Scott’s Oriole
Icterus parisorum

In summer, we find Scott’s Orioles in the American Southwest. These birds prefer to live in arid regions (deserts and mountain slopes facing deserts). Life for these birds centers on the yucca plant. They weave nests from its fibers and hang them on their live leaves. They eat nectar from its flowers and the insects that live on these desert plants.
San Diego County (California) is blessed with a wide array of habitats, ranging from the arid Colorado Desert in the east, to the Pacific Ocean, and the mountains and valleys that lie between. Each summer, the Anza-Borrego desert hosts Scott’s Orioles. For those willing to brave the heat, the reward can be a meeting with some of these desert-loving birds.
Modern science does not recognise any subspecies of Scott’s Oriole (i.e. they are monotypic).
Some of my favorite meetings with Scott’s Orioles have been in the Anza-Borrego Desert of eastern San Diego County. While working with the San Diego Natural History Museum at Joshua Tree National Park in June 2017, I enjoyed meeting these lovely birds as well. While I didn’t capture any images, I also met these birds in the Davis Mountains of West Texas in June-2021.
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9 Photos

Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:09 10:33 |
Location:
Blair Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/750 |
File Name: jcd5062.ScottsOriole |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:09 10:53 |
Location:
Blair Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: jcd5107.ScottsOriole |
© 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:10 9:01 |
Location:
Blair Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: JCD5222.ScottsOriole |
© 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:10 9:02 |
Location:
Blair Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: JCD5250.ScottsOriole |
© 2009 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Palm Canyon. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2010:05:06 7:49 |
Location:
Palm Canyon |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/2500 |
File Name: JCD7128.ScottsOriole |
© 2010 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Anza-Borrego State Park. North-east San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2003:04:26 9:06 |
Location:
Plum Canyon |
Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: A3D26a12-ScottsOriole |
© 2003 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Anza-Borrego State Park. North-east San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2003:04:26 9:06 |
Location:
Plum Canyon |
Camera Information: |
File Name: A3D26A23-ScottsOriole |
© 2003 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Little Blair Valley Road. Anza Borrego, Northeast San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:10 9:01 |
Location:
Blair Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: Cut_JCD5222.ScottsOriole |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |


Scott's Oriole(Icterus parisorum) |
Description: Seen near Cottonwood Springs in Joshua Tree National Park. Riverside County California. |
Date Taken: 2017:06:17 10:40 |
Location:
Cottonwood Spring |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: ScottsOriole_D5X5465 |
© 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |

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