Yesterday, after I arrived at a parking lot near Merrill Creek Reservoir in Harmony township, I heard what sounded like a dozen of birds singing lustily. Looking around I only saw a single bird perched up high on an electric wire.
It was a Mockingbird, a species with a unique ability to learn other birds’ songs and sing them day and night. In the following photos, you will see that its bill was almost constantly open as it went through its repertoire. A repertoire could include as many as 150 distinct songs, and may include two groups, one for spring and the other for autumn.
It was not shy and let me come very close to it before flying away and landing a short distance away.
Because they sang so well, in the 19th century people caught Mockingbirds and sold them as caged birds. This nearly led to their disappearance from parts of the East Coast.
RV John said:
You got some nice shots, I didn’t know that the Mocking birds were thin out so much on the east coast . A funny story about me … When I first starting birding and didn’t know anything about birds, the first one I tried to ID by sound was …. yep, a Mocking Bird. LOL needless to say that didn’t go very well!!!
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neihtn2012 said:
Ha, ha … ! It got me confused too. I kept looking for many birds, and when I finally saw this one only …
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Gunta said:
Such a lovely encounter. Thanks for sharing the photo. I must rely on imagination for the sound. I suppose I could try Mr Google. 😀
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neihtn2012 said:
This is a link to the sounds:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Mockingbird/sounds
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bayphotosbydonna said:
Great shots, Hien! They have confused me many times when I hear them singing, they are quite the teaser!
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rabirius said:
Fantastic bird pictures.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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Irene said:
Love the song of a mockingbird. 😊
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neihtn2012 said:
Great! Me too.
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Eliza Waters said:
We don’t get that many around here, but I always think of them as a southern bird, even though they migrate. Their jumbled song is quite distinctive!
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neihtn2012 said:
In the morning around 5 AM, we will be hearing all kinds of birds singing. Now I will wonder whether there is just one Mockingbird conducting the symphony of sounds.
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ekurie said:
My late father’s favorite bird
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neihtn2012 said:
He chose a good bird!
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