Funny Animal Encounter

[SalsaMTB]

wow, sounds nice! Where do you live? When I road ride the most exciting thing I see are little gophers. On my mtb i'll see the occasional deer. I'm envious of where you live with all the wildlife around.

[Nanci]

They don't have Mockingbirds up north, where I grew up and spent nearly 40 years of my life. When I moved to Florida, I quickly grew to appreciate these drab gray birds. You've heard the song "Listen to the mockingbird..." That is because what Mockingbirds do is sing. But not just any song; the Mockingbird knows up to 200 songs of other birds, amphibians, insects, and even mechanical noises. You can hear them singing before it is light out, and even after the sun has gone down. Sometimes a single male Mockingbird will sing almost all night, especially if there is a full moon! There is nothing better than having a Mockigbird pair in your yard. And if the singing weren't enough, there is the mysterious hunting behaviour. In the evening, the Mockingbird will alight in the grass. Then the bird will run forward quickly about five feet, then stop, with wings raised, pause, and repeat. This is now my very favorite bird, not counting pigeons.

Nanci

[snapdragen]

I like Mockingbirds too! We had a pair nest in an old walnut tree. Once the babies could use their wings, they'd jump out of the nest and drift to the ground. We "rescued" that pair of babies a number of times, until I got tired of climbing up to the nest. I called a Wildlife Rescue group, and the lady very kindly told me baby mocks leave the nest early, and will take refuge in the bushes and shrubs. I was concerned Mom and Dad mock couldn't find them - she assured me they knew exactly where their babies were.

All that, spring I'd be working in my garden, look up and see a baby mockingbird staring at me.

[Aint Doody]

Oh, how I miss mockingbirds! When they do that wing thing, it's called flashing. I like being flashed by a regal bird! I've heard them singing in the middle of the night--such lovely varied songs. And they really can sound exactly like a cat.