July 17, 1986 - Song of the MockingbirdPage 8A/The Suffolk Times /July 17, 1986
Song of the Mockingbird
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
By now most of you have probably
become aware of the bird world's most
prodigious and dedicated singer, the
mockingbird. It starts singing in Jan-
uary and continues with an almost
unbelievable chorus of songs that
reaches its height each spring.
This bird, with its white wing
patches and white - marked long tail
has now become a common nester
here on Long Island. It was not al-
ways so. I found the first nesting pair
on the East End over 30 years ago
when birding with Roy Wilcox, the
famed birder from the south side. In
those days sighting a mockingbird
was a rarity. Today, it's one of our
most common birds.
It is my belief that the spread of
the multiflora rose, which was given
out by the Department of Environ-
mental Conservation for wildlife food,
played an important role in the
spread of this bird up from the south.
Anyone who knows this "gone -wild
rose" knows that there is a lush bunch
of berries produced on the vine that
supply fruit eaters, such as the moc-
kingbird, with food throughout the
winter.
This wild rose invader is found in
almost every abandoned lot and back-
yard and has become such a problem
in some states that it has literally
been outlawed. Here it makes good
wildlife cover but I'm afraid, like
phragmites, that tall plume grass, it
overpowers many of our native
species of plants. There's good and
bad in everything.
All in the Family
The mockingbird belongs to a fam-
ily of singers that includes the catbird
and thrasher. Both of these birds have
the ability to mock other birds, but
they fall far short of Mr. Mocker's
ability to imitate. I'll never forget a
day I spent with Der.nis Puleston, the
noted naturalist, out on the pine bar-
rens in Westhampton some years ago.
We were intent on photographing
Focus on
Nature
a grasshopper sparrow that inhabits
this vast and fascinating area. We'd
set up a blind to photograph the nest
and it was my turn to be inside await-
ing the bird's return. While I sat there
cramped inside the blind, I had time
to concentrate on the calls that were
coming from the top of a pine by a
mocker. It had positioned itself where
the world could hear it and as it called
I could pick up the robin, the blue jay,
the crow, the catbird, the chickadee,
the downy woodpecker and a list that
went on and on. And when it wasn't
mimicking a particular bird, it sang
its own repertoire that would rival
the best songster. For as long as we
stayed there, it poured its heart out.
Often, as is typical of the bird, it
would leap high off its perch in
rhythmic bounces into the air. It
would keep singing as it would leap
up and down almost as if trying to
attract more attention by its move-
ments. Perhaps this is where the
phrase "leaping for joy" comes from
for it surely seemed to be enjoying
itself.
I'm told the Indians called it the
bird of 400 songs and even its scien-
tific name, Mimus polyglottos "many -
tongued mimic ", tells of its ability as
a songster. But I'm sure others would
say, "That's all well and good but does
it have to sing all day and all night,
too ?" I guess it's like the boy who likes
ice cream. It's fine until you have to
serve it all day, five days a week.
A Torment to Pets
Mockers can give your pet dog or
cat a hard time. They are ferocious
defenders of their territory and Lord
help any intruder, particularly a cat.
They'll dive -bomb it and harass it in
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Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
THE MOCKINGBIRD - -It's hard to believe this noisy songster that
sings not only all day but sometimes all night, is a relative newcomer
to our area, being rare 30 years ago.
every way possible until they drive it
away.
Their aerial dog fights with other
mockingbirds that enter their territ-
ory is something else to see. And here,
often others join in just to make the
game more interesting.
An odd bit of behavior I've noticed
and haven't been able to find in any
literature, is the bird's habit of hunt-
ing insects on the ground. They use
a quick wing -beat as they walk along
the ground. Evidently this flash of
wings scares the hiding insect into
the open so that it makes it easier for
the mocker to catch. I've often seen
this flushing -out method of hunting,
particularly in open fields and on
open ground.
Of the three species in this family
-- the catbird, the thrasher and the
mockingbird -- the latter prefers the
open spaces while the others are more
often found in the woods.
It seems odd that 30 years ago moc-
kingbirds were found mostly to the
south of us. No Georgia garden would
be complete without its magnolias
and mockingbirds. In our last year's
Christmas bird count here on the East
end we had 140 of these songsters
within a 15 -mile radius of Orient and
that's in the middle of the winter. No
wonder we hear more and more from
this songster. As long as it doesn't
keep you awake all night singing its
heart out atop your TV antenna, it's
a wonderful addition to our world of
birds.
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