The Kenwood Community School tradition of feeding orioles and other migratory songbirds that arrive the first week of May started ten years ago with a fifth grade class grandparent, Grandpa Lundeen, who made birdhouses and gave them to the school.
Orioles feed on oranges and grape jelly when they arrive north but turn to eating insects and caterpillars later to raise their broods.
Students identify the distinctive hanging woven basket nests, hear the bird calls, and witness the magic of setting up the feeders and seeing the bright orange birds swoop down to eat.
Deborah Gregory, a fifth-grade teacher, says that her students love to hike ten minutes to the DNR School Forest to enjoy nature, replenish the oranges, and add jelly.
The DNR School Forest was established in 2019 as a cooperative effort between the school board, the DNR and the park board. Parent volunteer Amy Sanborn has been organizing the oriole feeding for years, one of many ways to enjoy the natural beauty of the East Cedar Lake woods.
Other activities have included planting ferns and cedars, cleaning up trash, art installations, hiking and learning from an Ojibwe elder, Richard Crow Wright.
