The Bullock's Oriole is the western equivalent of the Baltimore Oriole in the eastern U.S. At one time, the two species were considered to be one species (named the Northern Oriole) because where their ranges overlap, they interbreed. Recently, they were again given separate species status.
The Bullock's Oriole is fairly common in riparian woodlands in the northern part of its range in the summer; it migrates to Mexico and parts of Central America in the winter. In the U.S., the bird commonly eats insects and fruit, and be attracted to hummingbird and oriole feeders.
My oldest daughter suggested the name for this carving. That set me to thinking about the meaning of the saying that "life is just a bowl of cherries." I think that many people use the saying to simply mean that everything is going ok and that life is carefree. Some may use the saying ironically to mean the complete opposite. Remember, even fresh picked cherries have pits.
When I started to think about the meaning of how life is like a bowl of cherries, I was reminded of the quote from the movie Forrest Gump, where Forrest relates how his momma always said "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." I am sure that one can become quite philosphical about either of these quotes. Rewatch the movie again and notice how Forrest never really got what he wanted most, to spend his life with his beloved Jenny. Was he surprised at what he did get in his lifetime? Certainly. But was he profoundly and irrepairably dissapointed? No, I don't thinks so.
I, for one, am going to try to find more days that are like sweet freshly picked cherries. and will be especially happy to find those days that are like dark chocolate covered cherries with a nice wine flavored filling.