Mockingbird Parent
The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) seen here was as ferocious as a dinosa — er, bird, can get. Well, maybe not in the literal sense, but did you ever have the feeling that something was out to get you? This bird felt like giving me a tap or two in the head, something Mockingbirds did to me as a child on multiple occasions while on our patio near a nest in a bush. It turns out that the nasty look I was receiving here was for a similar reason as there were fledglings nearby. This Mockingbird refused to fly away as I walked up the roadway within several feet and stared me down...
Read MoreNorthern Mockingbird
Hey, keep it down over there, will ya?! Northern Mockingbirds will not only sing all day long, they’ll sing all night! Any time you have been startled awake to the sound of a fake car alarm coming out of a bush at 3AM you do not forget it. In this case this bird was rattling off hits like, “Common Tern” to “White-eyed Vireo” while not caring much for what I was up to whatsoever. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreCozy Climate
As the snow falls across Chautauqua County and Western New York let us take a moment to remember when it was not a frigid arctic tundra and birds were singing, flowers blooming, and so forth…a few weeks ago. Those species that are expanding their range and trying to conquer new territory to the north as climate change makes it feasible are in for a rude awakening this week. Birds like this Northern Mockingbird or the Carolina Wren might have been living it up recently, feeding on anything they like in warm and mostly snow-free conditions. Now they will be in deep trouble, struggling to...
Read MoreNorthern Mockingbird
This is one small bird with a frightening gaze! Watch out for the Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos), folks…even when they are not defending a nest and zooming at your head they certainly give off a scary vibe. I would not turn my back to this one. As long as it has some tasty food like those berries and some unfrozen water it will be content to stick out the winter in a given location. I don’t care what I’m imagining, that is not a happy expression…but I am happy they are such a successful species advancing northward in their territory. Scott Kruitbosch...
Read MoreNorthern Mockingbird
The Northern Mockingbird does not need a mask because its incredible vocal range can turn it into nearly anything imaginable. Depending on where you live Mimus polyglottos may be an uncommon to rare species or a typical neighborhood pest. They have been advancing north in the past several decades, possibly because of development and more favorable habitats and likely thanks to climate change. They are still a scarce bird in the Chautauqua-Allegheny region likely for both of those reasons, as well as our higher elevation. Why the pest, you ask? One day, if you’re fortunate, you may wake up to...
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