Orioles seek out the darkest mulberries, the reddest cherries, and the deepest-purple grapes, and will ignore green grapes and yellow cherries even if they are ripe.Text credit: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Here are the Camelopardalis meteors from zero dark thirty on 5/24. A major disappointment, but we did manage to see one good one, that I caught during one of my 30-second exposures. Also, I did a selfie with my red headlamp on and lit up my face with my phone and caught one totally by accident in the background. That one was in the southwest, so technically I don't know if it was an official Camelopartalid or not.

Posed for a pic (red headlamp on, iPhone lighting face) and caught a meteor behind me.

Muskegon Channel looking east

International Space Station (ISS) passes. This is how far across the sky it moved during a 30 second exposure.

Sophie

Home for a weekend.

Lucy

Annual Memorial Day tribute flyover.

USS Silversides ceremony. http://silversidesmuseum.org/

Tamy is feeling the patriotic music.

Channel encampment 50 yrds from our campsite.

Tom and Monnie took their boat from Spring Lake up to Muskegon to say hello.