Talented Mockingbird at Marie Curtis Park: May 2020

Many of you will be familiar with Marie Curtis Park which has field, forest, pond, stream and beach habitat. I was supposed to be leading 7 TDSB walks here this spring so decided to have a look at it at dawn this morning.

Immediately, upon leaving the car near the dog park, I heard a Killdeer calling loudly … from high in a tree! Then came a Blue Jay, a Brown Thrasher, a Robin, a Willow Flycatcher, a Cardinal and on and on. Clearly a male Mockingbird is doing all of this and these are NOT pale imitations. The same timbre of sound and the same phrasing as the actual species. Amazing!

Northern Mockingbird
Northern Mockingbird

Why do Mockingbirds do this? The oldest reason in nature … females prefer to parent with talented males!

Other birds:

Red-winged Blackbird (female)
Red-winged Blackbird (male)
Mallards
Northern Cardinal (male)
Northern Cardinal (male)
Mute Swan
Ring-billed Gull
Ring-billed Gull
American Crow
American Goldfinch (male)
Yellow Warbler (male)
Yellow Warbler (male)
Yellow Warbler (male)
Yellow Warbler (male)
Gray Catbird
Warbling Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Warbling Vireo
American Robin
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Tree Swallow
Tree Swallows
Brown-headed Cowbird (female)
Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Northern Flicker (female)
Baltimore Oriole (female) constructing nest
Baltimore Oriole (female) constructing nest
Baltimore Orioles constructing nest
Baltimore Oriole (female)

Some botany:

Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii)
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
May-apple (Podophylum peltatum)
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
Sensitive Fern
Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia)
Silver Maple (Acer sachharinum)
Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Chess (Bromus secalinus)
Whitlow-grass (Draba verna)
Cherry Blossoms

NATURE POETRY

The flowers in the breeze are swaying, swaying,
The whole wide world is out a-Maying.                  – Genevieve Mary Irons (1855–1928)

Miles Hearn

2 thoughts on “Talented Mockingbird at Marie Curtis Park: May 2020

  1. Rosemarie Fischer

    wonderful pictures….it would be great if they came with a SOUND TRACK!!!! Imagine if you could have recorded that catbird!!!! would’nt that be GREAT?? you are an amazing photographer among all your other talents!! I “imagine” the calls of those birds, it reminds me how much I miss my CHOIR!!!!
    So nice of you to share all this wonderful nature with us…..Vielen DANK!!!!
    Rosemarie Fischer

    Reply

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