Mockingbird, Starling & Merlin App

I'm always looking for new places around town to check out. You just never know if a spot is going to be any good for birding unless you try it. There was quite a bit of sparrow habitat in the land near these solar panels, so I gave it a try. if you look closely, there is a bird set on top of the solar panel. 

A lot of birders dislike European Starling because they're not native. I actually think they are visually appealing when the sun is shining on them. They can imitate certain birds and make a whole slew of sounds that are interesting and hard to figure out. Some have been known to imitate the human voice as well.
The Northern Mockingbird has to be when it comes to imitating other birds though. When they are on a roll, they can imitate multitudes of birds in rapid-fire fashion! Although starlings and mockingbirds are in different families of bird species, they both imitate birds. 

A lot of people have been using the Merlin identification app. It picks up sounds of birds and shows you what birds are around. It works pretty well, if you stand still quietly but sometimes it displays a rare bird that you have to wonder about. I believe it can make mistakes, so it shouldn't be used as the sole source of bird identification. It can be a nice tool, however, in helping to let you know what potential species might be in the area. 

When I was out on this particular day, the Merlin App showed that there was a Gray-cheeked Thrush nearby which would be a rare bird sighting in this area. Unlikely, but it's always worth looking. Anyway, I didn't find one. 

This led me to a question. Did the mockingbird or starling imitate the Gray-cheeked Thrush and set off the merlin Alert? I guess I'll never know but it is an interesting possibility.

From Baby Beggar To Brash Adult Mockingbird

A couple of weeks go I was rushing from place to place on a frantic search for warblers. Now the peak of spring migration has passed and we are entering the nesting season. This past Saturday I was down at the shore intending to look for shorebirds. Instead, I found myself sitting on a tree stump watching fledgling mockingbirds trying to get their sea legs (or bird legs) under them. I think Summer birding calls for a slower pace and watching young mockingbirds in training was a perfect way to slow things down.

It was a treat to see these innocent young mockingbirds humbly begging for food knowing they will soon become bold, brash adults belting out songs from their mockingbird jukebox selection of tunes.

                               

                                                                click to play

Mocking The Mockingbird

I enjoy watching the antics of Northern Mockingbirds. They plant themselves in a bush full of berries and guard them like a watchdog. They are also curious birds. While watching this mockingbird from inside my truck, I made different sounds to see how it would react. At first, It moved around in the bush unsure of what to do.

As I started talking to it, the bird hopped to the ground and came straight towards me. I wish I had some berries to offer it. It has quite the lengthy tail. I wonder why they hold it up so high?

I spent Saturday morning walking the trails along the Wadsworth Mansion and Wadsworth Park with another birder. It was a mild winter day with no wind and the trails were packed enough so that our feet only sunk into the snow occasionally. There was the usual birds you might expect to find in the Connecticut woods during the winter but their were also a few surprises. We had a nice view of a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. There was some crows chasing a Red-tailed hawk around the woods. A few Common Ravens passed overhead making there interesting vocalizations. We noted that the ravens and Red-tailed Hawk shared the same airspace without bothering each other.

On my way home I stopped by Harbor Park to see if there were any unusual gulls hanging around. They appeared to all be Ring-billed Gulls playing a game of "heads or tails? " It's good to know that Spring is just around the corner. I'm looking forward to getting outdoors for more extended periods of time now.