Most fans of the Baltimore Orioles probably have never seen a Baltimore oriole, a fact that can provoke dismay, envy, yearning and even furtive tears, depending on how much beer you've consumed by the time the conversation turns to birds and missed opportunities.
But seriously now. Seeing an oriole splash orange-and-black before your very eyes, even for a few seconds, is one of life's elusive pleasures, and having that experience should be on every Marylander's bucket list.
But you can't wait for the bird to come to you.
The secret seems to come right from the Buck Showalter playbook: Putting the shift on, getting yourself in good position. You've got to know when and where to look.
"They are not a dime a dozen," says Joan Cwi, president of the Baltimore Bird Club, a chapter of the Maryland Ornithological Society. "But they are still here."
In my column of May 15, I noted a long interval since my last sighting of a real, live oriole, though I spend a good amount of time outdoors, sometimes in remote stretches of Maryland and Pennsylvania.
All reports have the Baltimore oriole, Maryland's state bird, in decline — by up to 2 percent annually, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Eight years ago, a group of Maryland scientists identified the oriole as one of 34 species common to the region that would be forced steadily northward by climate change and rising temperatures in their historic ranges.
"But they are still around," encourages Cwi, "if you know where and when to look for them.
"Only the males have the bright orange-black coloring. Females and juveniles are a dullish yellow-olive color with only a few traces of orange, so you might see them and not realize they are orioles."
Another thing about orioles: You are unlikely to see them hobnobbing with robins on the ground.
"They are high canopy birds," says Cwi, "so you have to look up to the tops of leafy trees in open woodlands, the forest edge and stands of trees along rivers and parks."
Lou Taylor, a retired Baltimore County schoolteacher, took up bird photography a few years ago. He has captured orioles with his Nikon D810, most recently near Lake Roland at the city-county line and at Wilde Lake in Columbia.
The key, he says, is reconnaissance, and monitoring social media. If another wildlife photographer reports an oriole sighting, you've got to get there, position yourself, and watch patiently for the flash of orange.
It also helps to have a good spotter, he says. His wife, Debbie, serves in that role during their outings.
I received reports of oriole sightings from one end of the state to the other.
From Oakland, in Garrett County, Lynne Crehan sent a photo of a male oriole sipping from her hummingbird feeder.
In Ocean City, Janet Hough used a Canon T3i to record some stunning shots of orioles attacking a halved orange stuck to a tree, well-known among birders as a way to seduce orioles to the backyard.
"Neighbors with more trees have had as many a seven at a time," she says.
Wayne Lappe, who lives in the small community of Tyaskin on the Nanticoke River, says he's seen at least six orioles this year on the lower Eastern Shore.
Herb Cromwell of Catonsville says: "Almost can't miss seeing orioles at the Avalon section of Patapsco State Park in Elkridge. Also, try Centennial Lake, Lake Elkhorn and Rockburn Branch Park in Columbia."
Howard Weiss reports orioles in his Millersville backyard in Anne Arundel County. Jeff Hasten saw one at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace while, not far from there, Marian Argentino reported orioles in Susquehanna State Park.
Barbara Yingling has seen the orange-and-black in Glen Arm, and Leslie Simon even had them nest above her small townhouse garden in Pikesville.
Phil Bryan, superintendent of recreation services for Howard County, reports orioles near the second tee at the Timbers at Troy Golf Course in Elkridge, while Timothy Wade sees them at a park in Kingsville.
Meanwhile, Danielle Shapiro passed on a report of orioles along Western Run in Mount Washington. Keith Eric Costley has spotted four active nests in Druid Hill Park. Cathryn Alden saw orange feathers on Mother's Day at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
Jeremy Walston has seen them in Bolton Hill and Mount Vernon.
"I think it is safe to say that there are still Baltimore orioles in Baltimore City," he says.
Indeed, they are among the 204 species recorded in Patterson Park this spring, according to Susie Creamer, director of the park's Audubon Center.
So if you haven't seen one yet, do not sit and cry in your beer. Get to one of these places and look up.
You can see more photos of orioles with the online version of this column.