Mockers~

On By cindy knokeIn Birds, Conservation, HOLLER HAPPENINGS, MY PHOTOGRAPHS, REVERIES, Wild Life

I’ve respected mockingbirds since I was a kid when I watched one pick up a snake that was threatening it’s nest and repeatedly dash it on the pavement from high in the sky.

My childhood friend rescued a baby mockingbird and it became her pet. It flew freely about the house and held it’s own with her family’s five cats.

They are feisty and assertive birds and they are talented musicians.

They don’t just mimic the sounds they hear, they also compose, morphing the timber,

and tune, to make their songs more melodic.

Mockingbirds are night singers in the spring and summertime at The Holler.

Juvenile and adult males without mates sing at night to attract females.

I love falling to sleep at night listening to their vocal repertoires.

Cheers to you from The Holler musicians~

189 thoughts on “Mockers~”

    1. Thank you Eliza. The night blooming jasmine, the frog symphonies and mockingbird concerts, are the essence of summer nights at The Holler. And the howling coyote packs too of course! დ

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      1. Sounds wonderful to me! Currently, the katydids are rasping away from the trees outside and there are quieter crickets in the grass. I love the spring songbird chorus, but it is the night music of August that I long for in the depths of winter.

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  6. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on the Mocking Bird they sound like beautiful, fascinating birds…Your images of them are fabulous, Cindy really highlight every feather and shades of colour…x

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      1. Wow Cindy, thanks for the link! I remember this, there may be one other song or it’s Simon and Taylor in the studio. I follow them both on Instagram. 😎

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  11. Hi Cindy – excellent captures and commentary! We had one in the front yard who did the most adorable courtship display dancing. I was just about to post that James Taylor Carly Simon song but you beat me to it! It will be circling around in my mind’s ear for hours thanks to your post. 😊 Best, Babsje

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  20. Wonderful shots! What beautiful eyes they have. (And I’m so old, my fave version of the song is by Inez & Charlie Foxx, lol.) I stood under a telephone pole one summer dusk and the mockingbird atop it went through his 21-song repertoire a couple of times — he must’ve been terribly in love! 🙂

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    1. I didn’t realize that Taylor and Simon ‘borrowed’ this song. Love the earlier version. Thanks for telling me about it. It is wonderful to hear them go through their whole symphony! დ

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  22. I have never seen such beautifully clear photographs of a mocking bird – yours are incredible. What a beautiful sound to hear at night too!

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  23. Got two cheers, from them to our tuned wars and to your beautiful composed eyes for those breathtaking almost taking nearest to their being photographs. Thank you for this beaut mocking birds.

    Also that sight as a kid of a bird carrying and dropping a snake must be awe inspiring. That is such a visual.

    Narayan x

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    1. Smiling. Thank you! I was all about birds as a kid. I saw the snake do this when I got off the school bus. It definitely still makes a big impression on me. I saw ravens doing something similar in Scotland. They picked up clams and repeatedly dropped them on the rocky beach until the shells cracked so they could eat them. Birds are smart დ

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  28. Oh, you reminded me of this lovely song:

    “Lulla-lulla-lullaby
    Hush, little baby don’t you
    Hush, little baby don’t say a word
    Papa’s gonna buy you a mocking bird”

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  33. I can certainly believe that falling asleep with birdsong is very soothing and relaxing.
    How astonishing and exceptionally beautiful the photos in this series. And nice to read that you have had respect for this bird since childhood.
    I really enjoyed it.

    Wish you a beautiful new week.

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      1. It is given with all pleasure and sympathy, because that is how I am as a person and personality.
        I thank you for your very kind response, because it gives me satisfaction.

        All the best to you too, and take good care of yourself in all your health.

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  37. How wonderful to have the company of these beautiful song birds. The only song bird in my garden is a blackbird. He hasn’t started singing yet but he and his partner are settling in for the spring and summer.

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  38. I’ve heard they are very protective of their nests. Once outside my garden a blue snake was eyeing a robin’s nest and all I heard was a lot of noise from the parents, they don’t dive bomb prey! I had to take a hoe after the snake as I couldn’t just stand by. I’m sure it came back when I was gone 🙁 Nature always fascinates me 🙂

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          1. The masssasugua rattlesnake is small and rather timid in Michigan and probably lives in the wetland areas of our property – doesn’t come near the house and we never saw any on our many walks. A sister on the other hand was out for a walk in a nice neighborhood in Kingwood, Texas (near Houston) and one of her dogs got bit by something. He jumped up and keeled over – she carried this 50 lb. dog back to the house and got him to the vet without any bad effects. She thought it was some kind of snake that was in a wooded area along the path.

