Thursday, June 26, 2008

My favorite bird


One of the best things about living in The Nook has been the abundance of birds. Most mornings, several Mourning Doves and Mockingbirds bolt from the yard as I walk outside, though often Mockingbirds will perch on the power line or hedge and curiously watch me. I usually say hi.
The deceptively named Northern Mockingbird- so named to differentiate from the tropical mockingbirds- is my favorite bird. The Mockingbird eats insects and fruit. Its range is expanding. A brassy little character, the Mockingbird will make attack runs on predators, but is celebrated for its wide repertoire of songs, most of them borrowed from other bird species and even human mechanisms like car alarms. I find Mockingbirds beautiful.

One of my least favorite birds is the Blue Jay. B. Hilton says they're actually great for various reasons, but I prefer my Mockingbirds to those bullying, nest robbing, raucous damn Blue Jays.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

John,

I like mockingbirds, too.

Ever had one bow up at you as if it's thinking about kicking your ass?

Brown thrashers are neat, too.

Blue jays? Ask me about the time a blue jay made me run into a pine tree.
Face first and full speed.

Assrot said...

I respectfully submit to you sir that the Mockingbird is the "Gatherer" of the winged and feathered kingdom while the Blue Jay is the "Hunter".

Both are needed to make their society work. Both are liked and disliked as well by many.

I personally like them both and I think given equal size,strength and health, the Mockingbird would kick the Blue Jay's ass in less time than it takes to chug a good beer.

Have a nice day,
Joe

Assrot said...

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HallowE09