It was way too windy to fly fish or mess around in the canoe so I grabbed my camera and went for a day hike. After walking the hiking trails I came out onto the main road to head back to the car. That’s when I found the body of this little fellow:
Under Pennsylvania law I could not pick up this little Baltimore Oriole without permission from the Game Commission so I had to leave him lay. I am a hunter and fully realize that all living things have their time. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little sad at finding this wonderful little bird along the road. I did see several other Baltimore Orioles and Eastern Bluebirds flying about in the area along with several baby bunnies. The cycle of life never ceases to amaze me!
All wild life in Pennsylvania is protected under the state Game Code. I could probably have picked the bird up but it would have involved calling the W.C.O. (Wildlife Conservation Officer), waiting for him or her to arrive, securing a permit for possession from them and a whole lot of red tape that I didn’t have time or the patience to deal with.
What a shame. Beautiful bird. I do believe they are protected under the migratory bird act. Possession of the feathers without proper permits could be against the law.
In most if not all states…an oriole is considered a song bird. It’s unlawful to possess native “song birds”. That was enacted back in the mid 1930’s because the feather trade (mostly for women’s hats) were obliterating a large number of species. The laws are still in place today.
A point of clarification: All migratory birds are protected under several federal statutes. State laws may be in place as well but you really need to be aware of the federal laws as fly fisher folks and I’m guessing fly tiers…
Realize that under the Federal Migratory Bird act you can not possess even a feather of a protected bird without a permit–this goes for eggs, egg shells, and nests as well. The oriole falls into the protected category–in fact a state official may be able to issue a state permit but you’d still have to have a federal permit on top of that. I’ve had a salvage permit in the past but don’t now. The specimens that I salvaged (like the oriole) were used for education and I had to maintain an inventory and make an annual report–to both the feds and the state. I even know of a couple of instances where local officials were charged by federal officials for violation of the act.
The act seems harsh but it was passed in response to critical population levels in a number of birds due to excessive harvesting by hunters, market hunters, feather markets, egg collectors, etc. It has stood the test of time. If for whatever reason you decide to ignore the law and choose to use migratory bird parts in say–a fly, please don’t advertise it or discuss it on this public forum. You’d only be opening yourself to potential legal troubles. Of course, the enforcement has always been an issue and I believe they are very understaffed, now but I still would not risk it.
BTW, the law also provides for the regulation of hunting of “game” birds. You can find descriptions of just what that means on the site as well.
If only people would be more careful on the road. People dying, roadkill, disturbed property, just be sure to keep your eyes on the road for your safety.
I had a momma bird that looked just like that one chirping and squawking at me last week… for about 10 minutes I couldn’t tell why. Apparently one of her babies fell out of the nest and was about 15 feet away from me. The mooma would fly up in the tree… squawk for a few minutes then go looks fo bugs for the bay… then go back to the tree to make sure that I was staying away. I had never seen a oriole here in western PA, but then I’m not much of a bird watcher.
You all might be interested in the site whatbird.com as we all see lots of birds while fly fishing. I am seriously considering adding amature bird watching to my hobbies.
Turn on your audio to hear the bird calls and check out their site here:
Thanks to all of you for sharing your sentiments about this beautiful little bird. Like I said earlier I am a hunter and, as you all know well, a fisher. I say a prayer of thanks for every critter harvested as well as the fish I catch and release.
Eric;
Thank you, for a well meaning post, the picture and your comments.
I’m certainly not the "Pith helmet-Bermuda shorts-10,000 power binocs- type “bird watcher” and a “life list” doesn’t interest me, either! But, long ago, I started recording “birds seen, while fishing” to my personal fishing log and it’s really a fun thing to do, (for ME, anyway), to actually stop and take notice of just how many bird species there are, on an average outing!
Of course, out here, on the left coast it’s not uncommon to have your “sparrow watching”, suddenly interrupted by the sight and sounds of a Bald Eagle coming down at 50+, to nab that rising fish you’ve been working over with a fly, for the past 30 minutes!!
Nighthawk- I started “birdwatching” earlier this year before the migration really kicked in. It’s amazing to see so many species coming through this area and learning a little about them. The first one I identified (that I didn’t already know) was a little bird that was mostly blue and was constantly descending and re-descending the trunk of a cedar in the yard. It was a White Breasted Nuthatch. I learned a lot about that little Nuthatch by watching it and reading an Audubon Society field guide. They are neat little birds to watch.
I’ve been getting to where I can identify them by their songs also. I especially love listening to Mockingbirds because they have such a wide range of vocalization.
It’s sad to see birds like the Oriole you photographed, but it’s bound to happen eventually. As I was mowing today I saw the remains of what I thought may be a Mockingbird under a tree. When I made my second round with the mower I forgot it was there and ran over it. There wasn’t much left of it anyway.
