To Maim a Mockingbird

@farmerman,

soooooo, basically... you gave the lake the bird?

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Are the mockingbird warbles & ferocious antics restricted to certain times of the year (like mating, or nesting seasons)?
Or are they like that all the time?

Dadpad, you just reminded me about magpies!
Ferocious little devils they are!

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@msolga,

There's definitely more chatter when they're lookin' for love (understandably). They will imitate pretty much whatever -- we've had generations singing the car alarm song.

At our next door neighbor's, they used to have a large evergreen bush and the birds would nest in there, but the shrub is long gone, yet the birds remain, so they found some other cozy spot. They like the chimney (Farmerman's not alone) but I think that's more for posturing and singing versus actual nesting, sorta like not building a house for the wife and kids in a karaoke bar.

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@jespah,

Quote:

There's definitely more chatter when they're lookin' for love (understandably). They will imitate pretty much whatever -- we've had generations singing the car alarm song.

Jespah, I am just trying to imagine an amorous car alarm song, sung for the romantic edification of the female mockingbird.
It must be an incredibly moving experience to witness such a performance .

I presume the singing settles down after Mr Mockingbird meets his perfect mate & they consummate their relationship. That must be a huge relief for everyone!

So littlek, how is your mockingbird going?
Have you managed to find a way to quieten him down yet?

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I did not read the 1960 Mockingbird novel,
so out of curiousity, I checked Wikipedia:

" * * * Songbirds and their associated symbolism appear throughout the novel.
The family's last name of Finch also shares Lee's mother's maiden name.
The titular mockingbird is a key motif of this theme, which first
appears when Atticus, having given his children air-rifles for Christmas,
allows their Uncle Jack to teach them to shoot.

Atticus warns them that, although they can "shoot all the bluejays they want",
they must remember that "it's a sin to kill a mockingbird".

Confused, Scout approaches her neighbor Miss Maudie,
who explains that mockingbirds never harm other living creatures.
She points out that mockingbirds simply provide pleasure with their songs, saying,
"They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us."

[Emfasis has been added by David.]

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

You never want to handle a wild bird, and if you are obliged to handle a bird's nest which has recently been occupied, you want to wear gloves.

and a good quality respiratory mask

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Happily my audio decided not to boot up with the rest of my computer (why does it do that?). So, I can't here the clip, Region.

MsO, I haven't heard him lately. maybe round one of the mating season is over now...... ore maybe I'm too exhausted at night for him to bother me any more.

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I sat on my porch one day and heard a mockingbird do different calls for an hour. And never repeat himself.
Yesterday one was chasing a crow. I guess the crow had eaten one of its eggs.

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

All birds are, in one respect, "repulsive." There are few creatuers you could encounter which are more hag-ridden by parasites, inside and out. You never want to handle a wild bird, and if you are obliged to handle a bird's nest which has recently been occupied, you want to wear gloves. Through no fault of their own, birds are filthy creatures.

That's why I enjoy watching birds, but keep my distance. If I have to touch something they've been in, like the bird bath, I really scrub my hands. I can't believe Belle drinks from that birdbath.

I have woodpeckers. I cannot see how they don't get a concussion.

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@farmerman,

So, littlek, that's what you need, a city sized border collie..

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@edgarblythe,

We didn't have many in our neighborhood. I wonder if the night herons or the crows made them scarce..

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@msolga,

Best thread in a month of Sundays.

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How about one of those fake owls?
Would that work?

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/wildbirdmart_2147_5180223

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Maybe a fake owl would work, but I have usually seen them as being fairly useless against geese and pigeons....

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@dadpad,

Gads, I loved that - thanks for the link!

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@littlek,

littlek wrote:

Maybe a fake owl would work, but I have usually seen them
as being fairly useless against geese and pigeons....

Too bad bobsymthhawk's not around any more.
He could get a for-real predator.

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Once I did work for a townhouse complex that had a tree at each of the corners of the swimming pool. The trees had grown large since being planted, and they housed thousands of birds, it seemed. Poop fell in the pool like a constant rain. One of the remedies they had us try was putting fake owls all over the limbs. It did not scare off a single bird. We tried several things, most of which I no longer remember. They finally removed all four trees.

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Lil Kay is a bird of ill omen. The last few mornings, when i let the dogs out, a single bird was singing, and the song was familiar--but i've lived in cities now for over 20 years, and i couldn't place it. When i heard the birdsong in the video above of the mockingbird, i was uneasy. I just let the little dogs out in the back yard a little while ago, and heard the bird--sure enough, it's a mocking bird. So, we have one nesting in one of the backyards nearby. There's an evergreen in our backyard, and i fear that's where it's nesting.

To Maim a Mockingbird

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