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~

Discover more from Cindy Knoke

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

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

      Reply

      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.

        Reply

  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

    Reply

      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. 😎

        Reply

  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

    Reply

  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! 🙂

    Reply

    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

      Reply

  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!

    Reply

  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

    Reply

    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

      Reply

  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”

    Reply

  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.

    Reply

      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.

        Reply

  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.

    Reply

  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 🙂

    Reply

          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.

            Reply

  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

    Reply

  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? 🙂

    Reply

  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!

    Reply

Leave a Reply