Chirps and Cheeps

I witnessed the most amazing display of either tremendous bravery or complete foolhardiness by a Baltimore Oriole last evening.  I had gone to Lakeside Cemetery in pursuit of the Red-headed Woodpeckers who are reported to be nesting there (no luck).  I was side-tracked by a pair of Red-tailed Hawks who were perched high in an old, large tree towards the back of the cemetery.  One of the pair took off but the other seemed content to be my photographic subject - so I was happy to oblige.

All of a sudden, a flash of orange shot through my lens.  Looking up, I was shocked to see a male Baltimore Oriole dive-bombing the hawk!  How crazy IS that?!  The hawk, surprisingly, didn't seem flustered by this Kamikaze Oriole at all.  She barely seemed to notice it - while the oriole was literally diving at it - and by the appearance in one of the photos - I think he flew right into it.  I didn't see any nest nearby and the hawk didn't seem interested in anything at all.  I can't imagine what possessed that oriole to take on such a formidable foe!