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| Northern Mockingbird |
Hello everyone! I'm back and catching up with you all. It has been an amazing weekend with a lot of finds and I can't wait to share those posts with you all. Although, I'm done with these chigger bites. They are terrible this year! So don't look at the bird bath. It's disgusting and has since been cleaned. But apparently, the wildlife doesn't care. In fact the more algae, mosquito larvae, and less water it has....the better!
Once common at El Presidio, this Northern Mockingbird stopped by for a quick bath and drink. Residents called this bird "the Papagayo". I have no idea what that meant but it stuck. El "Sr. Papagayo" made lots of exotic and tropical bird noises in our courtyard at the end of May and into June right before monsoon. It was the most beautiful sound to hear and many residents left their doors open to listen to the comforting and continually random calls he learned from other birds over his lifetime. Which begs the question, "Who were all those interesting characters he met?!"
He was indeed a "Sr." because he was looking for a mate. When I first met him in person, I was, how shall we say, underwhelmed by the appearance. Then our pool was removed and el "Sr. Papagayo" never returned. Perhaps it was the water, but for two seasons his voice was not heard at El Presidio. They flew around in our neighborhood but never stopped by our gardens.....until now.
You don't realize how precious something is until its gone. When this Mockingbird made a return to the gardens for the first time, my heart leapt. I constantly look out my window for the new birds and when I saw our newly returned visitor, I had to contain my excitement and slowly grab the camera.
The secret? We need to get our fountain into the courtyard and then perhaps, "El Sr. Papagayo" will return on a regular basis. So welcome back my feathered friend:) More tomorrow....
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So that's what a mocking bird looks like. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteQuote:
ReplyDelete"Residents called this bird "the Papagayo". I have no idea what that meant but it stuck."
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That's strange. Doesn't it mean Parrot ? I would imagine it was given that label as a result of it's mocking behavior.
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You're absolutely correct but I guess at the time I couldn't figure out why they were calling it a parrot until I heard it mocking the tropical sounds. I think it sounded more like a parrot at times than a normal bird:)
DeleteNow I could see a Common Grackle being called a Parrot, more than a Mockingbird
DeleteGlad your Papagayo returned and hope he becomes a regular when the fountain is up and running. Water features, whether a pond, birdbath, or fountain, are great for attracting wildlife :)
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to hear you had a good trip :) although not so good about the bites :(
How neat. Cute little guy.
ReplyDeletebeautiful photos!
ReplyDeletecool blue plate as the background...
xoxo, Juliana
[pjhappies.blogspot.com]
What a pretty little bird it is, Chris. You are quite right about not realising how precious something is until it's gone. House Sparrows used to be our most common garden bird and consequently hardly noticed but now it is quite an event when the odd one or two visit.
ReplyDeleteSo nice to open doors and windows to listen to the mockingbird. Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very interesting bird, for imitating other sounds so well. You know what? We have the word 'papagayo' here to, which means a kite! I wonder where it came from, i thought it is Spanish!
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of this pretty little bird!
ReplyDeleteYour feathered friend is so cute! What a joy to wake up everyday to see him in the garden! He looks nice with the ultramarine-colored water basin.
ReplyDeleteYoko
i like the spots on his chest - definitely not like the eastern mocker with those. :)
ReplyDeletehe's gorgeous
ReplyDeleteHandsome bird! It's always a pleasure to have the MOckers around, even if they do attack my window at 4 am on a regular basis
ReplyDeleteExcellent photos Chris! I love bird watching!
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful bird and super pictures.
ReplyDeleteQué guapo este pajarillo.. Me gusta!!!.. Un saludillo
ReplyDeleteNice one Chris, I feel your excitement here! :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the way nature gives you second (and third) chances to invite it back. Maybe Sr. Papagayo will return with a ladyfriend next time, now that you have cleaned up the birdbath!
ReplyDeleteMocking birds are my favorite! And that's hard for me to say because I have a hard time choosing. I have heard it said that when you hear a mocking bird singing at night it's a male that didn't find a mate.
ReplyDeleteThe poor guy sometimes will sing for a month and half before he got some. But it was nice to hear him sing during that time. It started from 11 and lasted until the early hours of the morning. So people hated that and others loved it:)
DeleteHi, Just wanted to drop by and say HELLO. It's been a busy week/month --and just gonna get busier. Sounds like you have been busy too...
ReplyDeleteLove your mocker --and what a name!!!!!
Hubby got chigger bites one year and they were horrible. He used vinegar to keep them from itching.
Betsy
Betsy, I LOVE YOU!!!! It was so bad tonight and after the vinegar and burn.....it worked!!! Thank you thank you thank you for the tip. My feet feel so good right now. And yes, it has been really really busy. It's hard to keep up with everything. We just have to do our best:)
DeleteThose chigger bites are awful. It is amazing what birders will put up with to get that special bird. I am happy your Mocker is back.
ReplyDeletechiggers! ugh! we have them here...and luckily, i don't get bothered much...maybe because sam has such sweet blodd, they all seem to get attracted to him!! chiggers, gnats, fleas, ticks, mosquitoes...he is their bait!! ha! lucky me!
ReplyDeleteanyway...nice looking bird!! hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of him & his extended family!! =)