Thursday, January 26, 2012

Mock-YEAH Ing-YEAH

Bird-Yeah. This guy was hanging outside my classroom window after school. I like the afternoon light, even if it's the early morning light that is ideal. There's quite a lot of brown in this picture.


There's not enough of the eye visible, but I like all of the texture in the shot. It was a nice concatenation of lighting and placement. This lower photo of another mimid, the Catbird, was taken at about the same time of day in Pennsylvania (in late spring). There's a pretty noticeable difference in the color of evening light along the United States.


11 comments:

  1. Seems we both had mockingbirds on the mid this week! I found mine, I see you saw yours! LOL! Cute catbird too. It will be awhile before they return to my neck of the woods!

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    1. I must admit, I like yours a little bit better. In fairness, it was reading about your mockingbird earlier today today that in part prompted me to stop and take a picture, so thank you Kathie!

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  2. Mockingbirds are so funny. There is one here that chases all the other visitors out of the trees - except the house sparrows. Just as I grab my binoculars, too!! Love your photo. Check out the detail in the legs and feet. Great image!

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    1. They sure have spunk! I've seen them chase after dogs, cats, birds, people, and cars. Why not the House Sparrows? Are they impervious to the Mockingbird swoops, or does the bird not bother?

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  3. Wonderful post Laurence, I sure love how spunky Mockingbirds are.

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    1. I second that. From time to time I come across people who remind me of Mockingbird's in their temperament and excitability. Then it's a bit harder to deal with.

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  4. I really like the lighting on the Catbird! Beautiful! Catbird??? that is an interesting name for a bird:)

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    1. Thanks Tammy. I've wondered about the name too. You don't hear about dogbirds too often. I suspect it may have something to do with the Catbird's calls, or one of its many calls (it's a mimid like the Mocker), which could sound like a caterwauling feline.

      Then there's the expression, "in the catbird seat," which means you're sitting in an enviable/untouchable position. Your comment made me think about it, so I looked it up. Apparently the expression was popularized in a short story by James Thurber (never heard of him myself), who had himself taken it from the famous old baseball broadcaster Red Barber, who used that along with lots of other folksy expressions to describe situations such as a batter having 3 balls and no strikes.

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  5. Great shots. I love the mockingbirds. I haven't had them at my feeders for a while, but sure they will come in early spring along with the catbirds. Lots of personality.

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    1. Thanks Dan. I can only imagine those other feeder birds are dreading the Mocker's return; they can be real bullies. I'm with you though, I love the liveliness they bring, even if it's repeatedly attacking their own reflection in my window at 5 am.

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  6. Great post! I love it when we allow that common birds are worth photographic attention.

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