Baltimore Oriole

The bird became associated with Lord Baltimore because of the similarity of it's coloring and the Calvert Shield.  Despite being the state bird of Maryland, I had never seen one until recently. 

It reminds me of an incident when I was a kid.  My grandfather came to visit and the family spent a day at the Bronx Zoo.  When we got to the giraffes exhibit, my grandfather leaned back scanning his eyes up the neck of the animal and remarked that he thought it was probably the biggest giraffe he had ever seen.  Being from rural Mississippi, I suspect it was also the only giraffe he had ever seen.

By the way, this is the best picture of a Baltimore Oriole I have ever taken...