Life Lessons Learned From A Mockingbird!
Posted: Tuesday, March 31, 2009
by Bob Alexander
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
My Mockingbird gets up with the sun and I awake with a tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet and a final tweet before he takes a breath to start the concert again with the same five notes. It's a wonderful way to greet a new day.
Granted, most mornings I don't want to get up with the sun, but no one mentioned this to my feathered friend. He has a powerful and projecting voice that wakes me out of a sound sleep each day promptly at five AM. The first inclination is to get angry when awakened from a good night's sleep, but after a few minutes, the sound enters your soul and you realize something beautiful has just happened.
The Northern Mockingbird can imitate over thirty other birds as well as such sounds as barking dogs, chirping crickets, and squeaky hinges and it has been argued that some of these wild birds must have gone to a Michael Jackson concert because some of their songs sound like his music.
When the male Mockingbird finds a mate the songs continue, but not as loud. She joins him in their musical arrangements. The music is usually softer and tenderer than when the male was singing solo.
Though they are monogamous, it usually only lasts during the breeding season. Some mated pairs however have been known to stay together for over eight years. This is generally the life span of the Northern Mockingbird.
When the pair settles down to the business of raising a family, they build a nest of grass, feathers, string and just about anything soft; the male doing most of the work. The nest is usually three to ten feet above the ground. Nests in bushes and small ornamental trees are favorite places to begin a family.
Mockingbirds are savagely protective of their home; especially if it is filled with eggs are newly hatched birds. Not long ago my cat Spike was lying on the deck and licking his chops as he listened to the sound of chirping baby birds coming from a Holly bush a few feet away. Suddenly he was dive bombed by an angry Mocking bird that pecked him so hard on his head that he still walks carefully around that part of the yard, even though the chicks have left the nest.
After the eggs are hatched and the young one leave the nest, the adult male and female abandon that nest and build another one. Here they will repeat the same process again; build, lay eggs, watch the chicks hatch and then leave the nest.
The male, ever diligent, has already been building another nest. When the young have left the first nest, it's time to occupy the second nest, and so the story continues. Each pair of Mockingbirds will have several broods during the mating season, and then things cool off until next spring.
It's a joy to hear Mockingbird songs. It is also fun to watch male birds chase someone who has ventured too close to their nests, especially someone they recognize has having already been warned against walking too close to the little ones.
Studies have shown that male Mockingbirds will single out individuals they're familiar with, while letting other folks pass them by. I laughed when my brother was attacked repeatedly, when everyone else was spared the wrath of the mocker who had a nest near our front door. I didn't know that they could spot weirdness among us humans.
I've learned a lot from my Mockingbirds:
1. Start the day with a song.
2. When you find a mate, there is the possibility that it will last forever. Make the most of it.
3. Build a house, flip it and build another. After doing this several times, head south.
4. Protect your family.
These birds sound a lot like us, don't they?
Bob Alexander is a true son of the southern portion of America and well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.homeandgardenbob.com
http://www.redfishbob.com
Bob Alexander is a true son of the southern portion of America and well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.homeandgardenbob.com
http://www.redfishbob.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)h bob,i loved this article, since i love birds so much.it is still cold here, and i can't wait for it to get warmer so i can once again enjoy the outside. i did get a couple of hanging plants for the front porch, and i hope a nest develops, as they have in the past.thanks for sharing this with us,my bst to you,sueSue, I always enjoy your comments. We have a lot of birds here but I can't have many bird feeders close to the house. Spike lies in wait for any unsuspecting bird that might stray to the ground in search of fallen food.Bob
Hi Bob.I've often wished that we had mockingbirds. We had them when we lived in SoCal, but here in Arizona, we get the Great Tailed Grackle instead. They have their own songs, but seem to prefer to use sounds they have picked up elsewhere ... car alarms for one. And waking up at 4:30 in the morning (as the season progresses) to the sound of a dentist's drill is just not all that pleasant. Where they get that noise, I've no idea.But, yes, they are a lot like us. They want the same things we do.Thanks,Dianne
Thank you for a very interesting article. Now I will look at Mockingbirds in a whole new light as I will remember your story.Thank you for sharingLinda DLinda, thanks for responding. We have a lot of Mockingbirds around here. I didn't know that their territory is usually only an acre or two. They're fun to watch.Bob
Great article. It is an important lesson we can learn from these creatures, mainly to be what God meant us to be.Ken, You're right! We can learn a lot from the Mockingbirds, including various categories of vanity. Watch the big one, (male) when he is flirting with a prospective mate.Bob
Bob,This was a wonderful article. I so enjoy the Mockingbirds and remember (not too long ago) when I actually figured out that the bird interrupting my sleep was the famous imitator.Thank you for sharing. Good information, great comparison and your ending made me smile.NancyNancy, thanks for the comments. Mockingbirds are fun to listen to and to watch. You can almost put a face to the ones you've watched for a few minutes. They will remind you of someone.Bob
Bob, another article that brings readers' thoughts to important things. I think, however, that in Michael Jackson's case it is the opposite: he must have heard a lot of Mockingbird songs! Isn't there something about this in classical music, of one or more great composers that built themes around birdsongs? Not sure, but I heard that somewhere. Thanks again for an uplifting and informative read. I learned a lot about these birds!
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