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!

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

Other birds:

Some botany:

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