Mockers

I have a love-hate relationship with our resident mockingbirds.  Saturday morning when I was outside trying to capture some of the last photos of hummingbirds before they left for their migration, this mockingbird sat on my roof and entertained me for a good ten minutes with its loud, rambling song.  When this kind of musical interlude comes at 6 a.m. above my bedroom, as it has on occassion, I'm not so entertained!

I also wasn't a fan earlier in the Summer when the mockingbird harassed my nesting bluebirds, chasing them out of the backyard whenever he caught sight of them.  Shortly thereafter, I discovered a mockingbird nest in the Holly Tree in my front yard, which explained the sudden need to be territorial. While I tried to be understanding, it was still annoying to see him chase the bluebirds away from their own nest.

This bird from Saturday sang and sang, initially accommodating my intrusion with the camera.   I finally walked around to the front of the house to get a better photo and a video that would capture the warbling song.

As soon as I hit the video record button, the singing stopped. The bird flew down the roof directly at me, pulling up at the last minute to fly above me and away.  Cheeky bird!