Northern Mockingbird

Tags

merrill creek reservoir, northern mockingbird, photography, postaday

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.

Mockingbird singing.

It was not shy and let me come very close to it before flying away and landing a short distance away.

Mockingbird singing.

Mockingbird singing.

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.

Northern Mockingbird

Tags

fortescue, horseshoe crab, northern mockingbird, photography, postaday

While watching the Horseshoe Crab egg feast at Fortescue, I saw several other kinds of smaller birds flying around. One of them was a Northern Mockingbird that openly paraded on the road.

Northern Mockingbird crossing the road.

Northern Mockingbird looking at intruder.

The bird was very active flying in and out of some bushes by the road. Inside one of the bushes was a juvenile waiting to be fed.

Juvenile Northern Mockingbird.

The adult fed the youngster several times, but I could not see whether it was with a Horseshoe Crab egg or not.

Northern Mockingbird feeding juvenile.

The juvenile kept asking for more as the adult contemplated what to do next.

Northern Mockingbird.

Finally it flew up to an electric wire, surveying the landscape.

Northern Mockingbird on electric wire.