If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 626

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oriole Blackbird

 

This is an unused color photo postcard distributed by Florida Natural Color, Inc. of Miami, Florida.  FNC5468 appears at the bottom of the center line on the reverse side of the card.  There is an information blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse:  “The ‘Oriole Blackbird’ with its bright yellow breast and black back is one of the most colorful of the many tropical birds that can be seen in beautiful Sunken Gardens, situated in the heart of St. Petersburg, Florida.”

 

The oriole blackbird is about 12 inches or 30 cm long.  Both male and female birds are similar in appearance with the head, neck, shoulders and underparts a bright yellow.  The back, wings, rump and tail are black apart from stripe of yellow from the lower wing-coverts.  The eyes are brown with a black eye ring.  The beak and feet are blackish.  This bird can make several different scratchy calls and one screech that is said to resemble the sound made by a rusty hinge.  It has an extensive range, anywhere from places in South America to Mexico and the Sunken Gardens of western Florida.

 

This bird is usually seen in pairs or small groups rather than mixed species flocks.  It likes to perch in small trees or on the top of bushes.  It is a ground feeder preferring earthworms, caterpillars and winged insects, as well as frogs and fruit. 

 

The Sunken Gardens in Florida cover 4 acres or 1.6 hectares and are well established botantial gardens located in Historic Old St. Petersburg.  Founded in 1903 by George Turner, a plumber and avid gardener, they are a popular tourist attraction.  Part of the original purchase was a shallow lake 10 feet or 3 meters below sea level which Turner drained to form the “sunken garden.”  Citrus fruits, papayas along with other exotic plants were cultivated.  Turner opened a nursery and began selling fruit, vegetables and other plants.  Visitors paid a nickel to stroll through the gardens until 1935 when he fenced the garden and started charging a 24-cent admission fee.  After Turner died in 1961 his sons took over the gardens and still later the ownership passed to three grandsons.  The gardens were sold in 1999 for more than $2.26 million.

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriole_blackbird

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunken_Gardens_(Florida)