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  45. I had to listen to the bird song of this one Cindy. It isn’t in my book of bird song so I googled it. It’s quite lovely indeed.
    Leslie

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  46. Thank you for the information of mocking birds. I did not know how gifted they are. I learn something new daily, from books and people. Aint that wonderful? 🙂

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  47. Beautiful shots of this lovely bird, Cindy!
    I’d love to hear one sing. Maybe one day. In the meantime I’ll have to settle for crows, pigeons and grackles. There are finches around, but not in my yard. Sometimes I get to here them. They have a sweet tune!

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        1. I read all Wilder’s books addictively as a child. I wanted to be part of Laura’s family and live in a sod house on Plum Creek, and traverse the prairies with Jack the dog running in front of the covered wagon. I actually went back and re-read a few of them in adulthood. I also read all the bios of Wilder. If she was still writing, I would still be reading!! 😉

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          1. That is so wonderful! So of course you know the mockingbird scene. I am very lucky, because I get to read these books aloud at chapter reading every year. Every year! I never tire of the stories, and the children are beside themselves with anticipation. Picture nap time, lights out, and Jennie reading these wonderful books to children before they fall asleep. It’s no surprise that chapter reading is my favorite part of the day.

            I tell children every year that my grandmother and Laura’s daughter were born on the same year and had the same name – Rose.

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  52. Ah, Cindy, at last a bird I have also known and loved since I was a child in Texas – a bird that also sings to us on Cardinal Drive in South Carolina. Loved these images of old friends.
    Be well, my friend.

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  54. A friend, who has since passed on, once told me I sang like a mockingbird. He also said his wife cooked like a mockingbird. This was his way of giving the highest praise. I never forgot that, and mockingbirds have, since then, been very special to me.
    Your observations on mockingbirds bear out more of their fascinating abilities. I especially liked the image that looks like the bird has a thorny spine. Inspiring pics and thoughts!

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  59. They really are beautiful birds, aren’t they? You have such stunning photos. It’s amazing your childhood friend rescued one that became a household birdie among several cats. I wouldn’t trust my cat near a bird ever, he still has the vile (but natural) instincts around things that fly.

    Caz xx

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    1. He was quite tame and would eat out of our hands, and flew freely about the house. They had five cats and three dogs. He rounded the team out well! My friends house was far more exciting than my house, where we had one dog, and two kids! 😉

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  63. I never heard them sing – but I made friends with one in the Galapagos islands. I do love them. So inquisitive and funny…well, maybe because it was the Galapagos they were not afraid at all. Your photography is marvelous as usual, and you brought to life my little friend over there. Loved your stories too. A truly beautiful bird, and I wish I could hear them sing. So often I think of our sail in those islands. If I only could, I would go there again. But it seems the world is lost to us now, and we are grateful for the adventures we have had.

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    1. “If I only could, I would go there again. But it seems the world is lost to us now, and we are grateful for the adventures we have had.”
      This gave me goosebumps because it is so true. Travel for us travelers, means a meaningful exploratory life. So very hard that it has stopped.

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      1. So it is, Cindy. How do we manage? Really. We have to adapt, but I miss so many things about traveling. Yet, I should not complain, we lead a good life despite the disasters in this world. I worry about our planet, have always done. But now things are going straight downwards to a complete disaster. I live in my own bubble, where I grow a garden attractive for insects and birds. My thing. I have to feel I am doing something positive, something to help.
        There, some ranting…but I am low these days. I hope you are all well there in the Holler.
        ♥

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        1. I personally understand how you feel and struggle with many of the same thoughts and feelings. It is hard to watch our slow slide towards apocalypse and not feel depressed. I am glad you have your Eden for insects and birds and people to commune happily with each other. It is a healing balm for all of us. Sending you love and empathy დდ

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  67. wonderful upclose photos and whoa, they sound like birds you don’t want to mess with! Yet you say they sing so beautifully. I enjoyed learning more about mockers!

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  69. Indeed birds of character. Lol Hello, Cindy! It seems you are only having birds with an academic background. When do you release the first album, with songs? 😉 Thanks for sharing, and have a beautiful rest of the weekend! Please stay save! xx Michael

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  70. Diesen Spötter, den du in deinem Beitrag zeigst gibt es bei uns nicht . Es ist ein Verwandter der bei uns heimisch ist, der Gelbspötter. Ich kann mich an einer Beobachtung erinnern, wo dieser Vogel mich arg getäuscht hat.Aus einem dichten Buschwerk drang der Gesang der Dornengrasmücke und die des Gartenrotschwanz zu mir. Beide Vogelarten waren nicht in dem Gebüsch, es war allein der Gelbspötter der ihren Gesang imitiert hat.
    Deine Foto sind fantastisch, danke fürs Zeigen.
    Viele Grüße
    Werner.

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    1. Was für eine wundervolle Geschichte! Danke, dass du es mit mir teilst. Vögel sind so unglaublich clever mit ihren Tricks und Mimikry. Sie haben mich auch auf viele lustige Verfolgungsjagden geführt und ich habe jede Sekunde davon geliebt. Pass gut auf dich auf, mein Freund Werner დ

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