After 672 votes, Middletown’s signature bird is……….the Baltimore Oriole!! The rich, whistling song of the Baltimore Oriole, echoing from treetops near homes and parks, is a sweet herald of spring. The male’s brilliant orange plumage blazes from high branches like a torch. Nearby, you might spot the female leaving her remarkable hanging nest of slender fibers as seen in a sycamore tree above the walking trail at Wiles Branch Park near Catoctin Creek. Baltimore Orioles seek out ripe fruit – cut oranges in half and hang them from trees to invite orioles into your yard. They got their name from their bold orange-and-black plumage: they sport the same colors as the heraldic crest of George Calvert, also known as Lord Baltimore, who founded Maryland. For more information, check out https://www.greenmiddletown.com/natural-landscaping/bird-city

Bird City Maryland is part of the Bird City Network, and Middletown became the first municipality in Frederick County to earn this designation. The Bird City Network unites Bird City programs across the hemisphere to help communities improve habitats, reduce threats to birds, engage people in bird conservation, and promote sustainability.

The Bird City Maryland mission is to encourage all communities in Maryland to implement sound bird-conservation practices by offering public recognition to those that succeed in (a) enhancing the environment for birds and (b) educating the public about the interactions between birds and people and about the contributions birds make to a healthy community.

Our goal is to make communities healthier for birds and for people.

https://birdcity.org/maryland/middletown

https://www.greenmiddletown.com/natural-landscaping/bird-city